Cleaning My Steam Engine

[Anonymous]

OK Steam Junkies, [:p]

After reading your many wonderful stories of how steam rules, I finally broke down and bought my first steam engine. Its a HO scale Rivarossi 4-6-4 Hudson. Now after becoming hooked on how wonderful this baby looks rolling through my industrial layout, I've accumulated a load of gunk on the wheels which is starting to effect its performance. Now if this was one of my many diesels, I would simply use my handy Kadee wheel cleaner, clean up the wheels and be back rolling again. Apparently a steamer is different.

My question is, how can I use the same Kadee wheel cleaner (brass wire brushes with current thru it) to clean my steamer? I see that on a steam engine, half of the electical pick-up comes from the front drive wheels and the other half comes from the tender wheels. With my 4-6-4, one side of the front drive wheels actually have rubber traction bands on the wheels. I can't see how my Kadee wheel cleaner will work. Also, the front, front wheels, the "4" of the 4-6-4 are dirty as well. I'm open to other methods if there are better ones[^].

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I use Goo Gone and a cotton swab. Do the bottom of the wheels, set on the track and move the loco so the wheels turn 180 degrees.

[orsonroy]

I really HATE the Kadee wheel cleaner. Using any sort of metal brush on drivers will score the heck out of the surfaces, adding little trenches to them which allows dirt to accumulate. Subsequent cleanings take longer because you gotta clean out those little grooves!

Goo Gone isn't much better. Yes, it'll remove the goo, but it then leaves a nonconductive film of it's own on the drivers. Don't use it for track either.

There's two ways to clean drivers. I prefer taking the engine apart enough so you can add alligator clips directly to the motor, adding power NOT through the wheels. I then soak a few paper towels with alcohol, laid over some sectional track. Run the engine on the towels until the drivers shine.

If I'm rebuilding an engine, I'll use a cloth buffing wheel chucked into my Dremel tool, and just start polishing. It takes a while, but the drivers will REALLY be clean! Adding a bit of silver polish will keep them clean too.

One of the best things you can do to keep engine drivers clean is to get rid of ALL plastic wheels on your cars, replacing them with metal wheelsets. Yes, it adds cost to the layout, but it saves a LOT of time in the long run. I've had some track down on parts of my layout for a year now, and I STILL haven't had to clean the track! I run a train or two every other day.

[Anonymous]

I have a KD wheel cleaner and IMO it's detrimental. They are a few methods and many other cleaners such as the technique recommended by orsonray.

[Anonymous]

Use Achohol (not the drinking kind [:p] and a cotton Q-tip to clean them. then when your done, get some conductive Lube and using another Q-tip, apply that around the drivers and tender pickups. And before you run them on the track, take some MAAS and clean the rails )there are otehr methods too, like track cleaning cars ect.), The best prevention is a clean track.

Jay

PS. make sure you remove the rubber traction before applying the Achohol, the rubber rings can be cleaned with a cloth to get the gunk off.

[Anonymous]

All good suggestions with the expection of the "take the engine apart" approach. I'm a rookie here with steam, the last thing I need is to cause more problems. I'll try the alcohol and Q-tip.

Thanks guys.

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gsetter

I use Goo Gone and a cotton swab. Do the bottom of the wheels, set on the track and move the loco so the wheels turn 180 degrees.

Have you tried a "steam cleaner"?[:(]

I know bad real bad!
Seriously folks gsetter is onto a good thing with the goo gone I've taken it one step further and have a transformer and jumper cables that I hook up to the pilot and trailing truck wheels I flip the ngine onto it's back on a foam pad and let the wheels run as I take a q-tip or wood tip (scraper) and clean the wheels. Never take any thing abrasive or a wire wheel to the wheels as this will scratch the wheel face and allow dirt to build up quickly.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NTDN

Use Achohol (not the drinking kind [:p] and a cotton Q-tip to clean them. then when your done, get some conductive Lube and using another Q-tip, apply that around the drivers and tender pickups.

Just be careful where you get the conductive lube - you might be creating a bit of a short circuit if you are not careful. Also do not get any on the tread of the drivers, because it will substantially reduce the loco pulling power. I use Neo-lube to lube the siderods (it also blackens them nicely), but I slopped some on the driver treads. My IHC pacific went from pulling 15 cars up a curved 2.5% grade to barely being able to haul three... That's how I know [;)]

Andrew