Lionel Santa Fe Red Warbonnet Alco Chin Apron Repair and Roof Repaint Restoration Williams MTH

I bought a Lionel Alco shell at a train show for only $10.00. The roof paint was damaged and the lower apron had been broken. The rest of the train was in pretty good shape, even the nose decal.This turned out to one of my favorite train projects, mainly because it turned out surprisingly well and really gave me no trouble at all along the way.

[@trainman5603]

The roof painting job is masterful! Wow that apron Jon is great! Hats off! Great job!

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thank you so much!

[@chrisgray318]

Bob, thank you for taking the time to teach and share your experience. You are motivating me to try a few things. I would love to be able to learn these skills and pass them on to my grandson.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

@@chrisgray318 Thanks Chris. My grandpa taught me a lot too.

[@ChristopherBrown-mq1lg]

Turned out great ! You are the master of plastic 👍

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks so much Christopher! 🇺🇸😀

[@stevesoscaletrainchannel.1901]

Excellent repair and work Bob, very nice. Thanks for sharing.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks Steve. Have a great week! Bob

[@Cbtrainnut]

Bob, be careful you don’t cut your finger. Great work and patience!

[@bobsworkshop5181]

👍🏻

[@DestroyertheRailwarrior]

All I can say is that looks factree

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks!

[@chicagolandrailroader]

It looks fantastic! You could fool me into thinking it always looked like that. I recently got that same shell for $6. I will likely do similar repairs. Thanks for the paint recommendation too, I'll keep an eye out. Have a good one

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks! I hope you’re having a great summer. 👍🏻😀🇺🇸🍔

[@railchief74]

@@bobsworkshop5181fantastic job with the roof and pilot! Do you have a business card?

[@bobsworkshop5181]

@@railchief74 Thanks. 😀 I’ve never made anything for other people. I’m not super confident in my abilities to satisfy paying customers. Good lighting and clever editing helps to make stuff look presentable. 😀

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Great job Bob! And best of luck finding a powered chassis to go with it!

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks Wayne. I have a couple of powered bases but they all have an operating front coupler and that little “thumb tack” looking part gets in the way. Maybe I’ll just hack it off with a Dremel tool. I hope you have a great week! Bob

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@bobsworkshop5181 Hack it off? That's what I'd do. Realistically how often would you use the front coupler on a lead unit? Not too often I'd imagine. If it restores that shell to operation it's worth doing, in my opinion anyway, you can always plate over the gap in the pilot.

[@joeystrains.9316]

Great repair, I used JBweld and it took a long time to shape it.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks!

[@paulbervid1610]

Supurb..it look better than new. Now you need a motorized chassis.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks. I’ll find a motorized base at some point. 👍🏻😀

[@markslioneltrains]

Fantastic Bob.! BIG 👍The time it had to take to tape all that up must have been measured in hours or even days.! 😊 Menards Ford Red will be in my mental Santa Fe notebook.! Great video as always.! 😁😎

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks Mark. 😀

[@davidmorris7696]

Awesome!

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks David!😀

[@genemanno1533]

Your repair looks better than the original lip. A bit wider is good proportion. I’ve used the repair piece available on e bay for a couple bucks but this looks even better. Also been using some of the broken chin Alco’s and saw off entire front apron and use them on 2023, 2033, etc that has metal apron as part of the frame. Just need to a fix the two end metal securing bracket to secure to frame. But if you don’t the shells seem to stay in place but be aware when handling engine so you don’t drop anything picking it up. Nice informative video.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks Gene. I was thinking about using those repair pieces but with shipping, it would have been almost what I paid for the shell. Have a great week! Bob

[@jamesmelchin2873]

Terrific job once again. 😄 What are the grades of sandpaper that you recommend ? Thanks !

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Hi James. I think I used 400 grit to blend in the roof paint and either 220 or 400 to smooth the putty on the chin repair. I think places like Home Depot or Menards sell 3m wet/dry sand paper in variety packs.

[@jimmelchin1531]

​@@bobsworkshop5181Thanks... I'll check it out. I'm in need of some.
The toy soldier industry just released some fine miniature German Army figures carrying your MG-34. How's that for timing ! 👍

[@bobsworkshop5181]

@@jimmelchin1531 What scale are your soldiers?

[@jimmelchin1531]

@@bobsworkshop5181 My collection varies. 1/30...1/32 scale. These German pieces are 1/30. Would you like the web site to view them.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

@@jimmelchin1531 sure! Do you do anything with 1/35 scale soldiers or models? I remember the old Monogram tank kits in 1/32 scale. I made a bunch of those in high school.

[@JamesMiles-k7k]

Awesome repair tutorial. Can you recommend where to find / buy the plastic sheet material for the apron repair? Thank you!

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Hi. I know HobbyLobby has it. I used a local hobby show but probably also eBay or Amazon. I think the brand is either Evergreen or Plastruct. Thanks for watching and commenting. Bob

[@Petemonster62]

Bob, there is another company that makes decals called K4 Decals.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Thanks. 👍🏻😀

[@MilePost106]

I see a lot of these broken aprons on eBay for sale.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

Someone told me there’s a repair piece available too.

[@Greatdome99]

Of course Santa Fe's pilots were silver--and were repainted after every run.

[@bobsworkshop5181]

😀