I have decided not to model my layout on a real railway, and instead to build a “fantasy” line, drawing from a wealth of real world lines and model world layouts.
I have a Pennsy K4 4-6-2 loco with a great big ole PENNSYLVANIA down both sides of the tender. Can you share your ideas and techniques for safely removing the road from my tender without causing too much detail damage? I will be adding my own road decals later. The manufacturer is Bachmann Spectrum if that helps.
I’ve successfully removed road names from two Spectrum HO steam loco tenders by soaking the area with methyl hydrate and gently scrubbing with a soft bristle brush e.g tooth brush - this without damaging the underlying paint. I then applied individual letter decals for my road name (Grizzly Northern) and dull coated over the entire tender sides. Looks great.
Removing paint from Bachmann models is a try-as-you-go process. Sometimes a quick wipedown with 91% rubbing alcohol will do the trick, and sometimes you have to resort to brake fluid and repeated scrubbings. I’d try soaking the tender shell in 91% rubbing alcohol forst, as it’s usually the cheapest, simplest and least aggressive of any stripping technique. Move up to stronger paint stripping solutions (like Polly Scale ELO and Scalecoat stripper) gradually, and don’t mix any of them!
I just wiped down my Tender 20 minutes ago after screwing up the Loco (Bachmann Spectrum). Figured I couldn’t do any worse. I gently scraped the lettering with a dull rounded piece of flat bar 1/32nd thick. The lettering flaked of leaving a slight residue behind. I then took a q-tip and dabbed it in Goo Gone. Again I gently rubbed and there is no trace of the lettering or scratches and none of the black under coat came off.
BTW the new parts for the Loco come next week so not all is lost.