A few additions to my locomotive roster and a rebuild

[Trolleyfan]

Yes, you can remove the paint from plastic models with the baking soda and if you use less pressure you can remove factory lettering without removing the paint underneath. This way you can change the car number without having to custom mix paint to match the paint on the car. Oh yeah, starch works as an abrasive too, as does pumice, aluminum oxide, walnut shells, corncobs, coconut shells, glass beads and a number of other materials which you might not want to use on brass or plastic models (like silicon carbide abrasives that under the right pressure can cut through brass or etch glass).

BTW, I use a Paasche Air Eraser, model AECR to remove paint and tarnish and prep the surface for painting. The AECR has a 1 quart capacity abrasive container that comes in handy when you have a lot of "erasing" of car numbers to do.

Greg Melby
Seattle, WA.