Breaking-In....

[normblitch]

I will be needing to break-in several HO DC locos prior to converting them to DCC... they have never been run, and I am building a small figure-8 (or Oval/Dogbone) for continous running and DC use only...

Several manufacturers represented; Athern, Proto, Kato, Atlas, etc... are there any GENERAL guidelines for basic running-in of new Motive Power (Diesel only)??

Thanks!
Norm

 

[UP2CSX]

Here's what I do:

1. Take off the shell and inspect the factory lubrication. It's usually non-existent or way over lubed. In either case, I clean things up with alcohol and lube the gears with Labelle's Lithium grease and lubricate the drivetrain with Labelle #107 light oil. I've recently started to use automatic transmission fluid for this and get consistently better results so I think that's going to be my new standard. You need very little lubrication in any one place - no more than will fit on the tip of a toothpick.

2. Check the trucks with a gauge to make sure they are all in gauge and equally spaced on their axles.

3. Run the loco slowly for few loops and look for anything that's noisy or obviously not running smoothly. Find out where the problem is and fix it now. It will drive you crazy if you don't.

4. Put the shell back on (or you may want to leave them off if you're going to do a direct conversion to DCC) and run the engine for about 15 minutes at the slowest speed it will keep moving forward. The next fifteen minutes, I run it about the fastest speed that the prototype would have run. Check the engine frequently for any signs of overheating. For the last half hour, just run it on the loop and vary the speed every five minutes or so. Doesn't really matter how you do it as long as you vary the speed.

This has worked for me for forty years or so. I have tow BB Athearn F units that I took out of storage after 25 years of sitting in the box. They needed a little gear lube but nothing else and they both ran as well as when I last put them in the box. I don't really know if that's due to my break-in methods but I figure they don't hurt.