Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
Once the original paint is removed the die castings are quite crisp, but do need the seams cleaned up.
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Lone Star Diecast OOO Trains.
- Thread starter Mike Trice
- Start date
bob savage
Active Member
on next visit check out the primers they do one for aluminium suitable for white /metal . slows down chipping.
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
Thanks for that, might give it a try.
Felt like doing an easier restoration today. I had a few of the early coaches in a pretty bad state, this one having a damaged coupling loop:
And another that had been painted green. The original maroon is breaking through:
My one buffer stop seems to have also been overpainted with green:
They were placed on some aluminium foil and coated with paint stripper then the foil folded over to form a package keeping the stripper from drying out:
The buffer came out quite well but the coaches both needed further stripping sessions:
Any remaining paint is picked out with a needle:
Likewise for the coach. I also decided to file down the moulding line on the roof:
The bogies were masked with painter's tape and primer sprayed on:
The masking tape was a bit of a faff so I ended up wrapping the bogies in cling film before spraying the model maroon:
There was also a variant that featured a yellow panel along the windows, perhaps one for another coach.
The buffer stop was primed and sprayed in satin black. Still needs to have the buffer beam and lamp painted:
So what happened to the coach with the broken coupling? Well it has been stripped of paint and I am going to attempt copper plating the broken part and repairing it with an offcut of brass soldered in place. Watch this space.
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
If I thought the coach would be straightforward, the next model proved even easier. I mentioned earlier that I needed to source further A4 tenders and one purchase complete with locomotive proved to be in reasonable condition compared to others I had:
The metallic paintwork was reasonably intact. There was some form of dirt on the boiler and in common with most models the black on the smokebox, cab and tender had worn away. I decided for this model not to repaint it completely.
The dirt on the boiler was cleaned off with soapy water and a cotton bud. Not perfect but acceptable:
With the black retouched as closely as I could to the original style it doesn't look too bad. Might give it another coat of black.
The wonky black on the tender is the original paintwork not my carelessness:
Really should oil the wheels now.
The metallic paintwork was reasonably intact. There was some form of dirt on the boiler and in common with most models the black on the smokebox, cab and tender had worn away. I decided for this model not to repaint it completely.
The dirt on the boiler was cleaned off with soapy water and a cotton bud. Not perfect but acceptable:
With the black retouched as closely as I could to the original style it doesn't look too bad. Might give it another coat of black.
The wonky black on the tender is the original paintwork not my carelessness:
Really should oil the wheels now.
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
The Jinty now has red lining (top). I could not bring myself to replicate the scruffy original lining (bottom), it just did not seem right:
The front buffer beam has also been picked out in red:
The original model painting did vary somewhat. There is little evidence to suggest the rear buffer beam should be painted so I have left it in black:
The front buffer beam has also been picked out in red:
The original model painting did vary somewhat. There is little evidence to suggest the rear buffer beam should be painted so I have left it in black:
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
Having seen how the Jinty turned out I decided to line the Class 3. Not as neat as I would have liked but in keeping with the originals. Buffer stop has also been finished.
Had a go at electroplating today. Not a success. Will try again tomorrow.
Had a go at electroplating today. Not a success. Will try again tomorrow.
Peter Insole
Western Thunderer
That little class 3 rings loads of bells!
It took me awhile to work out why Lonestar painted their A4's in that peculiar metallic blue... then I remembered that it was a regular shade! I had a rather nice London Transport, "Gibson" styled, bus ticket machine... and if I recall correctly; some of their cap and "spud guns" were similarly decorated too?!
Pete.
It took me awhile to work out why Lonestar painted their A4's in that peculiar metallic blue... then I remembered that it was a regular shade! I had a rather nice London Transport, "Gibson" styled, bus ticket machine... and if I recall correctly; some of their cap and "spud guns" were similarly decorated too?!
Pete.
I think it was Mazac,i used to go past DCMT in Palmers Green quite often in my travels living in Harringay,N.London.They used to diecast toy cowboy guns and suchlike!.
Ray,
David Waite
Western Thunderer
I still have my spud gun it also doubled or should I say tripled as a water pistol and cap gun it still looks ok (Silver Diecast) but dosnt work anymore probably corroded up inside although the hammer for the caps still works, and I still have a small cardboard tube of Lone Ranger cap rolls that I never used for some reason, we would cut the individual shots off the roll and put them under the steel rod that was in the front of little rockets that you would throw up into the air and they would go bang when they hit the pavement.
David.
David.
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
Retro versions of the spud guns are still made albeit by a different manufacturer. I do remember the rockets now you mention them. Great fun.
simond
Western Thunderer
I’m sure the guns were Mazak or something very similar, I meant the metal in the metallic paint!
To what extent were these unpowered models compatible with the treble-0 electric trains? Different track surely. But different couplings? Rolling stock? I did have a set of the unpowered type. I remember buying a coach from a local market stall that sold toys. That must have been 1965 or later. The coach was certainly new, but possibly this could have been after production had ceased? I know I had an A4 but not sure what other loco(s).
Anyway, thank you for reminding me about these models. No idea what happened to mine.
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
To be honest, I am not sure.
When introduced the diecast track had a track guage of 8.25mm and all wheels were a single diecast moulding.
Treble-O-Electric was a rebrand featuring 9mm track and working locomotives and featured smaller versions of the tension lock coupling. Rolling stock in this range had to feature plastic insulated wheels or a short would occur.
Treble-O-Trains was a rebrand of the push along models which I think also had the plastic moulded wheels and featured plastic track. I think this was 9mm guage but am happy to be told otherwise. Plastic wheeled models do not fit the diecast track.
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Thank you. Lots there I didn’t know, including the different gauge. My set was definitely the die-cast metal track variety.
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Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
Most of my track is pretty scruffy, some showing the silver diecast underneath and some painted over:
To strip the paint, this time I put the pieces in dish and pored Cautic Soda crystals over it:
Boiling water was then added:
After a long soak the pieces were scrubbed clean (wearing rubber gloves and under running water) and any remaining paint picked of with a needle:
After priming with Halfords' grey primer they then had a coat of RAL 7005 Mouse Grey Satin bought over the internet from Scooby's Paints. In the following image the left hand rerailer is in original grey, the remainder have been sprayed with the Mouse Grey:
To strip the paint, this time I put the pieces in dish and pored Cautic Soda crystals over it:
Boiling water was then added:
After a long soak the pieces were scrubbed clean (wearing rubber gloves and under running water) and any remaining paint picked of with a needle:
After priming with Halfords' grey primer they then had a coat of RAL 7005 Mouse Grey Satin bought over the internet from Scooby's Paints. In the following image the left hand rerailer is in original grey, the remainder have been sprayed with the Mouse Grey:
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
What about turnouts I hear you say. Don't they have moving parts?
As with most things Lone Star the parts are all rivetted together and I did not fancy separating the parts, spraying and rejoining.
Instead I lightly built up the spray layers constantly moving the blades so they did not jam up. I think I got away with it:
Once the paint has set for a few days I will try and apply some oil.
As with most things Lone Star the parts are all rivetted together and I did not fancy separating the parts, spraying and rejoining.
Instead I lightly built up the spray layers constantly moving the blades so they did not jam up. I think I got away with it:
Once the paint has set for a few days I will try and apply some oil.
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
I remember buying these trains from Woolworths, blister packs each containing a loco or coach or whatever and every packet costing 2/- i.e. 10p. The track I bought was plastic, I can remember trying to paint the rail tops in a silver colour. I would have been eight or nine years old and at the time I viewed a loco as better value for money than a coach or a wagon(!), so my collection was rather skewed. A few years later, a friend showed me how to make a scenic layout from this lot. We glued down the oval of track (I didn't have any points) and made hills from newspaper and some kind of glue and some really garish green paint. We would have been about ten or eleven years old. Dad provided the sheet of board.
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
A common problem with the Lone Star Diecast track is the joining "hooks" snapping off. The original design could have been far more robust but was not.
I ended up with around 9 pieces of track that were missing these hooks and felt it might be nice to attempt a repair. A new hook was fashioned from some 1*3mm and 1mm*1mm brass:
The underside of the track has any remaining web increased in size to accomodate:
The replacement hook is glued to the track using the metal glue used previously:
Seen right side up:
After spraying. The repaired track is on the left compared with an unbroken one on the right:
I ended up with around 9 pieces of track that were missing these hooks and felt it might be nice to attempt a repair. A new hook was fashioned from some 1*3mm and 1mm*1mm brass:
The underside of the track has any remaining web increased in size to accomodate:
The replacement hook is glued to the track using the metal glue used previously:
Seen right side up:
After spraying. The repaired track is on the left compared with an unbroken one on the right:
Mike Trice
Western Thunderer
Bit of an odd one this one. Basically me having a play.
Add odd bit of track that you will not find in the Lone Star catalogues:
It will be fairly obvious that I have cut off the last sections of a piece of track and joined them together:
Why? Well the geometry of the Lone star track is a bit limited and it is very difficult to reproduce some track formations. The image below of standard turnouts shows that the ends do not align:
The original Triang Standard track that Lone Star copied solved the problem by introducing 1/4 and 1/8 straights but these were never added to the Lone Star range hence my experiment:
I am not certain I have got the dimensions right and will probably have a go at a 3D printed alternative, but you get the idea.
Add odd bit of track that you will not find in the Lone Star catalogues:
It will be fairly obvious that I have cut off the last sections of a piece of track and joined them together:
Why? Well the geometry of the Lone star track is a bit limited and it is very difficult to reproduce some track formations. The image below of standard turnouts shows that the ends do not align:
The original Triang Standard track that Lone Star copied solved the problem by introducing 1/4 and 1/8 straights but these were never added to the Lone Star range hence my experiment:
I am not certain I have got the dimensions right and will probably have a go at a 3D printed alternative, but you get the idea.