1950s HO scale Sampson extruded aluminum "streamliner" restoration

[Ace-Garageguy]

A few months back I bought several Sampson extruded aluminum passenger car kits that represent fluted stainless steel.   

      

 

These are very simple kits, with diecast ends, doors, and truck frames, and wooden underbodies.

When highly polished, they still look great, and super-detailing with updated couplers, brake rigging, and diaphragms makes them really come alive.

One was particularly rough, and I bought it mainly because I figured it would end up in the trash if I didn't, so there wasn't much to lose.

Where a clear acetate vista-dome had been taped to the carbody, oxidation and heavy pitting had effectively ruined the extruded lines.

The oxidation was pretty bad, and pitting had begun to migrate to areas adjacent to the dome as well.

After repeated scrubbings with vinegar and a stainless wire brush, we had this. Still badly pitted, but I could see the full extent of the damage.

After a few coats of self-etching chromate primer, she was looking a little better, and after brushing in the direction of the striations, minor pitting was getting filled.

I continued priming and wire-brushing enough times to fill most of the damage on the sides, then tried a piece of 400 grit folded to a sharp edge to try to start bringing the roof back...and it's working. I finished enough to make me confident I can bring her all the way back with enough time and patience, then restore the "stainless" with one of the newer "bare metal" products.

That's probably as far as I'm going to go for a while, but I'd say it's a successful proof-of-concept.

Even if I can't get a really good "stainless" finish, a lot of these cars got painted over the years in reality, so she'll be pretty again one way or another.

Edited January 6 by Ace-Garageguy

[LDO]

That’s pretty cool. 

[stavanzer]

Very Sharp Work, Ace!

[Goose1957]

Cool project. Nothing looks better than some Budd shiny stainless passenger cars. But that finish gradually was sanded down by the micro dust kicked up by the thousands of miles of railroading these cars saw over their life on class 1 railroads. I've been around many stainless cars over the years on numerous tourist railroads and even though they were washed regularly, the matte finish on the stainless was noticeable. They still shined, just not as bright as when new. So even if there's still some corrosion on the surface when you're done, they'll look great after all the attention you're planning on giving them. Can't wait to see them when all finished. 

Jeff

[Old Buckaroo]

I really like seeing projects like this and these old once sought after items being recognized again. Sampson, Bowser, Varney was some of the best stuff offered until the mass import plastic took over. 

The work you've done to that streamliner will have it looking great again.  Do you plan on using an "Alclad" type paint to finish it off?  I always look forward to your postings as many of the subjects are "blasts from the past".  

[Ace-Garageguy]

17 minutes ago, Old Buckaroo said:

...Do you plan on using an "Alclad" type paint to finish it off? 

Yes.

Actually, while checking my facts before replying to a question on this board about bare-metal finishes, I came across an array of products I was not previously familiar with, so there'll be some experimenting to do before I commit to one.

On the 1:1 '66 Chevelle pro-touring car I'm finishing up, I'm using the most durable of the "chrome" finishes I've found so far to do some custom interior plastic parts, so that one is in the running too.

[LennyB]

Coming along nice Bill, good job bringing it back to life.

[Old Buckaroo]

Seeing this old stuff brought back to life and used is way more impressive to me than the DCC modern layouts can offer. 

Transformers with rheostats - were talking now haha

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 hours ago, Old Buckaroo said:

...Transformers with rheostats - were talking now haha

I've bought a few of these ancient MRC power packs as NOS or NIB, after testing one.

The "pulse power" is amazing, especially for old tech.

Even el cheapo old Tyco locomotives will creep pretty well, and anything with a 5-pole skew-wound motor will move so slow you can barely see it.

Yes, sometimes they'll buzz a little, and might try to overheat if you leave 'em creeping too long, but they make realistic switching in block-wired yards very doable without DCC.

(I do have some DCC equipped locomotives, but it's not hard to wire a layout to do both. You just have to remember which locos are which, where they are, and flip the right switches powering the blocks.)

The ones with "momentum" are even better...

Edited January 8 by Ace-Garageguy

[Edward Gore]

A restoration project I'm sure you can handle.