Recommended lubricants for engines?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Besides recommending the purchase of Lionel’s lubricating kit…

Do people have some time tested alternative recommendations for what to use and how to lubricate engines and rolling stock?

Thanks,
Birds

2

Labelle Lubricants #107 Multi-Purpose Oil (Medium Weight)
For fractional horsepower motors, bearings, sewing machines, reels, power tools, fans, HO and larger model trains, and steering points, motor bushings, bearings and axle shafts on RC cars.

johnnyc

3

Here’s how the pros do it:

I wouldn’t try this until you have the Special High Intensity Training for train repair. [(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]

Labelle sells many kinds of lubricants at most hobby stores and they work just fine. I use TRIFLOW, a teflon lubricant, on certain car axles, especially my G Scale that runs outside.

4

I use the pin oiler , found in most hobby shops. About the size of a felt tip pen, with a lonk very small nose to reach all kinds of hard to reach spaces. Williams trains used to sell these but I dont think they do now…Anyoue else…Tim

5

Thanks everyone!. I’ll avoid the oil can until my hand eye coordination improves…

I wasn’t sure if different lubricants should be used for the different areas: such as small dabs of lithium grease on the engine gears near the trucks versus something like light weight oil at the the axle/truck needle bearings and center rail pick-up rollers.

Thanks,
Birds

6

Lebelle lube [train grease] and use an old Lebelle needle oiler. Fill it with Slick 50 One Lube [hard to find, I order by the case, its cheap, as I use if for everything] which is synthetic. Will NOT harm plastic. Slick. Lube your house door hinges. Door not perfectly hung, will swing open or close. [:0] A drop on axle ends of rolling stock and couplers. A drop to no powered axles. A drop on axles behind the gears and on the non-geared side of power axles. Lube on the gears. Side note: Yanks, stick the plastic reed into your vehicle door locks where the key goes and give a squirt. They will not freeze. [;)]

7

I wanted to thank everyone for there thoughts on this.

I couldn’t find LaBelle gear lube in the area (found it for the axles/trucks). For gears I ended up getting something from Woodland Scenics: Gear Lube HL664.

It comes with a needle point, is plastic compatible, and it seems to have very good adheasion to the gears so that lubricant doesn’t spin off. When first applied, and the gears and wheels are rotated by hand, the lube appears sticky and strands of it stretch across the cogs as they turn. Run the trains for a loop or two and the lube appears to distribute and seat itself nicely and the “stranding” stops.

Thanks for all your comments and thoughts.

Birds

8

I personally have always like the idea of transmission fluid for gears. It has enough “cling”, but at the same time provides lubrication and is designed not to gum up or evaporate under extreme conditions compared to our models. Folks I know who run models continuously at shows put me on to using transmission fluid. Too heavy for bearings, though.

yours in lubrication
Fred