Hello from Sarnia

I will have to get 2 boxes of Straight in a month or 2. So got the engine running on a rough around 20 foot/piece circle. What maintence does the engine require?
 
TTaannggss said:
What maintence does the engine require?
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A LGB starter set loco?

Not a lot..
You *might*want to put a drop of light oil, where each axle emerges from the plastic of the motor-block..
Some might suggest a spot on the motion? But not really necessary..

You do want to run the loco in, though..
Run at a reasonable pace, both forwards and backwards.
If you are running on a smallish loop, then I would suggest, about 20 minutes in each direction. - Both forwards and backwards, and clockwise and anti-clockwise.

You are listening / looking for odd-noises, clicks (from the motion catching) and anything unusual..

Obviously, stop and investigate, if you think there is anything wrong..


I you are running indoors:
Beware of fluff, and pet/human hair.
You will (over time) get a black deposit, which is a mixture of general muck, a little greease/oil, and oxidised metal..
This WILL leave a trail, especially on light-coloured carpets, and will make you very unpopular with the Domestic Authorities!

PhilP
 
TTaannggss said:
I will have to get 2 boxes of Straight in a month or 2. So got the engine running on a rough around 20 foot/piece circle. What maintence does the engine require?
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All the points made by PhilP above can be taken as a good plan, especially for a new loco. As I run all my stuff outside, on tracks shared with live-steamers, a good wheel-cleaning about once a year is all I find necessary. Tear-down, for me, with around twenty electric locos, has never been necessary unless I'm replacing a gear - some of my electric locomotives date from the late '90s.

A DROP of light oil on the wheel bearings now and then is a good idea, and, of course, keeping it looking respectable is always a plan, unless, of course, you like your models to look like something that our Mexican friends would put on the junk-line.

Most of the Spectrum range of Bachmann models in 1/20.3 Colorado NG scale need careful looking-at. The Shays, Heislers and even the little Climax are all very complex scale models with many moving parts, and require - especially the Shays - a variety of plastic-compatible lubricants of differing grades - LaBelle make a full set for this purpose.

As for reliability well, many folks here have heard about my USA Trains GP9 that took to the mainline one summer's day back in 2001, having been inadvertently 'energised' by a well-meaning neighbour. When we came back from visiting my family in Canada, Mrs tac got into the house first and was amazed to see the loco, with five cars and a caboose in tow, merrily trundling - quite slowly - around our little backyard track. It had been doing so, rain or shine, since the day after we had left home - a total of twenty days. Apart from needing a good clean-up - it was liberally sprinkled with bird cr- droppings - and new traction tyres, it was in excellent condition. When I took it to pieces to replace the wheels [I'd decided that it deserved at least that] and give it a good wash and brush-up, it looked, and performed, as good as new.

I wrote Charles Ro, telling him the story, in the hope that it might engender a bit of publicity for him to beat Lewis Polk of Aristocraft over the head, but never heard back.

I've just leapt out of my study and taken this pic for you, so you can see how it looks now, over twenty years later and full of genuine miles of running...

1644487107350.png
 
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It is an Aristocraft Alco f unit ...so just put a light oil where the Axel's are exposed. 3 in 1 oil work?
 

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tac foley said:
Blue can 3-in-1 is OK, but as I mentioned, investing in the proper thing is even better. John in Guelph sells the stuff.
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Yes, and be sure the oil is plastic compatible. LaBelle products are one that I use.
 
tac foley said:
Blue can 3-in-1 is OK, but as I mentioned, investing in the proper thing is even better. John in Guelph sells the stuff.
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Ok. I have sewing machine oil and grandfather clock oil. Never made it to John's. A store in London sold me some track at a reasonable price for new.
 
TTaannggss said:
Ok. I have sewing machine oil and grandfather clock oil. Never made it to John's. A store in London sold me some track at a reasonable price for new.
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As long as it doesn't affect the plastic, and isn't too thick, some clock oils are quite gloopy
 
Greg Elmassian said:
First, is there anything in the Piko manual? If not, I would actually call the Piko service department and get their recommendation.

I have a page on lubrication:

Lubrication

Greg Elmassian web site on large scale trains and garden railroads, cigars, and computers
elmassian.com elmassian.com

Please do not use 3 in 1 oil.

Greg
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Greg, it's an Aristocraft loco, and I hope that my advice to get the correct made-for-model-trains lubes would have been taken on-board by our friend from Sarnia. Tthe blue can 3-in-1 oil is suitable for metal-to-metal, but should not be used in direct contact with plastic. ANY hydro-carbon-based oil is not friends with hydro-carbon-based plastic materials, as you know.
 
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Ok I will use Liberty oil. It is a pricy synthetic oil that I use on my grand father clock.
 
As said in the last post or three, lubrication can be a bit of a thorney problem for some. Sticking to our DIY Shed major oils is quite likely a well flawed plan unless you are fully clear pf what the lub does and its effects on products we are using. Reading labels is not one of mans best attributes!

For my part as the majority of my locomotives and stock are LGB I use LGB products as I can be certain that they are the correct formula for what I am doing. This link below shows some of tha varying sorts now it would appear predominantly Massoth which I would trust for LGB. There are also Piko products that I would suggest if you have a lit of their locomotives, though I would appreciate learned advice on the similarity of the types.

LGB Model Trains, LGB Locomotives, Garden Train Sets, G Scale Model Trains,: Lubricants

www.onlytrains.com

UK suppliers will have similar Massoth, LGB and Piko products.

We need and use 3 types of lub.
Gear Lub
Axle Lub
Conductive paste for track joints

Finally Massoth Smoke/Cleaning fluid is also very useful for coeaning and eliminating wheel contact squeek.
 
Thanks....just like tracks I am learning lots about lubercants. I will probably order a LaBelle product. As of now I am not sure which one. I have had my grandfather clock sit for 10 years and would like to get it restarted. Starting yesterday. Every day for a week I am lightly oiling the many gears inside. After a week I will assess then start it up. Do this every 2 years from now on. Ya
 
TTaannggss said:
Thanks....just like tracks I am learning lots about lubercants. I will probably order a LaBelle product. As of now I am not sure which one. I have had my grandfather clock sit for 10 years and would like to get it restarted. Starting yesterday. Every day for a week I am lightly oiling the many gears inside. After a week I will assess then start it up. Do this every 2 years from now on. Ya
Click to expand...

The LaBelle lubes come as a set of five or six - for different applications. Some are liquid, some are greasy and at least one is powdered - ALL are designed for use with models that are made of mixed materials like plastics of one kind or another, and metal.

As I mentioned before - the Bachmann geared locos use 'em all, except the powdered variety, which is why my two-truck Shay, bought in San Diego back in 1998, is still going as strong as ever.
 
tac foley said:
The LaBelle lubes come as a set of five or six - for different applications. Some are liquid, some are greasy and at least one is powdered - ALL are designed for use with models that are made of mixed materials like plastics of one kind or another, and metal.

As I mentioned before - the Bachmann geared locos use 'em all, except the powdered variety, which is why my two-truck Shay, bought in San Diego back in 1998, is still going as strong as ever.
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Yes I bought a B Shay and a Climax back in 1998/9 in Florida and also added a full batch of 5 or 6 different lubs recommended to go with them. They have been sold on now and the lubs mostly dried up except for the grease.
 
tac foley said:
The LaBelle lubes come as a set of five or six - for different applications. Some are liquid, some are greasy and at least one is powdered - ALL are designed for use with models that are made of mixed materials like plastics of one kind or another, and metal.

As I mentioned before - the Bachmann geared locos use 'em all, except the powdered variety, which is why my two-truck Shay, bought in San Diego back in 1998, is still going as strong as ever.
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It would seem the "Labelle 1001 Lubrication Kit, Suitable for OO/HO, O / S / LGB, scales" only contains "106-Grease, 102-plastic compatible Gear Lubricant, 107-medium multi purpose Oil"
 
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