I noticed some of my motive power that has plastic gearing is starting to show signs of needing lubrication. Is there something that can be gotten that does not require a special trip to the hobby shop? Plastic safe of course. Any help appreciated.
Light machine oil (like 3 in one) is fine for oil. Lubriplate (white lithium grease) is usually used for fishing reels and bicycles. It also works well on toy trains.
Get Labelle 106 grease with PTFE. It is plastic compatible and designed specifically for trains and other small mechanical items. Most hobby shops have it.
3 in 1 oil is most definitely NOT safe for plastic!!!
This has come up before, time and again–it may be ok for nylon but any styrene type plastics will be destroyed by it. Don’t take a chance, leave the 3 in 1 in your garage and get some real hobby grade stuff specifically marked for plastic.