Do brand new locos and passenger car sets generaly come pre lubricated?? Im breaking in my new purchase, K-line B&0 Pacific (blue) with matching passengers cars.
It seems to me, apon listening to the loco and cars, that they are very tight. The loco sounds tight, but i have no way of checking if it is, and apon turning the passenger cars upside down and spinning the wheels, they shurly do not spin freely. Should passenger car wheels be lubricated regularly the same as engines???
Do engines need to be lubricated at any ofther spots other than the drive rods as illustrated in the manual??
Also, what kind of oil??? Is this stuff in this needle pen good to use??? It looks convinient!! (sp?)
Don’t forget the white lithiam grease on the gears. Also a drop of oil on the axles where they meet the wheels. I try and lubricate about twice a year.
Good question, Joe. I had always wondered about this same thing, and I just asked the same question about a RMT BEEP two weeks ago because it was my first.
After reading Dick Teal’s Book, http://kalmbachcatalog.stores.yahoo.net/10-8327.html , one of the things he said was that in all of his years of repairing trains the ones that needed the lubrication were the ones ran for commercial or museum displays.
If I understood Mr. Teal correctly, his answer for a new modern engine would be to not lubricate right out of the box.
I do put a very small drop of oil on some of my heavily ran passenger cars and my old Marx cars always need some light oil.
I picked up a MTH handcar, Friday my son put it on the track immediately, I noticed it was a little jerky in about 4 minutes or so, then it froze. Long story short; Put some oil on it the next day, let it set for 3 hours and it run, not great but runs. Took it back and exchanged it with a better runner. Conclusion;
I think it got hot, possibly disfigured a couple of teeth on the drive gears. I think it is a good idea to lub all new stuff LIGHTLY, then I agree with Laz. Twice a year if used, less offten if setting on shelf.
COOL, so will that oil pen be good for the driverods and axles??? Im looking to buy some ASAP, as i really feel the passenger cars wheels are tight, and in fact, i can actualy see them dragging breifly instead of turning at some points around curves.
As for the grease, ive never heard of this… in fact what gears??? LOL. Needless to say i only run trains once a year and dont look much at the underbody, so im still fairly a newbie.
All else said, boy am i having a blast with this new loco! My son is loving it as well!!
Dbaker… is had a problem with my pacific this morning as well… it was running, kinda slow… and then all the sudden, it stopped, and sounded as if it was going through the shut down sequence… it did this a few times… i didnt know what to think of it. Thats when i started thinking about it not being broken in well, cause it was running slow for a long time. Thought it may have heated up and shut itself down…
I shut it down for 15 mins, started it back up and havent had the same problem since. We shall see, maybe just a temp gilth in the program and needed to be reset?
I have found the oil pen very beneficial, of course putting the oil where it is needed. The grease is best applied to the loco gears, especially the small center one. Also the passengers cars should get 1 drop of oil where the wheel meets the axle.
Try searching Google under “needle oiler” or “oiler pen” or some combination. Or, go directly to http://www.micromark.com/.
Remember to use plastic-compatible oils and greases where plastic is involved – either directly (you generally don’t need it on plastic) or where it may be dripped on.
In toy train lubrication, less is generally more.
I like LaBelle lubrication products. The plastic-compatible ones are clearly marked.
So i just purchased a general maintnance kit by lionel with the oil, grease, track cleaner and eraser. This will do for me for now i believe.
As far as greasing the loco, does anyone have a illustration of where i need to apply???
I think i need to do something. Im still having a problem with the pacific, and it keeps stalling at lower speeds. After it stalls, it tends to stall even at higher speeds… Im thinking that the board is overheating… is it possible it is doing this because the loco is too tight or there is too much rolling resistance??? Some of the wheels are pretty tight, and they are 18" passenger cars rolling around 0-42, so im sure that doesnt help.
Have several Lebell needle oilers [all the Lebell oil gone]. I put in Slick 50 One Lube. It is a synthertic oil. Been using it for 3 years. It is slick. Use one drop on each axle end on locos and cars when I get them out of the box. On steam engines, a drop on all the valve and drive rods. Grease. Just stopped using Lebell and use Hot Sause. Its a synthetic reel grease I get a Cablea’s and Bass Pro. Seems to be working great. It is for reel gears. Made to stay on fast spinning gears but not heavy to slow them down. How often. Depends on the unit and how much you run it. I’ve got some like the big Lionel SD80’s, if run a lot, once a month or they will give trouble. I usually turn them over and inspect them before running.
I always inspect a new engine to make sure the factory did it right. They are always good with gears. I do like to put a drop on each motor shaft bearing no matter what. These bearings see alot of RPM and side loads.
For axel points that conduct electricity such as lighted passenger cars and sound tenders, I like to use Atlas conducta-lube available at shops that deal in HO. I also like Atlas regular oil because the needle is smaller in diameter than Labelle or Lionel. Otherwise, I use a toothpick.
I’ve read engines should be lubricated every 20 hours but I think it depends on the engine. 20 hours seems right for postwar and it’s what I go by. But new stuff with lifetime bearings and tighter tolerances may not need it as frequently (there is really no such thing as a lifetime bearing…they assume you’ll toss it or sell it before its time).
Good info guys… if anyone runs into a blow up lubing and greasing diagram post it up because i am not farmiliar with the names or parts, and it seems that in my kline unit none of the gears or anything are even exposed, and i will have to take it apart even to get a look.
I have a Postwar Lionel #60 Trolley. It is being powered off a new ZW and is running a bit sluggish. I know I need to get it lubed, but can’t find where to apply oil or grease in the manual I have, I think it was published by KLine, it is blue with gold lettering.
Any how, where do I lube the trolley and with what?
Almost every Lionel engine (if not all) I have has lubrication instructions near the back of the manual. This includes the NYC Century Club Fs, the GP7 / 9 series, Jr Berk and Lionmaster Hudson.
The consistent recommendation is grease on the gears and oil on the axel ends - tenders too. On the GP7 / 9 series, they also recommend to remove the shell and put a drop of oil on the motor. There is a small opening on the top exactly for this.
The first MTH set I ever bought also had the same recommendation, but I have not bought any other MTH locos or sets since.
I also put a drop on all rolling stock trucks where axel meets truck. I usually check the smoothness and freeness before and after doing this. Sometimes I see a difference and sometimes I do not. I certainly see no harm in doing this.
I use the Lionel oil and grease - the one 92Hatchattack mentioned in an above post.
When one weighs the risks of running a non-lubricated locomotive against spending a few minutes to put some oil and grease where they belong, the choice seems obvious to me. Lubricate those locos when you get them.
When one weighs the risks of running a non-lubricated locomotive against spending a few minutes checking to see if the manufacturer or previous owner has properly oiled and lubricated the unit, the choice seems obvious to me. Check those locos when you get them to see if they are properly oiled and lubricated. If not, use the proper types of oil and grease and follow the manufactures instructions.
I remember as a kid, putting a wee too much oil on a engine and started a small fire. Probably wrong oil, wrong place, derailment, etc., etc,. There was a small burn spot on the board after the fire about the size of a quarter. I don’t think my folks ever knew or I would have been [xx(] .
That’s cool, Buckeye. The reason I suggest it is many times, these locomotives sit for months and even years before someone buys one, and takes it out of the box to run it. Running it without even flipping it over is asking for trouble. I’ve bought brand new Williams and Lionels that had completely dry gears and bearings. Williams even states in each product sheet that comes with their locos that they do not oil their locos because it could get on the paint and ruin the paint jobs.
Well, im convinced to lube the gears after hearing these statements… still, anyone know what i need to take off to get to the gears of a kline steamer???
