If you look under the collecting pull-down menu (the brown banner above), you'll find articles on both storing your trains and getting them running again.
http://ctt.trains.com/home/collecting/restoration%20and%20repair.aspx
Bob Keller
hrin What, I ain't got scale model trains? LOL. I been duped by Lionel.
What, I ain't got scale model trains? LOL.
I been duped by Lionel.
that just shows you the typical mentality of your average HO-er.
( not you RB)
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
I hope everything works out fine, for you.
My wife intends to put my trains out in the garage, along with me!
Ralph
welcome to the CTT forum where we basically deal in O, AF, And some standard gauge trains.
I' going to try and answer some of your last questions storage for the future to be honest a basement or a garage really isn't a great place to store them if you don't have to the back bottom of a closet is better in the house. I when I pack mine up I put them in a plastic tub that you can get at almost any mega store and others. one that the lid snaps on is better. some say to wrap them up in like plastic bags that you get newspapers in I believe they say with the end closed loosely so air can get in.
Okay I'm guessing you have the old O-27 track not the fastrack system. To clean them I would go get a couple of those green scottbrite type scrubbing pads don't use steel wool as little slivers can get left behind and can get up into you engine which is not a good thing at all.
now for cleaning and oiling them it would help us to know the numbers on the side of the engines as some engines have a little different approach than others depending what type of motor is actually in the engine. and to be honest some of the other guys on here are better at addressing that than I.
Lionel trains have their own maintenance and repair issues not necessarily shared by scale model trains. I'm moving this over to the CTT forums.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
dknelson But guys, we can discuss it here because the problem -- of trying to get a toy train moving again after a long period of non-use -- might actually be more common amongst us scale guys than the toy train types who don't ignore their Lionel!
But guys, we can discuss it here because the problem -- of trying to get a toy train moving again after a long period of non-use -- might actually be more common amongst us scale guys than the toy train types who don't ignore their Lionel!
Dave, it is always appropriate and courteous to redirect a thread, particularly from a new forum member, to the proper forum. It is not uncommon, particularly this time of year, for people to bring their old Lionels and American Flyers out of storage. The regulars on the CTT forum keep their trains in good running order, but they are also experienced in restoring old trains to good running order as well.
That is good of you to offer advice in this instance. I also do so, particularly if it relates to American Flyer since I am familiar with the brand. But, in any event, get the thread over to the proper forum.
Rich
Alton Junction
Be careful with using WD-40 on the track if the loco has rubber traction tires. The WD-40 is known to cause problems with traction tires, rubber belts and bands.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
As to the track, it is steel and I find that a light household oil on a rag is a good way to remove the light rust that tends to form on the rails. The light oil also seems to discourage the sparking that can pit the wheels. The oil I use for his is in a small metal can that says Mobil. It might be older than I am since it was in my folks' house for as long as I can remember -- pre-1960 for sure. WD-40 on a rag might work just as well, or Wahl clipper oil if that is what you have. Keep the rag surface fresh so that you are not reappling the rust but truly removing it.
If the rust is deeper, you might consider Naval Jelly or other commercial rust remover but do not let it sit unattended or it will eat away at the metal. The same Bright Boy you'd use on scale track will also work although frustrating because you'd like it to be wider. The main thing is don't scratch the track with sandpaper or emory cloth.
As to lubricating the trains, my experience is that old Lionel holds its lubricants longer than you'd think, perhaps because at least the older stuff is metal, and the trains may run just fine. You read of guys running trains that have sat in attics for decades and decades, for example.
Back when I had my first train set (and when was that? Well let's just say, in Dwight Eisenhower's second term as president) it came with a small tube of grease that worked well and could be used sparingly. It lasted as long as I had my Lionels -- which I sure wish I still had!
If your Lionel has plastic gears then Labelle Lubricant 107, which I am pretty sure is the plastic compatible one, would work. Again use it sparingly.
Dave Nelson
Take this to the Toy Train Operating and Collecting forum. The folks there know all about everything Lionel.
You should move this thread to the Classic Toy Trains forum where the Lionel experts reside.
Just last week i pulled my Lionel O 27 stuff from storage I will confess and shame on me i did not store it properly, that means all together in a cardboard box in a garage. I think I put them in there in 2008 and last time used I think was 2003. couple questions, how is the best way to clean the rails, there is some light surface rust, also The locomotives, as I am currently 32 and i played with these as a kid, 1 was mine, 1 was my dad's 1 was my uncle's god knows when they were last cleaned and oiled. what is the best way to clean the track, clean the locomotives, what oil to use and what else should i use to wake up these sleeping trains. Also as much as I hate to they will eventually have to go back to storage eventually, what do you recommend to put the track and train in and is there any pre-storage maintenance i can do so next time i bring them out they will be as good as when I put them up
Lots of Lionel's get woken up this time of year and I think a lot of readers could benefit from advise on this.
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