Engines making noises

[dheaton]

I have a bunch of train stuff that my dad gave to me before he passed away.  When I run the engines they make squeeling noises.  Do they need to be oiled or anything periodically? Is there some kind of maintenance I should do on these?  They have been sitting around for awhile.  Any help or tips are appreciated.

[Jim Banner]

Lack of lubrication is a common cause of squealing.  Model locomotives need oiling and greasing with plastic compatible oil about every 50 hours of operation and after a couple of years in storage even if they have not been used.  Plastic compatible oils and greases are available online and from your local hobby shop.

Jim

[dheaton]

Thanks Jim I appreciate the reply.  I took a bran new one out of the box and it ran fine for about 3 min then started to go more slowly.  It started to run with a jerking motion.  I assume that could be from lack of use as well.  They have been in storage for about 6 years.

[railsider]

Another thought:  after long storage, the lube may have congealed and become thick. A good cleaning with TV tuner-cleaning spray first might be good, then add fresh lube.

Always be sure to use model-train lube marked "plastic compatible" and don't over-oil stuff. Run your engine for at least several minutes after you lube it to spread the stuff around.

[Doneldon]

d' heat-

I would hazzard a guess that most of the noise and perfomance issues you are seeing are related to lubrication but there is a likely contributing problem. Equipment older that the last 10 - 12 years may have open-frame motors which are noisier and much less smooth than more recent enclosed can motors which often have more poles on the armature and permanently lubricated internal bearings. That's something you may want to look into if the train bug bites and you decide to stay with the hobby.

                                                                             -- D