Well the layout is together, had to redo the way the two connected as the flex track curve I put in was too sharp for my passengers cars to go over ( to long). It was like a horseshoe curve and I was not able to stretch it out any as to the way the other track connector was laid out.
Anyway, all of my engines run (relatively) good over the entire layout. Except the Athearns, it is just to heavy and also each truck has 3x2 wheels.
I spent a lot of time filing and cleaning (new) track. I was able to pick up the file set and cutters you guys told me about at the local Harbor Freight store.
Now I am wondering about cleaning and oiling all wheels on engine and cars. Currently, I have been using Goo Gone, as suggested by you guys and I have some Wahls clipper oil.
First of all, would this be good oil for the wheels, if I should even use oil???. How can I get the engine wheels to turn for cleaning them without messing something up.
And I am really having issues with my couples lining up (the hook kind). I have some cars I picked up at the Flea market and the trucks seem mighty loose.
Any suggestions you guys can give me will not only be appreciated (GREATLY) and followed as I currently know ZERO + a nano bit about this interesting and enjoyable hobby.
If you’re experiencing curves too short for the equipment, a loco with 3-axle trucks will also have problems sometimes. Weight is actually a good feature in locos, so doubt it’s the issue with your Athearn. Check the wheels for gauge to be sure that’s right.
91% alcohol is good for cleaning wheels. I use a q-tip.
Oiling wheels is not necessary unless it’s a metal sideframe with metal axle wheelsets. Then just a tiny drop at the axle end where it contacts the side frame is enough.
I know some use Goo-Gone, but I find it leaves a film. Wahl clipper oil is intended for use on the track, but may serve as a lube. In either case, only very tiny amounts. Do NOT put a heavy coat of Wahl’s down. Make sure your track is clean (alcohol again works well) before you do or it mobilizes all the track gunk and you’ll have to clean anyway.
My preference for treating track is CRC 2-26. Again, very tiny amounts. I spary a little in the bottom of a short can, then wet the end of a cork with the 2-26 to wipe the rails with. Same caution about cleaning the track first, etc.
With most locos, you can pull the gear cover off the bottom of the truck and take the wheelsets out to clean, etc. If they are oriented a certain way, be sure and note that in order to get the cleaned ones back in right.
If you’re having troubles with couplers lining up, it’s usually one or the other of the mounting location being wrong and/or drooping or the height of the car is wrong. A Kadee coupler gauge can tell you if the coupler mount location is good or not. Horn-hooks are so 1960 that you may want to consider swicthing to a more modern system. Kadee is reliable and not expensive. You may be able to find Kadee-knockoffs that someone is discarding if you’e on a budget.
If trucks are loose, either tighten the screw or replace the plastic plug with a screw
If the car height is wrong, washers can be added t
I will give the CRC cleaner a try as I use some of their products on my car. Walmarts are everywhere.
Now about the couplers. I had been looking at changing over to magnetic couplers anyway and had visited the website, but couldn’t make much sense about conversion size… Magne-Matic #144 “Standard” Head Metal “Whisker” Couplers, #5 Universal Magne-Matic without Draft Gear Box, Kadee #156 Magne-Matic Couplers, #5 Universal Magne-Matic Couplers.
Wheels on everything want cleaning now and then. Running on the track will build up a coat of “wheel cheese” , dark slimey and repulsive looking. I have seen wheels so cheesed up that the flange disappeared into the cheese.
I clean locomotive wheels by laying a paper towel on the track, wetting it with GooGone, holding the locomotive in a hand, give it power to make the wheels turn, slide it over the paper towel, with the wheels turning, and let 'er run til the wheels are shiny clean. Repeat for all wheels.
Rolling stock I use a moistened (Googone is good here) rag or paper towel to wipe the wheel treads and flanges til they come up clean.
I don’t oil wheels at all, in the sense of oiling the tread and flange. I do oil locomotive axles with a drop of light oil, 3-in-1 works for me. Just a drop, to much and the wheel rotation throws it off making a mess. I don’t lube plastic rolling stock trucks, the plastic is plenty slippery by itself. Give the wheel a flick with your finger and it ought to spin freely for the count of 3. On cars with steel axles, some times the pointed ends of the axles rust causing friction and drag. Very fine sandpaper will get the rust off.
Couplers have to be at the same height on all cars. If one coupler is high and the other low, the cars are prone to random uncoupling on the road. The fix is usually to shim up the low car by placing washers under the trucks. #6 flat washers from your hardware store are just the right size.
The fix for floppy trucks is to mount the trucks with screws, rather than depending upon the clever all plastic molded on snap pins. Sometimes I use screws as large as 6-32 threaded into the existing hole. Sometimes I fill the existing hole with a bit of plastic sprue, file the spue off flat and drill for a 2-56 screw.
Don’t use oil on your wheels. It makes good contact at first because the current is passing through the oil, but soon the oil soaks up every bit of dust and dirt and is dirty. This just spreads the dirt around, plus gets all over your locos, and possibly damages the plastic. Use rubbing alcohol to clean your wheels.
To lubricate your gears and bearings only use plastic compatible oil and grease. Labelle 106 and 107 are good choices. Follow the directions which came with your loco. Or check the manufacture’s website for instructions.
Athearn 6 axle don’t like tight radius track. Their wheels tend to be out of gauge, mostly being to wide, causing them to derail on curves. Also sometimes they don’t freely travel up and down which will also cause them to derail.
The magnetic uncoupler feature is not required. All you need to uncouple a car is a bamboo skewer from your local grocery store. They can be picked up in packages of about 100 for about $1.00. The two items you linked would be used to uncouple cars in areas you cant reach easily.
Kadee’s are automatic couplers, similar to the prototype. Properly installed they are self-centering and will couple on a straight section of track with no action from the operator other than pushing the cars together. Kadee’s website lists which coupler to use with what brand of car here: http://www.kadee.com/conv/hocc.htm
Each of those different types of couplers are explained here
The different types of couplers are used to standardize the coupler height to the NMRA standard height. #5 or #148 couplers will work in most cases. The #5 is centered with a separate spring. #148 has the spring self contained within the coupler. The draft gear boxes (coupler boxes) are used to mount couplers on cars that were previously equiped with talgo couplers (coupler and trucks are mounted together). Body mounting couplers is highly recommended, but not required.
There are standard head couplers (over-sized) and scale head couplers. I find that standard head couplers are easier to uncouple most of the time, the scale heads are smaller (to scale with the prototype) and not as easy to uncouple (but its relative, the scale couplers are infinitely easier to deal with than your current X2F couplers).
Also, most oils are not electrically conductive. I’ve had numerous engines that ran very erratically due to lubrication that had gotten into the bronze axle journals. Clean and dry is the best approach for axles.
CRC Electrical Grade 2-26 #02005 This is a lubricant that is safe on plastic. It also improves electrical conductivity. I use it sparingly on the electrical pickups on my locomotives.
Your questions are classic And some of the most important to evolve an answer so you can enjoy you trains.
First, coupler height is a critical problem. There is a standard and all the couplers need to be at that height. It does not matter what kind of coupler you have. To achieve this height, there are many techniques.
The coupler location relative to the shank is the first thing to consider. There are at least three common variations n this location. If your dealing with some older equipment. You will find additional variations. For modern equipment, the coupler shank is at the center of the coupler head, at the bottom or at the top. This variation alone provides three height locations on a particular car. Additionally, for body mounted couplers, washers between the truck and body and in the pocket also allow height variation of the coupler. These techniques are good for horn hooks as well a knuckles.
second, flex track is a blessing and a curse. It tend to act as a spline, which insures a gradual curvature increase. However it easily will lead to sharper curves than desired. you need to create a jig that has the smallest curve radius that you intend to use. That way you can be sure as you lay the track your not creating short segments of really sharp curves.
Finally, when it comes to wheel and track cleaning, the simplest solution is the best. You need to clean the track and wheels once. Then people have shown that a light swipe of graphite on the rails virtually eliminates the need for additional cleaning, even with DCC. Some claim that they have gone years without cleaning. It is well documented, just google graphite track treatment. As with everything, a little goes a long way and too much will give you problems. Do some reseach, I have been testing it and am favorably impressed at this point. My experience is limited to a few months at
Kadee makes lots of different couplers but in most cases you only have to choose between a couple of basic styles. More on that later.
First issue is coupler head size. There are two choices - ‘scale’ and ‘standard’. Most people use the standard size heads which are a bit bigger than scale but work very reliably. Those who are really concerned with the accuracy of every detail prefer the scale head size for obvious reasons. The two will work together but the best option is to choose one type or the other.
The second issue is spring type. In the past the couplers used a separate spring to keep the coupler centered in the coupler box. Assembling the couplers was a bit tricky although there is a special jig available to make it easier. Newer couplers offer a built in ‘whisker’ spring which is much easier to handle. I believe a lot of people are now buying the whisker style. There is no need to replace the Kadee separate spring style if they are working properly, but many people recommend throwing out just about anything which is not Kadee. There are a couple of good quality clones but I don’t use them so I can’t say which ones they are. Definately get rid of plastic couplers!
There are other variables available for particular circumstances. The coupler shanks can be centered on the coupler head, or they can be ‘overset’ or ‘underset’ An overset shank lowers the height of the coupler head and an underset shank raises the head. There are also ‘short’, ‘medium’ and ‘long’ shanks. Short shanks are used when you want cars to be coupled closer together, usually for appearance, and long shanks are used when the cars need to be further apart, usually to avoid binding on tight curves. In my case (200 + cars) I have been able to use center set medium length couplers for almost everything.
Getting back to the first paragraph on which couplers will fit most of your needs, the most common coupler in