Lionel 259E restored and ready to run

The Lionel 259E steam engine is ready! The final chapter of the restoration process involved the complete rewiring of the engine, since the old cotton covered wires crumbled to dust when touched. The brushes were short and had a scratched surface and were replaced. At first the armature did not turn any more: the new brushes were so long that they pressed the armature gear firmly to the gear plate. So, I added two spacer rings to the brush plate screws and everything turned smoothly again. After a full lubrication the engine was a real smooth runner. The three copper armature plates are a bit damaged due to scratches, probably due to friction with the old brushes. The armature plate was thoroughly cleaned and lightly smoothened with a brass brush on a Dremel tool.
After that the wheels were removed with a wheel puller tool and they were cleaned in white spirit, brushed, polished, cleaned and the interior was painted red. The copper domes, smokestack and handrails were cleaned and polished. Then the whole lot was reassembled. Most difficult was getting the thick nickel side wires in. The black paint was scratched while doing so and I had to repaint the damage again. The new rear truck wheels and axles of George Tebolt fitted in nicely and the new circular L signs on both sides of the cab really finished it off. The main driving rods have a little corrosion damage, because the nickel luster does not return completely after polishing, but they are the originals and they still look good. Lets not forget that this engine was build and sold in 1933 and 1934 and so it is allowed to have a few age marks. It is impressive to see it smoothly drive by. What an elegance and what a large light beam ( I placed a blueish - white LED lamp inside and that really gives a beautiful strong light beam).
Now the hunt is on for a matching tender: 259T or 262T, preferably in poor condition so I can restore this as well.