I have boxes of H.O. trains, and just ‘inherited’ alot more from my grandmother-in-law.
I owned about a dozen misc engines and trolleys, but just inherited 30 misc steam, diesel/electric and trolleys. Granny worked at Tyco for years, so they are all Tyco from early 70’s. From a visual inspection, I don’t think any train saw more than 10 minutes of use.
I can’t stand hobby shops, because the two near me are owned by pompous twits who look down on anyone who doesn’t have their life engulfed in model railroading. Anyway, this is my excuse for coming to the GQ forum.
My old trains have been used regularly, but the newly inherited trains haven’t been. I set up a test track and gave each of granny’s trains/trolleys a test. They were terrible. Most barely moved, jerked, and they didn’t sound happy.
What are the specific steps I should take to ensure they are conducting well, that the engines are ready, and that the gears are lubed?
None are worn out, so I suspect minor corrosion and lubing needs (?).
(The test circuit was working. I confirmed this with my trains)
I’m about to inherit my dad’s lionel trains from 30 years ago this Christmas so I can set them up at my new house. I don’t know a whole lot about the HO scale but I assume they are similar to the one I have but smaller. I imagine a good shot of wd40 to the spots that spin will help, its good for almost anything. I’d like to hear what others have to say about this too as the trains I am getting will probably need some work too. My brother and I used to abuse the heck out of the engine when we were younger (and stupider).
Old HO scale train rolling stock should be dissassembeled, cleaned, and all rolling/sliding surfaces thoroughly cleaned, dried, and sparingly lubricated with a light oil. Resist the urge to liberally spray WD-40 on every thing or any thing!
Ditto on the WD-40. WD-40 is a really lousy lube. It dries up, attracts dirt, etc.
Your problem is caused by oil gone bad. The last thing you want to do is use something that’s much worse than the original.
Use a high quality light oil. IANAMTE, but I use sewing machine oil on spinning parts and a fine, plastics safe, silicone or moly lube on sliding parts.
Cleaning the worm gears in your diesel locomotive’s trucks could help performance. Be very careful what type of lubricants you use, some will damage plastic. I use Labelle Lubricants and have been very satisfied with them.
There is a how-to article on this page for steam loco tune-ups.
Be sure that the track is clean and the electrical connections are good, the problems you are experiencing could be caused by dirty track or dirty loco wheels. How to clean loco wheels and track cleaning tips.
Keep in mind also that model locos need a break-in period before they reach optimum performance. After they run a while they will loosen up.
It’s a shame that your local hobby shops aren’t interested in helping a beginner, the one here was very helpful and friendly to me when I was starting up. Most online hobby shops carry Labelle products if you’d rather not do business with the locals. Walthers has anything and everything you might need.
Model Railroader magazine is an excellent source of info, and there are forums on their website with many friendly and helpful members.
Great News: For a number of engines and locos, they are ready to rolll, pull and entertain. Tested with loads, minor grades, etc. All the locos, diesels and trolleys in this group do not depend on rubber wheel grips…more on that later.
Bad News: About four or five of the numerous engines didn’t get rolling or have other issues, such as jerky movement related to a bad gear or something. (Time limits my interest in fixing these just yet)
Mixed News: For six different engines, switchers and locos, I have serious traction issues, but otherwise smooth performance. Their common theme: They all depend on some type of rubber ring on one or more wheels. My three favorite trains are in this group! In this group is a mix of switchers, steam and diesel-electrics.
Again, knowing the local hobby shop clowns will look down at me, I seek some input here first. *Since most of these trains are 30 y/o, is it possible to get new grips for the wheels? *
Ever consider asking the employee to their face if “The employees at XYZ hobbies down the street as obnoxious as you? Because I would rather pay more for helpful staff.”
A light coat of rubber cement on the wheel(s) in question may suffice if you cannot get the part. You might need to thin the cement a bit to get it to coat evenly.
The rubber rings you refer to may be stancard “O-rings” obtainable from industrial supply houses and similar sources.
Don’t be afraid to ask. Remind the clowns that their rejection of you as a customer now may result in loss of business in the future.
They need to clean up their act!
If I owned a hobby shop and a guy came in telling me he had 40 trains, I’d see dollar signs hovering over his head. Go in the shop and say you are from the local chamber of commerce and ask to speak to the owner. Tell the owner of the shop about the poor service you are getting. If the rude guy is the owner, tell him that you appreciate friendly service and since he isn’t providing it, you are taking your business elsewhere. There is no reason to put up with poor service. I work in sales and making my customers feel good about talking to me puts money in my pocket. Any salesman who doesn’t get this needs to find a new career.