What is the RestoMod treatment and how much does it cost?

Let’s just get this out of the way up front. Our entry level “gold” mechanical service fee is $250. A non-refundable 50% deposit must be received prior to work commencing. Once received, we will photograph your trains to document their condition on arrival and electronically provide you with a written receiving report. We will then put your project in the queue for production. The gold service includes removal of the shell and a complete tear down of your motor to its most basic components. Metal components are all cleaned in an ultrasonic bath while plastics receive a soap and water deep clean. Damaged or worn parts like brushes and springs are replaced if needed. You will electronically receive a written tear down report including high resolution photographs that will detail the status of all components before and after cleaning, particularly noting any internal damage that may have been uncovered. Brushes are cleaned and commutators are resurfaced. E-unit drums and fingers are cleaned. Worn or frayed wiring is repaired. Burned out lamps are replaced. Drive wheels along with leading and trailing wheels are cleaned and polished using a rotary tool and wire wheel. The now immaculate motor components are reassembled and tested. Upon a successful one hour burn in, we will conduct a live-video demonstration with you via FaceTime or WhatsApp. Upon your electronic acceptance, the cleaned locomotive shell and other details are reassembled and your locomotive is prepared for shipment. Upon receipt of your final payment the locomotive is shipped out. Tenders can be added on to this service. Non whistling units are an additional $25 and whistling units are $75. Smoke units add an additional $25. Using these figures, you can see that the maximum price for a mechanical locomotive rebuild with a smoke unit and a whistling tender would be $350. ‍ ‍

What about custom paint?

We love to do a complete strip down and showroom quality paint job whenever it’s justified. When a train’s condition has gone past “patina” and fallen into the “too far gone” category, that’s the time when our skills can really shine. While we reserve the right to price each train individually based on its complexity, most projects can be completed for the fees that follow. A single color locomotive repaint is $100. Two colors is $200. Hand painted detailing of drive wheels, engineer controls, and/or custom numbering is $100. Wet on wet weathering is $100. Referring to our figures above, you can see that $750 is about the most you could spend on a truly one-of-a-kind RestoMod train. ($350 for the rebuild, $400 for the custom paint and weathering)

We use Tamiya alcohol-based acrylic paint for airbrush application and Vallejo water-based acrylic paints for hand detail work. We typically cover our work with three coats of semi-gloss clear coat though certain custom paint jobs or heavily weathered items might call for a matte finish.

We can design beautiful decals with virtually any type of image, logo, or road name. These are all priced on a one-off basis, but an estimate can be provided up front.

What about my passenger cars, rolling stock, and cabooses?

We are happy to do this work but with so many possibilities, each project needs to be priced individually. Just fill out the form on this site and upload your photos so we can take a look and price the project fairly for us both.

How does this all work?

The process is simple. Just fill out the form on this website and upload photos of the units you would like us to work on. We will provide you with a written estimate within 24 hours. Upon acceptance, pay the 50% deposit and ship us your trains. We will then follow the process outlined in the first FAQ above. Your electronic acceptance and receipt of your final 50% payment will clear the way for your trains to be shipped back to you. (Return shipping is on us.)

What is your warranty?

All RestoMod Trains include a 365 day no questions asked warranty. Repairs will be made free of charge at any time during this period. You pay the freight to send it in. We pay the freight to send it back.

What Scales Do you work on?

Our work is best suited for O scale and S scale trains. We are happy to consider HO scale projects but we will only take them on if we feel we have some real value to add. N scale is just too tiny for our skills not to mention Z scale…

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