Club member Cameron asks this question:

“I have a number of steam and diesel HO scale locomotives of varying quality from different manufacturers. I’d really appreciate some hints on cleaning, lubricating and correct maintenance procedures of engines before I stuff things up. Thanks.”

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Club member Matthew R asks readers:

“I would like to know how to remove paint from N scale engine shells. The previous owner spray painted them and covered most of the details on the shell. I got them cheaply second hand off the net so shouldn’t complain. A messy job!”

The ASK A QUESTION link is under every post if you have a question you would like published.

Ananda asks readers:

“I have several older Bachmann locos with worn out gears. Bachmann does not carry spares for them. Does anyone else have this issue and if so, what was the remedy? Thanks for any feedback”

Ben asks readers:

“I know I must be doing something wrong because my solder joints look dull and kind of grainy. Any tips?”

Model locomotives are usually well made, durable, and give good service over a long life. Like any electro-mechanical item, they do have problems from time to time.

The first thing to look for is dirty wheels. For good running you need good electrical contact between the wheels and tract, so both should be clean. As the track gets dirty, the wheels pickup the dirt, and dirt causes poor contact between the wheels and the track. Use a brass brush to clean the wheels, not sandpaper or a file, as they would cause scratches on the wheels, which would just attract more dirt.

The next step in finding locomotive problems is observation. Watch it in operation, on straight track and curved. Does it jump or stall going through turnouts? Get down to track level and watch it slowly run by. Does it wobble, jerk, crab sideways? You won’t know what to fix until you know what the problem is.

Before taking your locomotive apart, take a good look at how it is put together.

Take a digital picture of each step, so you will know what goes where, when the time comes to put it all together again.

Many screws and parts are very small, and easily lost if dropped on carpet. You might want to place an old bed sheet on the floor to aid in finding any items dropped.

Use a small cake pan to hold the parts and store the locomotive between work sessions.

Clean the individual parts with a lint free cloth, cotton swab fibers are bad. A lot of the screws in a model locomotive have very fine threads and go into soft metal or plastic parts. Use caution when tightening screws so you don’t strip the threads.

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Walter J sent in his tip to share:

“I don’t lubricate my trains with heavy oils as it can leave too much of waste between gears and wheels, which will do more harm than good. You can use a thin oil but D-40 is too thin to provide proper lubrication for the wheels. I use sewing machine oil but if you are looking for a branded lubricant, consider buying Labelle model train oil as it is one of the best you get in the market. That’s my opinion anyway. What do others think?”

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Roger sent in this tip for a cheap loco wheel cleaner.

“Take a copper brush, and cut out center bristles. Thread a copper wire through the bristle base, making each set one hairy conductor!
Add a jump lead and crocodile clip to each side. Power up your railway, clip one to each track. Hold the loco with wheels touching brushes and off it goes. Great for older loco’s that have been left standing.”

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Alvaro has a question that has been answered many times before on this blog and in the online train club. Perhaps readers might like to add there answers here.

Alvaro asked: “I’m having problems with the cleaning of rails and railway wheels of locomotives. What are the products I can use?”

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John asks readers for their views:

“I recently purchased a vintage loco which has an accumulation of dirt on the body, from years of exposure. What is the best method of removing the dirt and dust, without damaging the finish?”

Comment below.

Thanks for all those kind emails and messages from the many club members who enjoyed the ‘Model Train Tips And Techniques‘ e-book. Members who haven’t downloaded the e-book can do so for free. Just log in to claim the free e-book. If you are not yet a member, just follow the link to join, and then you can log in to download the e-book. It is packed with great ideas!