From Trash To Treasure: Saving A Lionel MPC U36B From The Junk Bin

From trash to treasure, the U36B project, on this episode of Toy Train Tips and Tricks. Hello again, this is Mike with another episode of Toy Train Tips and Tricks. In today's economy, purchasing new trains, especially locomotives, has become a luxury that many of us cannot afford. But, with a little bit of old-fashioned elbow grease and some time, we can add new custom locomotives to our fleet for a fraction of the cost of new. For example, I purchased this mod of four diesel shells on eBay for around $25 including shipping. First is a number 2345C Western Pacific F3B shell in excellent condition. I don't have any use for an F3B shell at this time, and this one is in excellent condition, so my plan is to try and sell this one, reducing my project cost even further. Next is this nice Lionel number 610 Erie NW2 shell. Again, this one is in really nice condition, so I've decided to keep it as is, at least for now. In fact, regular viewers have seen this shell on a previous video, riding on a number 600 chassis. Next is a number 2024 Chesapeake & Ohio F8 shell. Again, the paint is in very good condition. There is some damage to the front pilot, but this is very common on these models. While C&O never had F8s, I think with the addition of a few details, this can still be a nice looking 027 diesel for my layout. So again, I'm keeping this one as is for now. Then we have the real prize in this lot, the item I was really trying for. Here is a U36 shell that has been custom painted. I have been looking for similar shells for quite some time, and have been unable to find an example for under $40 alone, much less with 3 other shells for only $25. The previous owner made a valiant attempt at creating a unique locomotive. Norfolk & Western did indeed have 6 maroon or Tuscan colored C30-7 diesels and a single SD40-2 in this scheme, and the maroon color is pretty close. However, these locomotives had gold lettering instead of white, but white N&W decals are easier to find. Perhaps Lionel should have made some U36C models in this neat N&W scheme. So the idea for the locomotive was sound, but the execution was not very good. The decals are not well placed, and the paint is uneven and clearly too thick. Stripping this model may prove to be a challenge for me, but the price was right. Well, after two weeks of repeated soaking in my favorite stripper, purple degreaser, and scrubbing with a stipped brush, and repeating over and over, I managed to remove no less than 6 layers of paint. Maroon, orange, metallic blue, white, orange, and yellow, and finally reached the factory applied paint. The model was originally a U36C dummy locomotive, decorated in a special Southern Pacific Daylight scheme that was applied only to 4 experimental TE74S diesels back in 1978. Even with the extensive soaking and scrubbing, the factory paint was stubbornly in place. While I prefer a completely blank shell, I ultimately decided that the factory paint was going nowhere, and my topcoat should cover the model just fine. But what covers should the model wear? The General Electric U36B was initially ordered by just two railroads, Seaboard Coastline and Autotrain. The most famous of these was Seaboard Coastline number 1776 in Bicentennial colors, which was well represented by Lionel. Lionel did not make an Autotrain version, in part because Bachmann had a marketing agreement with the passenger service provider, and they made Autotrain sets in HO and N scales. While Autotrain was initially successful, their attempt to expand to a second route was ill-timed and ultimately unsuccessful, leading to the eventual bankruptcy of the company. Meanwhile, four U36Bs ordered by Autotrain sat undelivered at GE's Erie, Pennsylvania facility. GE searched for a buyer, and eventually Conrail, America's newly nationalized freight railroad, took delivery of the diesels, but only after GE swapped the EMB trade-in trucks for new GE trucks. My model railroad had a need for Conrail power, as I modeled the Cincinnati area in 1977, and Conrail was a prominent player in the area, so Conrail became a natural choice for my model. Decals came from K4 Decals, who also supplied the Penn Central decals on my previous F3 project. I tested a few shades of blue from several manufacturers, and I ultimately decided that the Vallejo No. 71.088 French Blue was the closest match, but it is a bit too dark. For painting, I mixed four parts of the French Blue to one part white, and I was pleased with the final results. On a suggestion, I used Elmer's glue as a liquid massing solution to protect the windows and number boards, and as you will see, I was not pleased with the final results. Then I applied three coats of the mix with my Iwata Neo airbrush system in my custom-built spray book. Next, a gloss coat was applied to get everything ready for decals. Conrail had four U36Bs, numbered 2971 through 2974. Lionel made a number 2971 in 2002, so I did not want to use that number. I was hoping that the decal sheet would have the numbers in such a sequence that it would be easier to letter, such as a 2 and a 9 besides one another, but no such luck. So, I chose number 2974, the last of the four units. Studying online photos of the diesels, I noticed that the position of the conrail on the nose changed over the years. When delivered in 1977, the lettering was lower, about halfway up the low nose. Around 1982, some of the cab windows were filled in, and the units were repainted, with the lettering moving up to around two-thirds up the low nose. I have a lettering mine in the as-delivered position. The decal sheet includes several sizes of Conrail logos and script. Again, I used online photos for reference to determine the size and location of the various decals. The main Conrail decal required some modification in order to fit the Lionel model, as the parallel rails on the logo are about an inch too long. This makes sense, as Lionel's model is short of scale length. So, as I trimmed the decals from the sheet with a fresh X-Acto blade, I also trimmed the Conrail logos for length. I used the typical process and supplies for decal application. A bowl of warm water, Microset, Microsol, some paper towels, and tweezers. Working with one decal at a time, I soaked the decal in water for 20 to 30 seconds, while I used a brush dipped in Microset to prepare the decal area on the model. Then, I removed the decal from the water and waited another 15 to 20 seconds for the backing paper to continue to dissolve. Optimally, I could slide the decal directly into place on the model. Sometimes, the backing was a little stubborn, and the decal had to be gently pulled off with the tweezers. I used my tweezers and my paintbrush to adjust each decal into place, and applied more Microset when I was happy with the placement. Excess chemical was blotted off with a paper towel. The large Conrail logos were a real challenge because of their size and their awkward shape. It took some time to get these decals placed properly, keeping the rails parallel and the wheels in their proper place. The white printing cracked in a few places, although the later application of Microsol did help. The end result is good enough for me, but not perfect. After all the decals were in their proper places, I brushed on a coat of Microsol, especially on the larger decals, and let it work its magic overnight. If necessary, I could have added another coat of Microsol if needed, but I was pleased with the result the next day, so two coats of Dull Coat finished the lettering process by knocking down the sheen and helping to seal everything in place. After the Dull Coat dried, I used my tweezers, a sharp X-Acto knife blade, and a spatula tool to remove the masking film from the glass. I was not happy with these results. The mask did not come off easily, and when it did, it sometimes brought extra paint from the perimeter with it, requiring some paint touch-ups with a brush. In the future, I will be using products like Micro Crystal Clear to replace the windows instead. I had already removed the oversized red and green marker lights from the model, and used my Dollar Tree sticker trick to apply new clear marker lenses on the front and back of the D's. These sheets are available in the Crafts section of Dollar Tree. I used Tester's Clear Part Cement to secure the markers into place. I used a spare part to replace the brake wheel on the low nose. I was unable to locate a replacement 5 chine horn for the model, so as I swap shells with the other powered models, I will need to swap horns as well until either I find a replacement part or make my own with my 3D printer. The rear number boards and headlights were also missing. I decided to fill these in with Micro Crystal Clear, a near-drying PVA adhesive designed for gluing together transparent parts. It can also be used to create small windows. The number boards are an odd shape, so I used some transparent tape on the inside of the model for support. After the tape is in place, use a toothpick to coat the perimeter of the area, then pull the excess material into the center until a creamy bubble appears. After a few hours, this will dry clear. Tester's Clear Part Cement will also work for this purpose. A single bottle will work for dozens of models, so it's good stuff to keep on hand. And it's finished. Let's calculate the cost. Even before selling my F3B shell, the total investment for this U36B is $25 for the collection of shells, about a dollar's worth of concentrated purple degreaser, paint stripper, and about $10 for the paint and another $10 for the decals and shipping and other incidental materials. So, for less than $50 total, I have a new locomotive for my fleet, plus paint, decals, and extra shells for more projects. And now, along with the Penn Central F unit from my earlier project, I can represent early Conrail operations on my layout, or I can swap shells with another of my U36s and represent Southern or Chesey system, as my operating mode requires. In the real world, Conrail must have liked their four U36Bs, because when GE released the upgraded B36-7 model a few years later, Conrail ordered 60 of them between 1980 and 1985, making them the second largest buyer of the model behind only Seaboard Systems' 120. Conrail's original quartet of U36Bs were traded in to GE in April 1991, and most of the B36-7 models were off the roster by 1999, a typical lifespan for a GE diesel at the time. As always, I hope you liked this video as much as I enjoyed making it, and if so, please like it, subscribe to the channel, tell your friends and neighbors, and share it, and leave a comment about your favorite Lionel Custom project. Until next time, keep the trains running and the shells swapping, and we'll catch you next time with more toy train tips and tricks!