I’ve heard that a tiny drop of Labelle 101 on the rails does wonders for the track. However, wouldn’t this damage plastic traction tires on the drivers of some steam locos?
Probably not. Starting back in Henry Ford’s day the chemical industry has been working on artificial rubbers that can stand up to motor oil for hoses and belts and gaskets on cars. Surely the makers of your locomotive use an oil proof material for the traction tire. Especially as the traction tire will encounter a fair amount of oil from the lubrication of the engine.
On the other hand, you might lay in a few spare traction tires.
Urban legend has it that Wahl’s Hair Clipper Oil is the magic stuff for track. I don’t oil my track so what do I know?
It seems to be that putting any kind of oil on your track is just begging for trouble because it will attract dirt and require more frequent track cleaning.
The concept of gleaming or using the CMX Clean Machine filled with lacquer thinner is to remove all such gunk from the rail.
LaBelle oils are all plastic compatable.
But I agree with Cacole–and I never understood the idea of ‘oiling’ the track in the first place–even the thinnest layer–it seems to me that it would reduce traction (even with the traction tire) and gunk up the track like crazy.
Just my opinion, understand.
Tom [:)]
Sorry, but if you read the label on LaBelle 101 and 104 they are both “harmful to plastic.” LaBelle 107 is plastic compatible.
I’ve never heard of putting Labelle oil on the track and definitely wouldn’t recommend it. That type of oil while it won’t hurt the rubber tires will attract dirt and will adversely affect traction. However, Wahls Clpper Oil is a whole different ball of wax. It’s a sharpening oil designed to keep the blades sharp… It has different properties from regular lubricating oil… It’s electrically conductive and suspends the crud in the oil so it enhances electrical pickup overall. It also helps with traction some, (it has a grittier feel than regualar oil).
There are two ways to apply WCO, you can put a very small drop on the rails every 10-15 feet and then run a train for 15-20 minutes to spread the oil out, or put some drops on a rag and wipe all the rails, (as if you were cleaning the track, which you are and leaving a very tiny amount behind on the rails). In this case, a very tiny amount goes a long way. You should only have to repeat the process about 3 times a year. You’ll find your wheels and rail stay cleaner longer. We used this method/process for 20 years on both the club layout and my home layout with great success. Your milege may vary.
Once we converted to DCC a couple of years ago, we switched to CRC-2-26 electronics cleaner, this stuff is great, it both cleans and conditions the track to repel dirt, we now only clean the track twice a year and rarely have to clean any wheels. We apply it by spraying on a cloth and simply wiping down the rails.
Well, that’s my 2 cents.
Cacole:
OOPS! Sorry about that. I only use LaBelle 108 and their plastic-compatable gear grease.
Learned something new, I did. Thanks for the information.
Tom [:I]