I have been into O-27 and S gauge trains for about 5 years now, and I have been doing some restoration and repair work on quite a few of the items I own. I take pride in restoring older trains that do not run or are in peices and making them run again.
I currently have the following in my repair yards:
1947 Lionel 221 (complete cosmetic and mechanical, the engine and tender were in a flooded basement. The motor is repaired, the reverse unit is completely shot, and the replacment I ordered was the wrong type, fortunately it fit another project engine, my Lionel 520, the shell has been stripped of all rust and has been repainted.)
1956-57 Lionel 520 Boxcab (Needs minor shell repair, new pantograph and rollers. it needed a new reverse unit, but the one purchased for the 221 fit it and now the motor part runs like a top.)
Those are the main locos on the list of repair jobs, I also have the 364 Log loader with a motor in bad shape and a 456 Coal ramp ($10) that needs some TLC and new wiring ($50). The 456 works fine, it just needs new wires to replace the broken ones.
I have a small stable of Flyer locos that need help as well, but that is for another time…
Does anyone have any ideas how to fix small cracks in the plastic postwar Lionel shells? My 520 has a crack from where someone over-tightened the screw holding the shell onto the frame. Any help would be appreciated.
If it’s a fracture crack you can lay a bead of Zap-A-Gap gel CA cement across the crack on the inside of the shell. Work the bead into the crack with a tooth pick then squeeze the shell firmly while wrapping the shell with rubber bands. Be careful that the rubber bands aren’t so tight they mar the finish.
Liquid model cement, such as Testor’s, will actually weld the plastic back together and will result in a stronger, cleaner joint than other glues. Use liquid cement, not the thick model cement that comes in a tube. Apply the cement with a fine paint brush and let capilary action pull it into the crack. Then wrap the shell with elastic bands to squeeze the joint tightly together. Let the shell sit over night before removing the rubber bands. Use some diluted red paint to hide the repaired crack, if needed.
I’ve used the Testors liquid over the years for plastic repairs, and the strength of the repair is unquestionably strong because, as previously posted, it bonds by slightly melting the plastic together. Just make sure the surface is clean and free of grease first.
This works well on plastic shells (screw hole splits, etc.) where you can do the repair inside the shell (not showing) and the appearance around the crack inside is not crucial. I usually tape the exterior of the shell over the crack if I’m concerned with the glue seeping through the crack and onto the shell exterior. Less glue is better, to prevent the running or dripping of this liquid product onto other parts of the shell.
In any event, the product is effective seeping into the crack to make a good bond. This is particularly useful if the crack is very fine and you don’t want to risk worsening the crack by spreading plastic trying to get conventional glue into the gap.