David, very helpful, useful info..thank you.. I think I have an old container of googone in basement....Difficult to buy now at retail..I'll check Amzn...Thank you.
People like to denigrate Ebay. BUT...You can find Stewart F units for around $50. If used but in good shape, as long as the wheels are clean you'll have a nice solid unit.(solid unit, hurr hurr hurr...)If I weren't up to my eyeballs in projects, including 4 unfinished F units, I'd buy this baby myself:https://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-Scale-Stewart-F-Series-A-Unit-Udec-with-Detail-Assoc-Screen-Detail-Kit/303544975861?hash=item46acb0c1f5:g:HfoAAOSwemdenJQj
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
The TYCOs are not worth much. The Bachmanns could be OK to start with, but I suspect they are still in the toy category. The Mehano is a diesel, not worth more than the Bachmanns I'm affraid. The track will need constant cleaning... but not a huge deal if you have a loop or a figure 8. The power pack is probably the only valuable item, although you might want to enter the DCC world faster than you think. My suggestion: work on the Bachmanns, read a lot, fiddle with what you have. Build a few buildings. If you are having fun, then think about changing the track and buying one good loco. I vote for a brand new Bachmann diesel, dc and DCC ready.
Simon
That's news to me. I am using a large bottle I bought couple of years ago. Back then I never noticed alternate versions of the stuff. Grocery stores usd to stock it in the aisle with cleaning products.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
dstarr That's news to me. I am using a large bottle I bought couple of years ago. Back then I never noticed alternate versions of the stuff. Grocery stores usd to stock it in the aisle with cleaning products.
David, because of virus, I tried to order on Amzn..They have many diffrerent forms and versions.. No problem.....I'll order one. Thanks
jjo David, very helpful, useful info..thank you.. I think I have an old container of googone in basement....Difficult to buy now at retail..I'll check Amzn...Thank you.
I was wrong..Its a different product,,I'll order from big A
The Googone just arrived...Adventure ahead either tonight or tomorrow...My spouse wants to watch a movie.....
Placing order today ended up a Challenge: Went to Trains & stuff today to do the order the HO Diesel locomotive...Had to back off..Hard to correlate the info gained here with actual specs, model number, detail etc. so I could order..(my errors, ignorance methinks).Here's my confusions:
Many Locomotives (diesel) said needs 16V to operate properly. My Railpower 1300 power unit is 15V?
I was looking for 4 axle diesel. Many appear to me to be 6 or more. Maybe I'm not defining axle correctly? (1 axle for each pair of wheels/tires?)
The Model number, specs do not match up with the specs I was looking for (no 6 axle, Atlas RS3,Bachman GP 7, 9, 39, 40 and Sd 70,Atlas 38-2 etc)...Hard to translate/match into the descriptions on the web site....
Was sticking with my top 4: Atlas, Bachman, Walthers and Bowser.
Apologize in advance.. My rookie, newbie status is showing....Thought it'd be easy to order. I don't want to order the wrong stuff...You guys gave me good advice and I want to use it......THANK YOU, sheepishly yours,
Jerry
4-axle = 2 axles/4 wheels per truck
6-axle = 3 axles/6 wheels per truck
If the locomotive is long then it's most likely a 6-axle locomotive. 15V is plenty for operating. My NCE Power Cab only puts out 13.8V.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Looking back on this, I've learned: It was the GooGone and a thorough cleaning that solved the issue...Even though it is brass tracks, 3 of 4 locomotives now performing well. Thank you all.....
I'm surprised you are using 3-in-1 oil with all the better, plastic compatable, lubricants available for model trains.
leewal I'm surprised you are using 3-in-1 oil with all the better, plastic compatable, lubricants available for model trains.
I have been using 3-in-1 oil since my childhood Lionel days. Never had it attack anything, not plastic, not paint, not tie strips, nothing. It's a good light oil originally sold (MANY years ago) to oil electric motors. It doesn't have all the aggressive magic chemicals you find in automotive motor oil designed to keep the viscosity constant over the range of -40F to +180F. It is just straight mineral oil. It is sold every where. I use a toothpick to reach a drop into tight places. I give the two motor bearings just one small drop of 3-in-1 each and the motor will hum happily. It is also good on locomotive wheel bearings.
dstarr leewal I'm surprised you are using 3-in-1 oil with all the better, plastic compatable, lubricants available for model trains. I have been using 3-in-1 oil since my childhood Lionel days. Never had it attack anything, not plastic, not paint, not tie strips, nothing. It's a good light oil originally sold (MANY years ago) to oil electric motors. It doesn't have all the aggressive magic chemicals you find in automotive motor oil designed to keep the viscosity constant over the range of -40F to +180F. It is just straight mineral oil. It is sold every where. I use a toothpick to reach a drop into tight places. I give the two motor bearings just one small drop of 3-in-1 each and the motor will hum happily. It is also good on locomotive wheel bearings.
There are several varities of 3 in 1 oil. They make an oil specifically for use in electric motors (blue can): https://www.3inone.com/products/motor-oil/
This is a 20 weight oil, so it's a bit lighter. I think it would work fine.
Regular 3-in-1 is primarily a napthenic mineral oil, with a tiny amount of citronella scent. It will probably work fine, too, though it is a bit sticky.
I'm curious about using a plastic-compatible ATF, such as Dexron, for a really light lubricant on motor bearings and such. We used to use it on electric motors at a previous job I had.
Gary
I use Labelle 108 multi-purpose light weight oil for most of the moving parts on my locos and cars. I have some older Athearns that squeal when they need oil, and a couple of drops of this stuff makes them run great.
I didn't see this until just now
dstarrIn cleaning brass track you want to do two things. Clean off stickem and oil and assorted types of slime. Alcohol is good for this. 50% is plenty strong enough. Second you want to deal with brass tarnish which does not conduct electricity. GooGone will do both.
GooGone is certainly good. (I use the large size squeeze bottle with squirt insert in the top -- this lets you put the equivalent of a drop or two on a cloth for fine work.) My recommendation is to use it in conjunction with something that will burnish the top of the railhead surface as you clean -- perhaps a heavy-duty plastic scrubbing pad?
Now, something you can do to cheat with this is get one of the jewelry plating pen outfits ... and clean the railhead thoroughly, then plate it. A very small amount of metal, even if you do multiple plating for best electroplate integrity, will go a long way. Theoretically you could mount this on some sort of vehicle and run it at a fixed speed to control thickness, etc.
You can get the same effect on tarnish with something like Brasso.
If you want the same effect as Brasso you can mix something up with a little ammonium-bearing material and appropriate fine abrasive. The best thing I ever found was a British product called Astonish, which lives up to its name in bringing up shine with surprisingly little effort.
While talking about track, be aware that rail joiners don't conduct electricity dependably. The inside of the rail joiner, which is uncleanable, corrodes and eventually the corrosion gets bad enough to stop the flow of electricity. And, after a few mate-demate cycles the rail joiner gets bent out of shape and no longer makes good contact. Sometimes you can squeeze bent rail joiners back into shape with long nose pliers. The best fix is new rail joiners.
In my opinion the best fix is either feeders or bonding wires across the joints. Even the tightest rail joiners will build up oxide unless regularly 'worked' -- which is not generally possible with properly-bonded track segments. Theoretically you could plate the contact areas of these components too (or adopt relatively corrosion-free material for joiners) but I suspect a better idea is to learn the right solder techniques and materials choices, and do a one-time installation of wires to clean metal. (After which you paint the rail sides prototypically and keep the shiny plated contact patch as the only visible 'metal' surface.) It's a pain, but it's a very permanent solution that is relatively easy to undo if you want to change arrangements... I also suspect you will also find other uses for the soldering equipment and materials, to justify the investment in 'doing it right'.
Regarding locos and terminology, and all that. The NMRA standard for HO is 12 volts DC. An unloaded power pack will put out 14-15 volts when measured. This is all fine. The only HO locos that need more voltage to reach top speed at MTH. Other brands will run plenty fast on the basic power pack, but if they have sound, the control range can be limited, because the first 5-6 volts is needed just to power up the sound system without moving the loco. Honestly, best to avoid sound locos for now. Plain old DC locos will move plenty fast with the power pack you have, you do not need more voltage.
If the model is an SD anything, it's got 6 axles. If it's a GP anything, it's got 4 axles (both lines of prototype made by EMD). For Alco - an S model is a 4 axle switcher, an RS is a 4 axle road switcher, and an RSC/RSD has 6 axles.
Among those designations, you should find plenty of models at good prices that will run nicely, spanning all eras from the early diesel days to modern.
For lubrication, I've always used Labelle products. They make a handy kit with suitable plastic compatible oil and grease. The oil is good for the bearings, the grease is better for the actual gears. If the model can be disassembled, it is best to wash out any old grease, espoecially if it's a used model or one that has been stored for a long time. Just don't let any tiny gears go down the drain. Use a plastic dish with some water and a little Dawn dish soap. If the model can;t be easily taken apart to get the gears away from the motor and any circuit board, you can use swabs and alcohol. Not cotton swabs - they will just leave fibers all over the gears. There used to be foam tipped swabs for cleaning tape decks, if those are still available.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Was informed today: my new Diesel Loco from Trains Stuff shipped today...
Wealth of good info above on the proper lubricants..Thank you all...