Restoring a Lionel (Williams) Standard Gauge 381E 

fantastic bit of work, there is truly something wonderful about restoration

Oh man, what a relic fit for a historic collector....I love learning about the old ones

I like the MTA reproduction of the various Lionel and American Flyer standard gauge trains. I love the fact that some of the Lionel locomotive you can get with the original build a locomotor reproduced or you can get modern diffraction can Motors and sounds and smoke and all that stuff if you want that kind of version. I remember they had the huge prototype electric locomotives that Lionel never built and they just had the one in the display case and they went ahead and made that locomotive and it was $1,200 and I thought wow $1,200 that's a lot of money but now. Doesn't hardly buy you anything out of a Lionel catalog for 0 gauge nevermind new standard gauge trains.

Wonderful! Merry Xmas to you, Darth!

What a change from working on HO scale locos! Very interesting to watch your restoration of a model you have wanted for a long time. Cheers from Wisconsin!

I wish I had a train show I bought a Mike train house standard gauge American Flyer electric locomotive. I wish they would have train shows again because I love scouring through train stuff. I was at 1 Train meet I got a whole suitcase full of standard gauge track with a crossing and some switches on top. I knew if I took it out I would never be able to get it put back in. When I get some more standard gauge Rolling Stock I will open it up and see what type of layout I can build with it. I called up the guy that made rubber roadbed for standard gauge track he stopped making it. He told me if I would pay the phrase he would ship me all the machinery for free. It was nice stuff. Mike's train house standard gauge track is too expensive so I'm kind of goes of cork roadbed route when I finally get around to building a layout with it. I loved Williams line of O gauge trains and I hate the fact that Bachmann killed it.

I'm amazed they actually replicated the original motor and all that stuff. I figured they would've just slapped a can motor into it rather than going as far as they did, not that a can motor would be bad, of course. Amazing locomotive.

Wonderful! This "how to" video beautifully illustrates why this hobby is so gratifying. Congratulations on such an impressively successful project, and thank you for generously sharing your tips and techniques for restoring such a beautiful icon of Lionel and Jerry Williams. I learned a lot about the differences between the Lionel original and this excellent reproduction.

Awesome. Saw these as a kid on the TM Books and Video series I Love Toy Trains

Another excellent job of restoration on a most worthy candidate. We are privileged to watch you work. Happy New Year.

Nice careful work. Bravo.

Excellent. Thank you for posting

Great restoration of that unit. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Nice job man looks great

That is really awesome man and I really like the train I too have a small standard gauge train which is original but the locomotive is a number 33

I really hope someone will do Standard Gauge again but not Bachmann-Williams or Lionel. Yes, I rather not have Lionel beotch their legacy with their lower quality. Surprise, surprise. Heck, I would trust Atlas to make Standard Gauge. If anything, I would like to see new Standard Gauge to reinvigorate that toy train-like colorful style, but with new instant classic faces. I have seen custom articulated and even custom solid frame models made by people. Imagine tin-plate F-units, articulated steam, and maybe even bigger steam than a 400E? Such a cool pre-war era of trains. I mainly model PRR HO, but once you get at least one Standard gauge locomotive or rolling stock, it is true that you will get hooked!

Nice video man! I see your back to your roots... any chance yull be posting another video on the crappy 0-4-0 kit?

The 381e electric locomotive runs off of third rail except for the complex switching section of Grand Central terminal where it uses the small Pantagraph mounted on the roof. Therefore the third rail is prototypical for that particular locomotive even if it is not the outside third rail. Lionel was stupid not to continue the production of standard gauge trains. If he had made the 444 a true Hudson you would have had to o42 sections of track but the engine would have been correct instead of having the middle cut out.

What tools and methods did you use to bend the metal tabs? I have some tinplate engines and rolling stock that I would like to change the name plates or remove some parts but I am scared that I could break the tabs, scratch the paint finish, or bend the surface metal.

Any videos on how to repair reverse unit on prewar box engine?

Everything which made with screws so you could take it apart and maintain it and it would last you forever.