Removing decals and numbers from older locos, particularly Hornby.

[llamafish]

Something I learned a while back.

 

Instead of splashing out on chemicals to remove numbers and decals etc from old locos (I've only tested it on late 1990s Hornby), why not use a simple pencil eraser? I found that this can remove numbers and decals fairly easily (some required a bit of muscle power!), and doesn't leave any unwated effects. I'm not sure whether this will work on all items, or whether it will work on new models. With a bit of extra scrubbing with the eraser, you can achieve the 'only clean what is required' look that BR used for its locos (numbers, names and logos were only cleaned, and with a dirty cloth, leaving marks!)

 

 

I found it to be quite effective, simple and cheap to do, but I'm not really a rivet counter, so I can't really say whether any looks acheived are accurate or not.