cathoderays
New Member
Hi all, this is my first post on the site. I inherited my grandpa's G-Scale train set that we used to pull out every year for Christmas - it was stored in a humid environment before I got it and it seems that some of the LGB brass track and other metal parts are oxidized. The box was also thrown around quite a bit (unbeknownst to me) so a lot of the plastic pieces like the marker lights got broken. I've been working on fixing as much as I can.
I cleaned off the blackened surface of the brass track using 800 grit sandpaper on a block and then went over the track with clean towels soaked in 99% isopropyl to clean off any metal flakes or residue from sanding.
Testing the track with my own cheap Bachmann G-Scale set it works great, no issues with the locomotive running around the track without intervention, and it is able to come to a complete stop and start up again every time consistently without fail.
However, the Rogers / Aristo locomotive from my grandpa doesn't run nearly at all on the same track. It's the Rogers 2-4-2 shown here. I've cleaned the wheels as best as I can with 99% isopropyl and q-tips to get all of the carbon tracking and dirt off of them but it still doesn't run well. I've also cleaned the tips of the contact brushes that spring against the wheels, and replaced the worn out and rusty tension springs on the front and back power pickup wheels to ensure they were getting firm contact with the track.
The Rogers can't consistently make it around the track loop without stalling, and once it stops it won't move again without me nudging it along. It slows way down on curves and the stalls from power loss happen several times per track loop.
I don't have any experience fixing model trains but I do have an electronics repair background and have lots of different tools, lubricants/grease, cleaners, etc around for this kind of stuff. I just don't know what's safe to use on these locomotive wheels or how to diagnose the problem to a specific part of the locomotive. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I'm trying to get this puppy up and running for my 4 year old son to enjoy this Christmas season
Thanks all.
I cleaned off the blackened surface of the brass track using 800 grit sandpaper on a block and then went over the track with clean towels soaked in 99% isopropyl to clean off any metal flakes or residue from sanding.
Testing the track with my own cheap Bachmann G-Scale set it works great, no issues with the locomotive running around the track without intervention, and it is able to come to a complete stop and start up again every time consistently without fail.
However, the Rogers / Aristo locomotive from my grandpa doesn't run nearly at all on the same track. It's the Rogers 2-4-2 shown here. I've cleaned the wheels as best as I can with 99% isopropyl and q-tips to get all of the carbon tracking and dirt off of them but it still doesn't run well. I've also cleaned the tips of the contact brushes that spring against the wheels, and replaced the worn out and rusty tension springs on the front and back power pickup wheels to ensure they were getting firm contact with the track.
The Rogers can't consistently make it around the track loop without stalling, and once it stops it won't move again without me nudging it along. It slows way down on curves and the stalls from power loss happen several times per track loop.
I don't have any experience fixing model trains but I do have an electronics repair background and have lots of different tools, lubricants/grease, cleaners, etc around for this kind of stuff. I just don't know what's safe to use on these locomotive wheels or how to diagnose the problem to a specific part of the locomotive. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I'm trying to get this puppy up and running for my 4 year old son to enjoy this Christmas season
Thanks all.