I found an unpainted wooden toy train locomotive in a thrift store the other day. It was sitting on a shelf in the toy aisle. The price was marked $3.00. I picked it up and carried it around the store while I was looking at other things. After a bit, I put it back on the shelf. What does a grown man need with a toy train?
A few minutes later, I walked down the toy aisle and saw the train again. This time I decided to buy it. As luck would have it, when I got to the register, all toys were 50% off, so it only cost me $1.50.
Here is what the locomotive looked like after I removed the wheels. The axles were glued to the wheels, so I used a coping saw to cut the wheels free. Then I drilled out the remaining axle.
Painting the Locomotive
The colors I decided on for the toy locomotive were red, gray, and black. The wheels would be red, the boiler gray, and the rest would be black. I used acrylic craft paint that was leftover from other projects.
I didn’t want the train to look new. I wanted to make it look old and played with. So I used a rag to rub the paint on. (I used a brush for the tight areas and then wiped them with a rag). I painted the smoke stack gray first, then wiped on some black to get that aged look.
How I Made the Train Look Old
Once the paint was dry, I rubbed the edge of the wheels with sandpaper to make it look like the paint wore off after years of play. And to make the wheels look dirty, I lightly rubbed on a little black. I also sanded various edges and corners of the locomotive.
Once I was happy with how it looked, I wiped everything off with a damp rag to remove any dust. I went to the local hardware store and bought a dial rod to make new axles. I cut them to size and sanded the ends smooth. Then I reassembled the locomotive. I tapped the dial rods into one wheel, inserted the axles through the holes in the locomotive, then tapped the other wheels in place. A touch of red paint on the axles and the locomotive was complete.
I’m glad I decided to buy this wooden train. It was a fun project, it didn’t take long to complete, and it only cost me $1.50!
I enjoy shopping at local thrift stores. You never know what you might find. Thanks for reading.