Engine cleaning schedule

[gavino200]

I'm getting a bit deeper into this hobby and want to take care of my locos properly. So far my only experience with opening locos has been opening them up to instally DCC decoders. I've only recently started cleaning the wheels. I was amazed how much gunk I got from the wheels of a few locos, and how better they run since. I'm inspired to do some further cleaning.

 

My plan is to open them up and look to see what needs to be cleaned. Cogs, bearings, worm gears, etc. I'm not planning on touching the electrical motor contacts. For everything else I'm planning to lubricate with a tiny amount of RC car gear oil. I got that from a thread here and also my local train store guy. I'm going to take my time with this, and research each engine thoroughly before delving in.

 

My quesitons:

What parts of your engine/motor unit do you clean?

Do you clean the whole engine at once or do you have a different schedule for each part?

On average how often do you clean your locos? Once a year? Less? More? Only when there's a problem.

 

Is there anything that I'm not thinking of, that I should be thinking of?

 

Can you recommend any good threads? Good websites? Books? that I might use for the project.

 

Also, are there any particular tools that you use for working on engines that you wish you had/knew about when you started?

 

[VJM]

I don't clean anything inside the locomotive.  Just the wheels only.

 

I will clean the wheels every time the locomotive comes off the layout, before it is placed back in its case.  I've only got 3 running tracks and I don't keep everything on the layout in a yard.  Just whatever I run, and only for a few days at a time.  For extremely thick residue on the wheels, the Kadee metal brush wheel cleaner is used for a few revolutions, before going to the TGW soft-kun.  Otherwise, just straight onto the TGW soft-kun.

 

I've never needed to lubricate or clean anything inside a locomotive from a Japanese manufacturer.  It may be necessary for stuff that has been sitting around for many years, or not running all that smoothly, but generally haven't needed to do it.

 

I know that American manufacturers/importers along with British (eg Bachmann/Graham Farish) may mention lubrication and running-in, but I simply put that down to their stuff simply not being up to Japanese standards.

 

Everything above my opinion.

[kvp]

 Besides the wheels,one thing that gets dirty rather fast are the pickups in the bogies. Generally i clean them with pressurized air and tweezers when they have anything in them after running. Other than that, so far only used trains needed cleaning, mostly because they come from owners who don't clean the tracks every time before running.

[gavino200]

I don't clean anything inside the locomotive.  Just the wheels only.

 

I will clean the wheels every time the locomotive comes off the layout, before it is placed back in its case.  I've only got 3 running tracks and I don't keep everything on the layout in a yard.  Just whatever I run, and only for a few days at a time.  For extremely thick residue on the wheels, the Kadee metal brush wheel cleaner is used for a few revolutions, before going to the TGW soft-kun.  Otherwise, just straight onto the TGW soft-kun.

 

I've never needed to lubricate or clean anything inside a locomotive from a Japanese manufacturer.  It may be necessary for stuff that has been sitting around for many years, or not running all that smoothly, but generally haven't needed to do it.

 

I know that American manufacturers/importers along with British (eg Bachmann/Graham Farish) may mention lubrication and running-in, but I simply put that down to their stuff simply not being up to Japanese standards.

 

Everything above my opinion.

Thanks. I ordered a soft-kun yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was a gimmick. Now I'm glad I bought it. I think I'll pick up a metal brush to to use sparingly.

[gavino200]

 Other than that, so far only used trains needed cleaning, mostly because they come from owners who don't clean the tracks every time before running.

I think all my locos fall into that category. I'm ashamed to say that I used to not clean my tracks at all. Surprizingly there wasn't a ton of (visible) gunk on the cloth when gave them their first clean. But they are super shiny now, and the locos definitely run better. 

 

I'd like to undo the damage I might have caused, and start afresh.

[railsquid]

Thanks. I ordered a soft-kun yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was a gimmick. Now I'm glad I bought it. I think I'll pick up a metal brush to to use sparingly.

 

Very useful piece of kit.

 

So far the only locomotive I've every needed to completely disassemble for maintenance purposes was one which I bought second hand which had evidently been run on track on carpet, resulting in fibres wrapped around the cardan shaft (which ended up very bent). Unless you have a sudden obsession with British N gauge or anything made by Lima, most stuff is pretty resilient - I've purchased Japanese and German units which are 20 or 30 years old which run fine with a minimum of basic maintenance (wheel cleaning and occasionally a minimal drop of Kato Unioil).

[gavino200]

Very useful piece of kit.

 

So far the only locomotive I've every needed to completely disassemble for maintenance purposes was one which I bought second hand which had evidently been run on track on carpet, resulting in fibres wrapped around the cardan shaft (which ended up very bent). Unless you have a sudden obsession with British N gauge or anything made by Lima, most stuff is pretty resilient - I've purchased Japanese and German units which are 20 or 30 years old which run fine with a minimum of basic maintenance (wheel cleaning and occasionally a minimal drop of Kato Unioil).

 

Thanks. I'll stick with wheel cleaning for the time being, unless and engine starts to obviously have trouble.

 

BTW, I had Hornby and Lima OO gauge trains when I was a kid.  Fond memories :)

Edited December 27, 2016 by gavino200

[cteno4]

I too stick to lubing and cleaning only when the train starts to have issues. If not a lot of visible crap in the truck gears I try a tiny lubing to see if that gets it. If not then start pulling things apart to look for gunk, clean and relubing.

 

Be sparing with the oils. I put them on a tiny bit at a time and test. High weight oils for the gears so it won't be spun off and thinner oils if the motor bearings need it. Worm gears usually a light grease.

 

The big gunk I've noticed is puzz, dust small fibers etc that mixed with some oil gets caked in there and can also pick up grit then. Also cat hairs can be a menace, I've pulled apart some club members' engines to find cat hairs wound into the truck gears and even sucked all the way up into the driveshaft and motor areas! They seem to be insidious little worms!

 

Good protection is a small air filter for the train room. Cutting down on dust helps a lot! Other one is the Tomix cleaner car as you can run it in vacuum mode. I always amazed what it sucks off the tracks! Simple magnet on the bottom of a car as well as all sorts of little bit of metal end up on the tracks. Cheap vacuume solution is those micro hose attachments you can get on ebay or Amazon that give you an adapter to your big vacuum to a tiny hose and brush attachments to clean the rails and such. Makeup brushes (very cheap on ebay ro dollar store) and micro vacuum are a great team to dust off structures and such and remove the dust.

 

More threads on the forum on these things as well!

 

Jeff

[VJM]

Do remember to clean the wheels of your rolling stock too, not just locomotives.  They will also pick up a large amount of residue, especially as the rubber tyres from the loco transfer to the track.  It can be especially noticeable if you have lit carriages.  Even if you have clean locomotives, dirty rolling stock will spread the gunk from its wheels back onto the tracks and onto the locomotives.

 

I clean each wheel by hand, using a finger nail pressing a tissue onto the contact surface and turning the wheel on the other side of the axle.  Tedious, but definitely clean, and works for thick residue.  For light duty rolling stock, you can get reasonable cleaning by placing a length of paper towel soaked in isopropyl alcohol across the track and running the rolling stock over it back and forth.  Gently press down on each item as they pass over the paper towel. 

[Kiha66]

Has anyone ever tried the tomix wheel cleaning track?  I've been debating getting one as well as a track cleaning car.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tomix-6415-140mm-Straight-PC-Track-with-Wheel-Cleaning-Device-F-N-scale-/201503811637

[gavino200]

I too stick to lubing and cleaning only when the train starts to have issues. If not a lot of visible crap in the truck gears I try a tiny lubing to see if that gets it. If not then start pulling things apart to look for gunk, clean and relubing.

 

Be sparing with the oils. I put them on a tiny bit at a time and test. High weight oils for the gears so it won't be spun off and thinner oils if the motor bearings need it. Worm gears usually a light grease.

 

The big gunk I've noticed is puzz, dust small fibers etc that mixed with some oil gets caked in there and can also pick up grit then. Also cat hairs can be a menace, I've pulled apart some club members' engines to find cat hairs wound into the truck gears and even sucked all the way up into the driveshaft and motor areas! They seem to be insidious little worms!

 

Good protection is a small air filter for the train room. Cutting down on dust helps a lot! Other one is the Tomix cleaner car as you can run it in vacuum mode. I always amazed what it sucks off the tracks! Simple magnet on the bottom of a car as well as all sorts of little bit of metal end up on the tracks. Cheap vacuume solution is those micro hose attachments you can get on ebay or Amazon that give you an adapter to your big vacuum to a tiny hose and brush attachments to clean the rails and such. Makeup brushes (very cheap on ebay ro dollar store) and micro vacuum are a great team to dust off structures and such and remove the dust.

 

More threads on the forum on these things as well!

 

Jeff

Thanks for the advise. Going into my Evernote "engine cleaning" file.

 

I learned about the tiny vacuum attachment and the make-up brush yesterday from the 'tools' forum. They're on my list.

 

I never would have thought of an air filter for the room. Great idea. What model do you use?

[gavino200]

Do remember to clean the wheels of your rolling stock too, not just locomotives.  They will also pick up a large amount of residue, especially as the rubber tyres from the loco transfer to the track.  It can be especially noticeable if you have lit carriages.  Even if you have clean locomotives, dirty rolling stock will spread the gunk from its wheels back onto the tracks and onto the locomotives.

 

I clean each wheel by hand, using a finger nail pressing a tissue onto the contact surface and turning the wheel on the other side of the axle.  Tedious, but definitely clean, and works for thick residue.  For light duty rolling stock, you can get reasonable cleaning by placing a length of paper towel soaked in isopropyl alcohol across the track and running the rolling stock over it back and forth.  Gently press down on each item as they pass over the paper towel. 

Thanks. Since I cleaned the track, nothing is getting back on without cleaning. Everything is in quarantine. Thanks for your technique tips. I was thinking I could also use a dental pick covered with muslin, or one of those tiny paint application sticks. I can't find a picture now, but they're like tiny Qtips with sharp firm ends.

 

I was thinking about swapping out all the rolling stock wheels for metal wheels with sharp axels, What do you think of that idea? 

[bill937ca]

Has anyone ever tried the tomix wheel cleaning track?  I've been debating getting one as well as a track cleaning car.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tomix-6415-140mm-Straight-PC-Track-with-Wheel-Cleaning-Device-F-N-scale-/201503811637

 

The issue is it doesn't distinguish between traction tires and regular wheels.

[cteno4]

ive played with one of these and they vibrate the pads to help clean wheels as you run cars over it. seemed ok but have not used it over time to see.

 

I rarely notice buildup on wheels on non motor cars, mostly motor cars. think this is due to the arcing that occurs with the track that then sets up stuff that picks up more smutz and oil and it all just cycles. some very old motor cars i do notice a pitting on the wheels where railhead contact is made and i think this may be from the long time arcing on the small surface area of the wheels.

 

quick and dirty for regular cars is to just put a paper towel across the track, soak it with isopropanol and then just run the car back and forth by hand a few times and then if there is a black streak, move the towel over a few mm and repeat until it doesn't leave a mark! you can do the same with locos with one truck on the towel and the other lightly on the rails. the problem with this is the traction tires then rub on the rail and the paper towel, so i do this only when in a big hurry at shows.

 

like vjm on motor cars i prefer to just use a little block of wood i have with two strips of copper or a terminal track wired to a throttle and rest this on the one truck (not the wheels with the traction tire and why i like the copper strips on the flange edge better) and then while wheels are turning i use small swabs with isopropanol to clean each wheel while spinning. i can do the traction tires very lightly to just get the big gunk off them. ive never lost a traction tire so i figure they hold up ok to this. 

 

ive found these makup swabs to be particularly good at this task

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Disposable-Lip-Brush-Gloss-Lipstick-Wands-Applicator-Brush-Makeup-Tool-Q-/122110255150?hash=item1c6e56a02e:g:d38AAOSwAuZX64Gi

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50Pcs-Cosmetic-Makeup-Tool-Disposable-Eyeliner-Liquid-Wand-Applicator-Brush-SL-/161926253816?hash=item25b38e8cf8:g:-YgAAOSwZ1lWeooE

 

and the dental applicators you mention as well, but a bit small and the lip and eyebrow applicators seem to work as a better scrub

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FDA-CE-Dental-Disposable-Micro-Applicator-Brush-Cylinder-Black-Bendable-100Pcs-/232138265258?hash=item360c84d2aa:g:J~QAAOSwal5YItBQ

 

again like track cleaning we all have a spectrum of experience with dirty wheels!

 

cheers,

 

jeff

Edited December 28, 2016 by cteno4

[gavino200]

  For extremely thick residue on the wheels, the Kadee metal brush wheel cleaner is used for a few revolutions, before going to the TGW soft-kun.  

 

 

Do you use the Kadee brush designed for HO scale? Does is work well for n-scale?

[VJM]

Yes, I use the HO one.  The brushes go all the way to the centre-line, so it's fine.  A little bit of movement back and forth and sideways gets good results.  Otherwise I think Minitrix makes a longitudinal metal wheel brush that you simply place over the track for N scale... does the same thing.

 

I prefer the Kadee one because even though you need two hands (one to hold the brush and the other to hold the train), at least I can see exactly where I am applying the brush, as you need to be careful you don't shred a traction tyre.

Edited December 29, 2016 by VJM

[gavino200]

I too stick to lubing and cleaning only when the train starts to have issues. If not a lot of visible crap in the truck gears I try a tiny lubing to see if that gets it. If not then start pulling things apart to look for gunk, clean and relubing.

 

Be sparing with the oils. I put them on a tiny bit at a time and test. High weight oils for the gears so it won't be spun off and thinner oils if the motor bearings need it. Worm gears usually a light grease.

 

 

I'm working my way through my engines. Most are responding well to  wheel cleaning. I have one that is squeeking/squealing a bit. I'm going to apply a bit of lube. 

 

For light weight lube, I have Labelle 108 synthetic oil. It's for model trains and RC models. It says 'multi purpose' and 'light weight' on the package but no specifications. 

 

I don't have any high weight oil. What do you recommend? What do you use for high and light weight oils?

[cteno4]

That change in engine noise squeal is usually my first clue there is an issue that needs gear cleaning and/or lubing.

 

Jeff