| Nothing lasts forever, and any locomotive tugging | | | | involved, just the tab and slots. You will need a |
| along a trains railway models is certainly no | | | | screwdriver to gently remove handrails. |
| exception. The good news is that if your trains O | | | | Buy a lubricant (one that is suitable for plastic |
| scale then it's locomotive won't require a ridiculous | | | | parts) and apply it over the trains o scale |
| amount of maintenance; particularly if it's a Lionel. | | | | locomotive. You can use a wire or toothpick to |
| Hardly any at all. Only one factor can affect the | | | | apply the lubricant. Don't use too much lubricant |
| overall performance of a locomotive and that's D | | | | because it will only accumulate more dirt and dust |
| - I - R - T. With a bit of spit and shine, (both the | | | | - which is bad news bears for any trains railway |
| locomotive and the tracks) you can keep the | | | | models. Try to check the manual for the |
| entire model railway in control. | | | | maintenance requirements because some provide |
| What should you use to clean a trains o scale | | | | a timetable. Some models require lubrication after |
| locomotive? I use pipe cleaners or just a cotton | | | | 100 hours of usage while others recommend it |
| swab. Dip it in some rubbing alcohol and clean the | | | | every 6 months. |
| wheels in a scrubbing motion. This should be done | | | | With any trains O scale locomotive, the moment |
| one to two times a year. If you run your trains | | | | you see it acting differently, the first thing you |
| as much as me then consider two as a minimum. | | | | always do is check its wheels. The same is true |
| Keeping those tracks nice and clean is a big help, | | | | for g scale. They work. HARD! Then check some |
| which would mean the wheels will hardly require | | | | connections and the commutators. It always pays |
| any cleaning. | | | | to know a great deal about your train models so |
| Aside from cleaning the wheels, you also need to | | | | that you can troubleshoot on your own. What if |
| check the universal joints, worm, and the worm | | | | the wheels are clean but the locomotive starts |
| gear. Locomotives should be disassembled one at | | | | and stops in its tracks? Worn brushes are your |
| a time; this will be difficult, or at least tedious, | | | | likely culprit since the brushes are usually |
| your first few times, and there's chances of | | | | undergoing relatively more or less friction. |
| causing permanent damage. To ensure that you're | | | | In this case the best thing to do is replace the |
| doing the right thing you will need to check the | | | | brushes. Watch out for signs like stalling and |
| instruction sheet or manual. Find the diagram so | | | | stuttering. When these things happen, you almost |
| that you'll know exactly what to do, and read | | | | definitely have a problem with the brushes. Check |
| through it once or twice before you touch | | | | out your local model railway store and get the |
| anything. Trust me. | | | | appropriate brushes for your locomotive. Again, |
| If you have steam engines, look for the screw | | | | you should use the manual and follow the |
| under the dome, the stack, or the smokestack. | | | | instructions carefully. |
| You will also need to watch out for the tab and | | | | Proper maintenance of the locomotives is vital if |
| slots. Separating some of the parts of the | | | | you want all your models to last for the long haul |
| locomotive should be done gently and never (let | | | | - the long and heavy haul. A little investment of |
| me say that again; Never) exert force because | | | | time and effort can pay off more than one might |
| you'll wish you hadn't. It's much easier to open the | | | | assume. The number of times I've experienced |
| diesel engines because there's usually no screws | | | | that maxim is remarkable. |