What is everyone's best advice for cleaning steam locomotive wheels? I have my own way of doing it that works pretty well for me, but I was wondering how everyone else does it?
I use a piece of paper towel on the track, wet with denatured alcohol and running it back and forth, holding the loco back to make the drivers spin. I wiggle it a bit to help the contact. For the non-driven pickup wheels I just hope the multiple passes clean them enough. At least some locos have tender axle contact wipers that mean an alcohol cleanup of the wiper and axle are warranted. This seems to work ok.
If the drivers have rubber tires, don't restrain the loco so much that the tires stretch and come off, a concern but maybe unlikely.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
The only time I have to clean locomotive wheels is after painting. This is done on the workbench, with the loco upside down and the drivers turning at medium speed. I touch a brush, loaded with lacquer thinner, to each tire tread, one-at-a-time, then follow that with a clean rag or paper towel held against the still-turning tread. Lead and trailing truck wheels, along with those on tenders, have to be turned by hand, but otherwise the procedure is the same.
Wayne
Another option, if you have issues with dirty wheels and have larger scale engines (HOn3 and up), would be a Kadee Speedi Driver Cleaner. I have one of these myself and they are wonderful for cleaning. The unfortunate problem is that it doesn't work on non-powered wheels.
I do pretty much what Dr. Wayne does--locomotive upside down, power at medium speed and a Q-tip soaked in alcohol, touched to each driver tread. Non-powered wheels (pilot, trailing, tender) I do by hand. Generally speaking, I only have to clean my locomotive wheels about twice a year.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I've been using the Kadee Speedy Driver Cleaner I inherited from my brother since 1969. It's a little tricky to do, but I've used on O scale steam loco drivers, too.
Dean
peahrens I use a piece of paper towel on the track, wet with denatured alcohol and running it back and forth, holding the loco back to make the drivers spin.
I use a piece of paper towel on the track, wet with denatured alcohol and running it back and forth, holding the loco back to make the drivers spin.
But, like others, most of my locos don't require wheel cleaning. The only ones that do are my three Proto 2000 S1 switchers. I am not sure why, but the wheels on these three locos really develop a layer of crud. The wheels on these three locos are brass colored as opposed to silver colored wheels on all my other locos.
Rich
Alton Junction
KEN MASON What is everyone's best advice for cleaning steam locomotive wheels? I have my own way of doing it that works pretty well for me, but I was wondering how everyone else does it?
Ken,
For the umpteenth time, I accidentally deleted my long version of my reply by hitting the return key (hate that...), so here is the short version.
Steam is delicate and many parts can be knocked loose if you use the "peel out" method, including bending valve gear, loosening crankpins, spur gear, throwing out quartering...etc, so I disconnect the tender, turn her upside down and clean with alcohol with a swab. I turn the non-powered wheels slowly by hand to clean them.
This is what Dr. Wayne and others have already said, so just reinforcing. Really, the consideration is how much more delicate a steam locomotive is compared to diesels.
BTW: I only clean wheels after I paint, but of course that depends on your environment.
Joel
Modeling the C&O New River Subdivision circa 1949 for the fun of it!
Thanks Joel, I've deleted my original postings too many times too by doing the same thing. Very annoying.
Anyway, I usually use the upside down cleaner on a swab too with the wheels running and test leads connected to run the motor. And of course, turning the non-powered wheels by hand. Most of the time I use an electrical contact cleaner but sometimes I use rubbing alcohol instead.
Thanks to everyone for the replys.
Ken
peahrensI use a piece of paper towel on the track, wet with denatured alcohol
As I have mentioned before, the only caution on using rubbing alcohol is to stay away from the 90% which is a paint stripper. A bit on your fingers may mess up a paint job. How do I know? The voice in of experience....
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
while were on the subject of cleaning wheels I'm a firm believer of the upside down in a cradle way of cleaning drivers,I have several steam engines with DCC and traction tires,now in the old days we simply flipped'em over and attached test leads to the drawbar and the frame and ran them up to medium speed to clean the wheels,with DCC and the related plugs between engine and tender I haven't found an easy way to do this as they need to have their wheels on the track in order to pick up power.as said its the better way of also cleaning traction tire equipped drivers. .......thoughts gentlemen?
Hey GN. I saw an ad for this locomotive wheel cleaner in an old ad for Micro-Mark tools. I checked the website and they still offer this wheel cleaning station. Perhaps it could be connected to a DCC track for cleaning steam locomotive wheels? I guess it may need some modifications, but it may be a place to start.
I used this method once on a BLI steamer with sound and DCC and completely "fried" the electronics. Now I do this only with older brass engines. BLI repaired it for me but I never told them how it happened!
Thanks for posting that Jim. I would hate for someone else to fry their expensive electronics.
Yes thanks Jim,so your saying for whatever reason this product the Micro Mark wheel cleaning station no.81630 is not DCC friendly?
Anyone else have issues with this product with DCC engines?