A friend who owns a model train shop has offered me a O scale 3rd Rail CN U2-G 4-8-4 brass locomotive from around 2009 for a pretty good price. I'll be bringing a friend with a TMCC system over to the store to test it this weekend, since the store mostly deals in used HO and N scale trains.
One issue is, it came from a smokers home, and it kind of smells like an ashtray. When I last saw the engine, I didn't see any tobacco residue on it, but I'll have to look at it in better light. I've read that putting dryer sheets into the box can help remove or at least mask some of the smell. Are there any other tips for reducing the smell, and cleaning any residue that I may find without damaging the paint?
The other issue is that the previous owner (not a train person) got it in trade for some work he did on a house, so I don't know the last time it ran. I'd like to give it some maintenance before running it for more than a short length of time, but I only really have experience with my prewar and postwar Lionel and Marx trains. From the research I've done, 3rd Rail locomotives seem "easy" to take apart, but I'm not sure what sort of lubrication they would need.
Yes, I know this probably isn't the correct forum for this, but I figure this locomotive is closer to a HO scale model rather than a postwar Lionel Hudson!
Thanks in advance for any help!
Lastspikemike Ozone helps dissipate tobacco odours. If you have an older furnace with a brushed motor that generates enough ozone to achieve this. Park the loco in that furnace room for a week. Some air purifiers generate a bit of ozone.
Ozone helps dissipate tobacco odours. If you have an older furnace with a brushed motor that generates enough ozone to achieve this. Park the loco in that furnace room for a week. Some air purifiers generate a bit of ozone.
We have a newer furnace, so I'd have to borrow an ozone machine.
Nobody is allowed to smoke in my house, and I won't even allow smoke units in model locomotives.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I broke down 18 months ago and spent all of CDN$30 (that comes to 78 cents USD) on an air refresher/ozonator. The reason was that my daughter breeds and keeps as many as five dogs (Portuguese Water Dogs), and when she comes to stay for a few days, say at Christmas, the dogs are crated in the train room. No, really, I'm quite thrilled about the smell afterwards, but, it is kinda heavy and doesn't remind me of trains at all. So, after mucking out the room, especially the floor with all their shed hair, I plug in the little box and let it go over night. Works like a hot knife through butter.
If there's actual tars present, getting rid of them would be as easy as Simple 8 or a citrus cleaner, diluted some, and not left on for any length of time. Maybe soak the shell for a whole 10 minutes, warm water, and then use a brush under warm running water to scrub off what's left. Naturally this has to be done with a modicum of sense and care. We don't wan't to destroy the item, just rid it of some surface contaminants.
I wouldn't let a painted shell sit near an ozonator for very long, certainly not in a confined space, and not over night.
MisterBeasley Nobody is allowed to smoke in my house, and I won't even allow smoke units in model locomotives.
I don't mind a little wisp from a Lionel Postwar O Gauge steam locomotive, but some of the newer Lionel and MTH engines pump out too much smoke for me lol. This brass engine has wheel synced smoke, but it at least has a switch to turn it off!
Lastspikemike We do also. The garage has too. It was interesting to note the effect of changing to induction motors. Natural rubber is also affected by ozone. Modern motors don't produce any, no sparking. Your locomotive will produce a little ozone...especially if your track is dirty. Also, fresh outdoor air has plenty of ground level ozone so if conditions are right putting your locomotive outside for a spell should reduce the odours significantly.
Your locomotive will produce a little ozone...especially if your track is dirty.
Also, fresh outdoor air has plenty of ground level ozone so if conditions are right putting your locomotive outside for a spell should reduce the odours significantly.
Once it warms up a bit here, I might bring the engine outside so it can "air-out." I have 34" diameter turns and an old Lionel powerpack, this brass engine needs Lionel's TMCC system and 54" turns, so it would be a club only engine lol.
I would arrange to wash as much as I could of the surfaces with fully-diluted Odo-Ban, then rinse. I would disassemble the thing as far as I could to do this. The idea is both to remove the tar and 'deterge' the surface so you can wipe the crud off, and sanitize the smell...
Airing it out might be slow except if it turns warm outside.