I tried using Tide laundry detergent, and after a week of soaking and scrubbing with a toothbrush, I had a very clean engine, with no effect at all on the paint. Decided to go a little harsher. Had a bottle of Citristrip “paint stripper after wash” on the workbench, put a little on a rag, and the graphics literally wiped away. In under half an hour the shell was down to bare plastic. The plastic is fine, also. I’m not sure I would start with this product, but if all else fails, it might be something to look into. Just thought I’d pass it along.
I’m doing the same thing, just using 1000 grit wet/dry 3M sandpaper. 10 minutes in the bathroom sink, got most of one side done, still having 7/8th sheet of sandpaper left.
Black paint is a little duller and the panels/air vents show some paint, but I can mask that all off and repaint with semi-gloss black and it’ll look fine. Just trying to figure out what road name to use. I saw a MicroScale PRR in Gold (!) that might look really good, but that’s later…
I’ll post pictures later…
Even though most stuff today is made by Sanda Kan, each company has their own specifications by which SK makes for respective companies. I’ve had very good luck stripping the newer Lionel stuff with 91% isopropyl alcohol, and the process goes pretty fast.
Some of the K-Line stuff needs more than just that, but the results vary. MTH stuff seems nearly impossible to easily strip. I’ve never tried the Tide method, so I guess that’s one idea for future projects.
My personal preferance is not stripping to the plastic, but rather wetsanding with 600 grit and soapy water, but if the paint is really a mess I think stripping is the only answer.