How often do I need to lubricate my locomotives?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Hello,
I have two locomotives: a Lionel starter set 4-4-2 and an Ilinois Central Switcher. I have had them both for probably a decade now, and in that time, they have been sent into service a few times, although I have never lubricated them. So, how often should I lubricate them, and how do I do this? Any help you could give me would be most appreciated.

Sincerely,
Daniel

2

Daniel;
Bachman recommends lubrication every 10 hours of run time for my elecrtrics. When I run live steam with friends we lub. every day we run.

Gary

3

It depends on how much you run your trains. If you run them a lot, the more you need to lubercate it. I would say that every 10 hours seems about right. You should be able to see if it is dry or not.

To do this, just lubercate the axel ends on the wheels with a little oil. Put a small amount of grease on the main gear.

4

One extra thing, when greasing your loco’s gears, use white (lithium) grease
as it will stay flexible and not harden or cake up. This grease is available thru
auto parts stores usually under the name “Lubri-Plate”.

Don’t forget to, every so often, clean the motor’s innards and gears with a soft
tooth bru***o get out accumulated crud. Otherwise the oil and grease can’t get
to where it’s needed and things will bind up.