[Dadd]

At the risk of wearing out my welcome I have another question. Having just discovered the benefits of cleaning my loco wheels I am wondering if it is advisable to put a drop of Peco Electrolube ( or similar) onto the back face of the wheels where the power pickups rub against the wheel.
Although performance is vastly more reliable now everything is clean will the contacts wear rapidly if everything is dry?
Thanks (again) in anticipation of more good advice.
Glenn.

 

[Brian Considine]

Don't worry about "wearing out your welcome" at all.

At the risk of upsetting some of the P fans I would not touch electrolube at all - IMHO it is a horrible "gunk" that gets everywhere. If you must use it then just the tinyist smidgin. (Or you could try WD40 - just spray a tiny bit onto a cotton bud & apply with the bud - I do use WD40 on my LGB garden railway.)

I don't use anything on pickups. They should be adjusted so that they just make decent contact - this way (provided they are made of a decent material) they will not wear out. Worn out pick ups are a sign of them being adjusted incorrectly.

On the subject of other lubrication I duggest you just use the tiniest amounts where required. You can buy specialist oils, but if not available a very light machine oil (not 3-in one) will do the job.

Hope this helps. (Sit's back & waits for the flames e.g. "I've always used Electrolube/3-in one with no problems")

 

[ironduke]

Pickups ought to keep themselves fairly clean just with regular running.

I've done the WD40 and cotton bud thing myself, it seems to be the only way to keep my old Triang Hall Class's steamroller wheels clean.

 

[Dadd]

Thanks for that. I like the WD40 and cotton bud idea a lot. For general lubrication I have a bottle of model oil which has a long metal needle like spout which makes it easy to dispense just the tiniest drop.

Glenn.

 

[Ozzie21]

Definitely don't put anything on the wipers especially Eletro Lube. Horrible stuff that attracts rubbish like a magnet. Bearings should be oiled but very sparingly. Apply the oil from the inside face of the bearing and capillary attraction will take care of the rest. Don't oil the front of the bearing between the wheel and the bearing as it will just throw off and cover the back of the wheel attracting dust. Motor bearings need oiling as well but use an oil specifically designed for motor bearings. I use Aero tect ACT-2002 bearing oil for motor bearings, Labelle 107 for wheel bearings, Labelle 102 for enclosed gearboxes and Valvoline CT22-R Lithium grease for open gearboxes or Labelle 106 as the Vavoline stuff is no longer made. Remember apply sparingly.

Ozzie21

QUOTE (Dadd @ 26 Jan 2007, 10:52) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>At the risk of wearing out my welcome I have another question. Having just discovered the benefits of cleaning my loco wheels I am wondering if it is advisable to put a drop of Peco Electrolube ( or similar) onto the back face of the wheels where the power pickups rub against the wheel.
Although performance is vastly more reliable now everything is clean will the contacts wear rapidly if everything is dry?
Thanks (again) in anticipation of more good advice.
Glenn.