"Do the Loco motion with me"

[TrainsRMe1]

Hey all,

      I have a question for you, I have a few, well a large fleet, of loco"s that need cleaning, I have some that I haven't ran for a while, so  I wanted to run some of them, when I placed them on the track I had to give them a little encouragement push, as I call it, they would sqeal, when I push them, or not run at all, I KNOW they need cleaning, what should I use as a cleaner, and where do I add the cleaner, I was told that it should be plastic compatible, and what is the best way to clean my loco's, ALSO I've been using GOO GONE to clean my track, is that okay??? thanks, for help in this matter                     

                                                               Thanks Guys n Gals

                                                               Trainsrme1 Pete

[jeffrey-wimberly]

When I get an old loco that needs cleaning (most I get from Ebay need it bad) I tear it down completely and scrub the moving parts (like where the trucks touch the frame) down with 70% alcohol. On the bearings and gears I use 91% alcohol. If the motors commutator is exposed I apply a little CRC 2-26 and turn the motor several times by hand then put power to it and lightly dab away the excess with a piece of paper towel while the motor is running. I then reassemble everything and give it a light lube with Dexron/Mercon transmission oil. It's plastic safe. I've been using it for many years. For the gears I use a small dab of plastic compatible light grease. I usually use whatever type I can find. The kind used on R/C cars works well. Remember that most oils and grease are non-conductive and should be kept out of the pickup path as they can interfere with electrical pickup. I learned that the hard way many years ago.

[hon30critter]

What Jeffrey said about keeping the lubricants out of the electrical path is very important. I have recently been working on motorizing a Mack 15 ton critter using a Bachmann 44 tonner motorized truck for power. I cleaned the motor but then decided to try to oil the motor bearing and spacer washers right beside the commutator. Of course some of the oil ran onto the commutator and fowled the brushes. It ran very poorly. I was about to scrap the motor when I noticed that the commutator was partially black. A little touch with a brush and some 99% alcohol and the motor ran perfectly. Once the alcohol had dried I re-lubricated the bearing from the other end, which is what I should have done in the first place. Enough oil will pass through the bearing to get to the spacer washers. Remember that 'more' is not better when applying lubricants.

One other thing to keep in mind is to make sure your track is clean. The fact that it is new doesn't mean it is clean even if it looks nice and shiney.

Depending on which models you have you may also run into cracked gears. When you have the trucks apart it would be a good idea to check the integrity of the gears. I have never had the problem (touch wood) but lots of others have. I believe some P2K models were prone to this as well as others. Someone with more knowledge (Jeffrey?) can give you a heads up on which models to watch for gear problems and how to fix them.

Dave

[jeffrey-wimberly]

hon30critter

I believe some P2K models were prone to this as well as others. Someone with more knowledge (Jeffrey?) can give you a heads up on which models to watch for gear problems and how to fix them.

The Proto 2000 locos I know of that have the problem are the FA/FB1-FA/FB2, GP30, GP18. There are others but I'm not sure which ones. I've run across it in some Athearn blue box locos as well. SD9, GP35, F7.

[jrbernier]

  What Jeffery has said hits the mark for loco cleaning.  As far as cleaning your track, Goo-Gone will work, but wipe it up really good as it can leave a 'film' on the track that will just attract more dirt/crud.  Some of the other electrical contact cleaners leave less film on the track.  Myself, I use lacquer thinner spread with a CMX track cleaning car.  Also, convert your rolling stock to metal wheels - A lot less crud spread around the layout!

Jim

[hon30critter]

Thanks Jeffrey!

Dave

[dknelson]

My own experience leads me to suggest that you avoid routinely using Goo Gone (and similar citrus based cleaners) on your track (or wheels) as a basic cleaning agent and save it when there is in fact goo to be made gone (such as after a scenicking session where glue might be splattered).  It does seem to leave a film that over time becomes increasingly hard to get off the rails without resorting to scratchy abrasives which are not good for long term conductivity.  In other words over time it becomes a goo. 

I know that one popular maker of a track cleaning car shows it used with Goo Gone on the little wipes that revolve around a drum and supposedly clean the rails, but even so -- take it easy on the Goo Gone.

Dave Nelson

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Yes, the Goo-Gone will in many cases leave a sticky film that attracts more dirt. I've had better luck with a product called Krud-Kutter though it must be cleaned up after as well. On the good side it's non-toxic and biodegradable which is more than I can say for Goo-Gone.

[E-L man tom]

jeffrey-wimberly

When I get an old loco that needs cleaning (most I get from Ebay need it bad) I tear it down completely and scrub the moving parts (like where the trucks touch the frame) down with 70% alcohol. On the bearings and gears I use 91% alcohol. If the motors commutator is exposed I apply a little CRC 2-26 and turn the motor several times by hand then put power to it and lightly dab away the excess with a piece of paper towel while the motor is running. I then reassemble everything and give it a light lube with Dexron/Mercon transmission oil. It's plastic safe. I've been using it for many years. For the gears I use a small dab of plastic compatible light grease. I usually use whatever type I can find. The kind used on R/C cars works well. Remember that most oils and grease are non-conductive and should be kept out of the pickup path as they can interfere with electrical pickup. I learned that the hard way many years ago.

Thanks so much for the advice, Jeffrey! I saved your reply to this thread, as it is, for me, who is a complete bozo when it comes to the innerds of a locomotive, very valuable information. I have many locos that have been sitting in boxes for years. Some of them I have had out lately and I have to say, they don't run very well, (especially the blue box) and I bought them new (some as many as fifteen years ago); they haven't been used much, if at all.

[G Paine]

jeffrey-wimberly

On the bearings and gears I use 91% alcohol.

Just be careful hadling painted parts after using 91% alcohol, it is an excellent paint stripper. A friend of mine was handling a loco shell after using 91% to clean the wheels. There was some residual alcohol on his fingers, and that little bit stripped and smeared some detail painting on the shell. Fortunately we were able to repair the damage.
       

[jeffrey-wimberly]

E-L man tom

Thanks so much for the advice, Jeffrey! I saved your reply to this thread, as it is, for me, who is a complete bozo when it comes to the innerds of a locomotive, very valuable information. I have many locos that have been sitting in boxes for years. Some of them I have had out lately and I have to say, they don't run very well, (especially the blue box) and I bought them new (some as many as fifteen years ago); they haven't been used much, if at all.

You're quite welcome. I guess you could say I started with Athearn back in the 60's. My first was a GP7 or GP9 I believe from Cox. Just an Athearn loco in a Cox box. I didn't get any more Athearn's until the early 80's when a friend sold me a couple of almost new F7's. Being a curious techno type the first thing I did was tear one down to see what made it tick. I very quickly became a fan of the blue box locos. They were very simple, very rugged and though there wasn't much detail they looked good. I quickly learned how to make them run better and as a consequence much quieter. I'm not kidding when I say I have Athearn blue box locos that run as quiet as any of my Atlas locos of which I have half a dozen, mostly rebuilds. In fact most of my locos (about two dozen) are rebuilds that I did myself. I have Athearn, Bachmann, Atlas, Stewart, Varney, Walthers and a bunch of Frankensteins I built using spare parts and refugees from the junk box. Once you've done a few building a loco is a snap. I have one that has parts from eight manufacturers.