Hello gang. I was asked a while back by a visitor to my train room if I got all of my locos out and ran them from time to time to keep them "limbered up". My reply was, I'm not sure if you would call it limbered up, but yes, I do get them out about every three or four months and run each one for about 15 or 20 minutes to keep them in good working order as I've found that sitting up for long periods of time isn't good for them, at least in my experiences.
So how about you folks?.
Tracklayer
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Was running locos last night for just that purpose. I found a Dash 8 that derails, so I'll be working on that problem tonight. When locos just sit, the lubrication can settle and oxidation can make star-up and running eratic for a bit. While we all tend to have "Favorites", rotating head end power does keep it "limber".
Tilden
Yup, all my locomotives get run around the track, I check their glands and packing for swelling and leaks, exercise their Johnson Bars, prod them in the firebox to check for any issues there, and then inject them with sufficient water to keep boilers healthy.
I bring them into the office once a quarter, tell them to drop their fires, and take a good look around with a scope. To check their coordination, I'll have them leapfrog each other on yard tracks.
(...cough....)
I've all my roster, engines and cars, on my layout and operate them.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
Yes. I think it's good practice to do so.
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
I suspect that running an engine on a regular basis is probably a good idea but I'm not sure it's vital. As an illustration, I have an A-B-A set of Athearn blue box UP F-7 engines, with the A's powered and the B a dummy. I had detailed them to the highest level that was common in the 80's, things like the Walther's detail kit, train lines, even some crude windshield wipers. I was pretty proud of them. My last layout was in 1984 and the F units were packed away in boxes. When I left California, I sold most of my equipment but hung on to these F units for sentimental value.
I'm now building a layout again and got the F units out the other night. The first thing that made me cringe was how crude they looked compared to almost any of the P2K or Atlas Silver line engines. Still, they were my babies and I wanted to run them. I took the shell off the first F, expecting to find a sticky residue of old oil and grease. To my suprise, the gear grease was in good shape. I still cleaned it off, relubed the gears and trucks, cleaned the wheels, checked to make sure all the wires were in the right place, and put the shell back on. Did the same with the other A unit and found it pretty much in the same shape.
Put them on the track with a train of 7 UP lightweights and, to my surprise, they ran perfectly. They were as quiet and smooth as my new engines. These sat in a box for 23 years and worked great with very little effort. I wouldn't recommend running engines only once every 23 years but it shows they are pretty durable, or at least that's true with an Athearn blue box. I do wonder, with all the electronics in some of my new engines, if they will still be in good running order in 23 years.
The locos on the layout (and on trains in cassettes that get cycled onto the layout regularly) all run frequently enough that they don't require any separate "exercising."
Locos not currently in operation will be run through a complete inspection and lube cycle before going into service.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
selector wrote:I can't believe that none of youz guys gave me a grin on my post.
Selector,
I have found on these forums that many people do not have a sense of humour and like to overlook the lighter side of life, one of my fellow club members and I like to 'race' our trains, we challenge others at exhibitions and select 'fast' locos (N Scale), that sure limbers 'em up, did you know that a Kato Shinkansen Bullett train can oversteer and remain on track, its like cracking a whip, nothing gets stale on our layouts.
Hope this makes up for it!
Teditor
Selector--
I did just now, but I just read the post. Pretty cute, IMO. OKAY, YOU, DROP YOUR FIRE, IT'S TIME FOR AN INSPECTION!! Boy, you sure have a lot of courage saying that to a 2-10-4, LOL!
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!
Ya know, I meant to comment on your post but then I got wrapped up in mine. I like the idea of making them jump over each other to adjoining tracks. That'll really keep them limbered up.
Teditor, Tom, and Jim, thanks very much. It wasn't exactly inspired, but I thought/hoped it would elicit a guffaw or two. I feel better now.
-Crandell