Can I use Lionel Gear Lube and Grease for my HO Scale Atlas Alco S2 Loco?


G

GuilfordRailman

Well-Known Member
Question says it all. I want to grease and lube my Alco S2 locomotive but I wasn’t sure if I could use some Lionel gear lube and oil that I have already or if I should purchase something different.
 
GuilfordRailman said:
Question says it all. I want to grease and lube my Alco S2 locomotive but I wasn’t sure if I could use some Lionel gear lube and oil that I have already or if I should purchase something different.
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I don't see any reason why you couldn't. This is purely a guess though.

Its made for lubing trains, just made by a MFG of a different scale.

Maybe an O gauger will come along and hive us a definitive answer.
 
Some of the Lionel lubes are kind of thick to use on HO stuff. If the lube seems really thick and heavy, it would probably be best to not use it, since you don't want the motor to have to work extra hard just to overcome the viscosity of the lube.
 
If you want something inexpensive, good quality, plastic compatible, and thin enough to not cause a problem just by being what it is, I use Mobil 1 5w20 motor oil. It's $6 a quart, you can put 1 ounce in a small bottle with an applicator tip, and use the other 31 ounces in your car. And have a decade-long supply of oil for your trains. The newer synthetic oils, especially M-1, have to be plastic compatible due to all the plastic components in modern engines.
 
bnsf971 said:
Some of the Lionel lubes are kind of thick to use on HO stuff. If the lube seems really thick and heavy, it would probably be best to not use it, since you don't want the motor to have to work extra hard just to overcome the viscosity of the lube.
Click to expand...
Terry, have you used these?
1696955459113.png

I've never used them on HO equipment, but I have used them on O. I got two kits for free with expansion packs. I used them, they seemed fine to me for O.

I avoid the older Lionel lubes. The old grease hardens. When it hardens it can cause the locomotive to seize.

I use these lubes now.
1696958033465.png

1696956161850.png


Any thoughts?
 
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bnsf971 said:
Some of the Lionel lubes are kind of thick to use on HO stuff. If the lube seems really thick and heavy, it would probably be best to not use it, since you don't want the motor to have to work extra hard just to overcome the viscosity of the lube.
Click to expand...
bnsf971 said:
If you want something inexpensive, good quality, plastic compatible, and thin enough to not cause a problem just by being what it is, I use Mobil 1 5w20 motor oil. It's $6 a quart, you can put 1 ounce in a small bottle with an applicator tip, and use the other 31 ounces in your car. And have a decade-long supply of oil for your trains. The newer synthetic oils, especially M-1, have to be plastic compatible due to all the plastic components in modern engines.
Click to expand...
Agreed. As a matter of fact, anymore I'm thinking that there is little-to-no need for grease at all on HO and N-scale locos. As the gears are mostly engineered plastic of some sort or other, just a few light drops of oil on the gear teeth and all rotating surfaces should actually last quite a while. Even brass worm gears turning plastic spur gears will tend to hold a light film of oil on themselves almost, if not equally, as good as a dab of grease. Plus, in using a light oil for everything, there will be less drag for the small electric motor to overcome as opposed to turning gears lubed with a higher viscosity grease. I could be wrong on this idea, but if someone would care to test it sometime and report back with their findings, I'm sure a lot of us would be much obliged.

Lionel and other O-gauge brands are a different animal, of course. There's a lot more metal-on-metal gearing in most of these locos, so a sticky, high viscosity gear grease is virtually mandatory for servicing and maintaining the gears in these beasts.
 
Bruette said:
Terry, have you used these?
View attachment 175202
I've never used them on HO equipment, but I have used them on O. I got two kits for free with expansion packs. I used them, they seemed fine to me for O.

I avoid the older Lionel lubes. The old grease hardens. When it hardens it can cause the locomotive to seize.

I use these lubes now.
View attachment 175207
View attachment 175205

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
For Lionel stuff, the service pack contents work well. For the smaller scales, the super lube should work without a problem.
 
bnsf971 said:
If you want something inexpensive, good quality, plastic compatible, and thin enough to not cause a problem just by being what it is, I use Mobil 1 5w20 motor oil. It's $6 a quart, you can put 1 ounce in a small bottle with an applicator tip, and use the other 31 ounces in your car. And have a decade-long supply of oil for your trains. The newer synthetic oils, especially M-1, have to be plastic compatible due to all the plastic components in modern engines.
Click to expand...
I didn’t know I could use motor oil! That’s good to know, thanks!
 
Bruette said:
Terry, have you used these?
View attachment 175202
I've never used them on HO equipment, but I have used them on O. I got two kits for free with expansion packs. I used them, they seemed fine to me for O.

I avoid the older Lionel lubes. The old grease hardens. When it hardens it can cause the locomotive to seize.

I use these lubes now.
View attachment 175207
View attachment 175205

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Super Lube seems to be a common choice for modelers. I’ll have to look into it. Thanks!
 
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