BETTER LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE
REGULAR MAINTENANCE IS EASY AND TAKES ALMOST NO TIME
BY RUSS REINBERG
I HATE STALLS. If my engine stops dead, I have to get up, walk halfway across the backyard, bend down, push it, straighten up, walk back, and sit down again at the power pack. I expect an occasional stall, such as when a short wheelbase switcher stops while creeping across a turnout with a plastic frog. I have little control over that. But I can eliminate the poor performance resulting from dirty wheels or a bone-dry mechanism. That simply requires I spend five minutes with some oil and cleaning fluid-in other words, regular maintenance.
We contacted Walter Matuch from ARISTO-CRAFT TRAINS, Lee Riley from Bachmann, and Ron Gibson from LGB. Here are their suggestions:
ARISTO-CRAFT
ARISTO-CRAFT claims the design of their truck bearings (the point where the wheel axle ends contact the end of the sideframe journal box) allows operation without additional lubrication. If you think lubrication will help, use a very small amount of powdered graphite, such as Kadee Greas-em®, or an oil-based paste lubricant (ARISTO-CRAFT's ART-29602). It is unnecessary to disassemble the diesel trucks to lubricate them. Just turn the model upside down and apply lubricant to the ends of the axles.
You will certainly have to clean the wheels, especially if you run trains outdoors. Some hobbyists clean wheels after each operating session; others wait until a locomotive barely can run. If wheels become too dirty, electrical arcing may develop. That can discolor both the wheel and the track. It can also result in microscopic pitting. The pits then fill with dirt and it becomes necessary to clean wheels and track more often.
ARISTO-CRAFT recommends removing the locomotive from any electrical contact, turning it upside down, and wiping the wheels with a clean, soft cloth you have saturated with ART-29601 Smoke Fluid/Track Cleaner.
Finally, you may want to lubricate the truck gearboxes. Each comes from the factory with a high-tech lubricant. It should last indefinitely under normal operating conditions. If your layout is near the ocean or if you frequently run trains outside in the rain, you should disassemble the trucks according to the instruction manual, then apply a thin bead of a high-temperature, non-water soluble paste such as ART-29602 to the gear teeth. Note: When you disassemble the trucks, remove only the four screws on the bottom cover plate. Do not touch the set screws protruding from each end of the truck.
BACHMANN
Lee Riley, a designer of Bachmann's large scale models, recommends lubricating the locomotive's wheel axles, the back of the drivers, and the axle bearings every eight to twelve hours or when the mechanism seems dry. Use a very sparing amount of silicone lubricant or a plastic compatible oil such as LaBelle 108 at the axle bearings (including, Lee suggests, the tender and rolling stock wheels), where the screws pass through the side and main rods, and on the motor bearing (where the drive shaft goes through the bronze enclosure). He suggests applying silicone or a light oil such as Wahl Clipper Oil very lightly to the area where the brushes contact the back of the drivers.
You should clean the wheels after every outdoor operating session, including the back of the drivers. Moisten a cotton swab or a soft cloth with smoke fluid or commercial track cleaning fluid and wipe off the wheel treads.
Lee recommends lubricating the gears every forty or fifty hours with a thin bead of Lubriplate or LaBelle 106 Teflon paste. Turn the locomotive upside down, unscrew the gearbox cover plate, apply the lubricant, and re-attach the cover plate.
LGB
LGB locomotives require the least maintenance but you should lubricate them occasionally. Use a plastic-compatible oil such as LGB 51021 Maintenance Oil or LaBelle 108 plastic compatible oil. As LGB points out in its catalog, use 50010 Smoke Fluid for cleaning only; it is not a lubricating oil.
Apply a small drop of oil to the points where the screws pass through the locomotive's side and main rods, bosses, and where the wheel axles enter the gearbox. Also remember to clean the back of the drivers and the underside of the pickup shoes (rail sliders).
On the tender, lubricate the point where axle end enters the truck journal.
Ron Gibson suggests an easy way to clean wheels. Cut 1 by 2 inch strips of the abrasive from an LGB track cleaning block. Turn the locomotive upside down, connect the leads from your power pack to the pickup shoes, and spin the wheels. Touch the abrasive to the wheel treads. It will shine up the wheels almost at once. You could use LGB Smoke Fluid on a cotton swab or a piece of cloth in the same way, but Ron likes the way the abrasive strip is able to reach the joint between the tread and the flange.
It is unnecessary ever to lubricate the locomotive's gearbox; it will probably outlast the motor!
Routine maintenance is less time consuming than setting up a power pack or putting away rolling stock. Considering what you have invested in purchasing, rebuilding, or repainting your locomotives, it seems logical to invest a few minutes to clean and lubricate them.
