Stripping Proto 1000 RS2 of UP colors

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CoolRuehle

CoolRuehle

Member
I am in the process of stripping a Proto 2000 of it's original Union Pacific colors in excahnge for some Erie paint. Stripped off all of the railings, details, windows, and was even able to break the shell back into it's original 3 pieces

I tried 90-something % alcohol -- no effect after an hour
I tried Purple Power degreaser -- no effect after two hours
I tried regular paint thinner -- no effect with an applicationa nd scrub with a toothbrush.

So I went to the old failthful DOT3 brake fluid. I soaked the shell pieces for 30 minutes. The lettering scrubbed off with a toothbrush, but tooks some doing.

I let it sit for another hour, and the grey top started to dimish in thickness with a little toothbrush scrubbing and show signs of coming off.

Another hour took off a little more grey. I had to go to bed and did not want to let it sit, so I took the pieces out of the DOT3 bath, washed them thoroughly and dried them.

Started again tonight with another few hours of soaking. The gray is almost all gone, still a bit stubborn in some areas. You can really tell where the paint was applied in thicker coats with this slow method of removal.

The yellow hasn't budged much in the past two hours.

This is some tough paint. I'll post photos later.

--Jon
 


91% Isopropyl works!

After the initial soak in DOT3, I tried the 91% Iso again.

Ho-lee crap. After 15 minutes, the entire shell came clean. I don't know if the DOT3 softened it or what, but the 91 Iso totally emulsified the paint. Came right off with a toothbrush.

The interseting thing is that the shell was painted overall with the UP grey. Then the yellow areas were applied, with the red stripes. Then the road name with the ink.

While stripping, the grey on the TOP of the loco came off relatively easy. The yellow was a booger, but finally came off revealing the grey underneath. When that grey under the yellow was almost gone, I could actually SEE the words UNION PACIFIC ghosted into the grey that was under the yellow!! Remember, the UP words were inked on top of the yellow paint, which was on top of the grey. The ink in the UP lettering penetrated all the way through to the bottom layer of grey.

--Jon
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Photos of stripped Union Pacific RS

Here's the loco, pre-strip:

RS2_Pre-Strip.jpg


Here are a few photos of the stripped shell:

RS2_Stripped001.jpg


RS2_Stripped002.jpg


RS2_Stripped003.jpg


RS2_Stripped004.jpg



I'll post more after new paint is on the shell, along with decals, etc
 
I Know, I know . . . .

I love those UP colors as well. They are a predominant railroad here in TX so there's somewhat of a soft spot in my heart for them too.

But I am attempting to model steel-related industries in the early 1960s. No mills here in TX, but plenty in PA and OH. So I picked the Erie to use as my main line RR. I love those black and yellow engines with the wings on the front. Perhaps it's a suppressed desire for UP equipment? :-)

2261.1239659281.jpg
 


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