I’ve just recently been given a Brass 4-6-2 Steam Locomotive that is in pieces and has collected much dirt and grime for a long time! I haven’t worked with brass locomotives before and was wondering the best and safest way to clean the grime off of the brass, wheels and valve gear. It needs a lot more work than that, but I need to start with a clean “canvas” before I can try to put it back together. All suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Brass is pretty tough, so you could probably just go at it with a soft toothbrush and dish detergent, just like you were cleaning a model before painting.
If that’s not tough enough, there are ultrasonic cleaners, but buying the equipment just for a single project might be cost-prohibitive.
Of course, once you have the cleaner, you may find other uses for it …
Various automotive parts cleaners might work as well, but they need to be used in the proverbial well-ventilated area.
Brake parts cleaner leaves a grease-free surface, and various carburetor and mass-airflow sensor cleaners would also work on oily parts.
Just don’t stick it in the oven, solder melts at a fairly low temperature and you could end up with a pile of parts!
Eric
Congratulations on your acquisition! Restoring a neglected brass piece is one of the most satisfying aspects of our hobby and each one is a learning experience. You didn’t mention the motor but I’ll assume it’s an open frame Pittman type. These can usually be brought back to life by cleaning the commutator rings with alcohol and oiling the bearings. Don’t disturb the brackets that hold the brushes. If you need to take off the wheels be sure to note which side of the locomotive and tender wheels are insulated and put them back the way they were. Don’t tear down the valve gear unless you absolutely have to. If the grime on them is oily or caked-on grease you might try a spray degreaser as found in most auto parts stores. Don’t worry too much if tarnish spots won’t come off the engine and tender as long as you’ve got rid of the active spoors. A good coat of primer will cover them up. I’ve used gray or black automotive primers with good results right out of the rattle can ( gasp! ). Be careful to memorize the electrical path from the tender to the locomotive. The tender is positive and the engine is negative. You have to be sure the two don’t touch while connecting the tender wire direct to the motor. When you’re ready for your test run there’s a wire whisker on the tender drawbar, Be sure it’s tight against the tow pin as a loose drawbar will cause jerky operation. Good luck!
When dealing with older brass engines with the open frame motors I suggest you consider changing the magnets.
I have purchased a number of the new earth magnets, I purchased mine from Micro Mart, but there are other sources.
Changing the magnets out some of my old frame motors has resulted in the motors running with a much lower slow speed and the amp rates have dropped substantially. These motors run just about as well as a new can motor now.
Do you mean Micro- MarK?
I have some locomotives with sagami open frame motors, and they are very smooth and powerful, So don’t underestimate them. The weak point is usually the magnet, so it would make sense that a new rare earth one would make a big diff. I’d like to try that. I know a good 5 pole open frame is better than a 3 pole can!
Can you share pictures of your brass loco? Dan
Some clarification:
The locomotive picks up current from the right-hand rail (as viewed from the cab looking forward), while the tender picks up from the left-hand rail. Most brass locos use a wireless drawbar, so there is no wire going to the tender.
With an open-frame motor, if the magnets have not been reversed, the right-hand brush will be grounded to the frame and thus the drivers on the right side. The left-hand brush will be wired to the drawbar (which should be insulated from the frame). The locomotive should move forward with a positive voltage on the right-hand rail.
The wire “whisker” on the drawbar should be centered on the hole in the drawbar for the tender pin, to ensure solid electrical contact.
It is important to ensure that all current-carrying areas of contact are clean and shiny. This includes wheel rims, truck and body bolsters, drawbar pin, and commutator on the motor. Alcohol on a carefiully-applied cotton swab will generally do the job on the commutator.
Good luck with your project - It sounds like fun!
one other thing. Brass from the 1950s and 1960s was pure brass and the boiler/cab and tender could be soaked in solvent based cleaners without much problem. Starting in the late 1960s, many manufacturers started to spray their brass a brass color for uniformity of surface, to avoid tarnishing, and it could also serve as the primer coat. If you put a grimy brass engine in a bath of solvent based cleaners it might remove that brass paint coat – not itself necessarily an problem but you may need to paint it differently.
Dave Nelson
Sure, I am modeling CPR, CNR and GN.
I will show you a yard scene from when I was operating my CNR roster.
and a bit of my CPR roster
