lubrication for locomotives

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brubakes

brubakes

Member
What is the proper lubrication for proto locomotives? Where are the proper places to apply said lubrication? I have a GP7 and SD9 that I think could use some.
 
Proto Lubrication

Hope this helps it is right from the horse's mouth so to say :)





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If i recall the proto engine are exactly like athearns. At least mine from the early 90s are. Well my Athearns have been in dire need of a lube job, so I got Hob-E-Lube, its safe and doesn't attack plastic. I guess Woodland Scenics makes it. I cleaned copper flywheel where the brushes run leave a black marks. I can't remember what that is actually call, but i used rubbing achohal and cuetip. Then used a shot of the oil under the trucks and the gear housing and the things run like brand spanking new.
 
Kennedy, yes we did. I've been using it in place of LaBelle light oil and it makes a noticeable improvement in the starting quailities and overall sounds level in my less expensive Bachman DCC equiped models. Had a 70 tonner that was both noisy and had a pretty high starting speed and it will now crawl at about 3 scale mph and it doesn't sound like blender any longer. Since I paid 99 cents for the ATF, I figure I have enough that my great grandchildren will still have enough to lube whatever's still running in about 2050. :D
 
All I know I just a drop will do. We put a little extra on one time and the engine couldn't even get make it around the track and it must have took a week to get it all cleaned and dried up.
 
Well, Jim, I'm going to paraphrase your experience with ATF if the topic ever comes up elsewhere. Glad we have some evidence, anecdotal as it might be....

:D

Kennedy
 


brubakes said:
What is the proper lubrication for proto locomotives? Where are the proper places to apply said lubrication? I have a GP7 and SD9 that I think could use some.
Click to expand...

The first thing you need to do with a Proto - especially an older one - is take the whole thing apart and clean out all of the nasty factory lubricant, which is sort of this sticky peanut-butter like stuff. It's sort of a tan-grayish color and very tenacious - it will take some serious scrubbing to get it off all the gears and gearboxes but it's worth the trouble. The stuff doesn't even want to dissolve in solvents like alcohol or lighter fluid - reminds me of dental pressure paste... ick.

Not every P2K has peanut butter; some have more of a clear grease like vaseline which oozes out all over the place. A little easier to clean up but still should be removed.

Once you get it all cleaned up, you can re-lube with some good stuff. I use LaBelle 106 teflon grease on the gears, and 102 or 107 oil on the bearings.

Andy
 
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