What’s the best type of lube for steam locos ?.
Tracklayer
Labell #108 “Light Oil” on all the running gear.
Labell #110 “Heavy Oil” or 106 “Gear Grease” on the gear.
Also on some locos making quite a racked a drop or two of #108 Light Oil on the motor bearing would be in order. (Note: on the bearing, not the brushs or the comutator.)
Hope this helps.
James
I get some at the lhs
is cheap
or I seen blobs for free in old cdrom’s
plastic draws
Alemite or hard grease on the main crank pins. Driver axles, soft grease or oil depending on the lube system. Outside journals like the tender and trailer trucks, just standard journal oil like you’d use on the cars. The cylinder automatic lubricator gets a heavy steam oil, which is also used to soak the shaft lubrication collars for the air pump and feedwater pump.
Oh you mean for MODELS.
I forget who it was who says he uses Auto Transmission Fluid (ATF) on his steamers and finds that they do very well and need less re-lubing. He stated that the oils tend to dry and gum up over time, but the ATF won’t. So far, so good.