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Periodic Maintenance of Your Rolling Stock
By Gary Nichols, Brandon, FL
Tampa Bay Division
( 12/2000 )As many garden railroaders have discovered over the years, storing or
running your trains outside means they eventually get a little dirty. The wheels get gunked up and the bodies get dinged up a little -- and some of the more fragile details like grab irons, strap steps and brake gear get bent, broken, or disappear in the garden.
Even with the luxury of an outdoor storage shed, my trains have gotten amazingly dirty in the last several years. Now some folks would call this "natural" weathering, but beyond a certain level of dust it just looks like dirt to me. And dirty cars in the rain take on an even nastier appearance if left to air-dry, nearly permanent hard-water spots in the paint. And don't get me started on roaches, spiders or geckos!
Years ago I "restored" my father's somewhat dinged up and dirty LGB starter set with a simple technique I would like to pass on to fellow GR fans. I suppose you could say there are two basic levels of maintenance, the first being just a good cleaning and lubrication. Beyond that you could add the repair or replacement of broken parts and perhaps even simple repainting.
In the case of a car that is just dirty, the first thing to do is to
dismantle it as much as possible. Remove the trucks, brake wheels / staffs, roof, doors, seats, windows, frame, etc., -- remove or dismantle virtually anything not cemented on. Then add some dish washing liquid, or car soap, to warm water in a 5 gallon bucket or big pan and soak everything except the fasteners for a few minutes. Then use a sponge to scrub all the parts lightly and rinse well. Repeat for the stubborn stuff. Towel try (especially any windows) and then let all the parts air dry overnight. It is also a good idea to remove the wheels from the trucks to ensure the ends of the axles get dry, or they might rust up in the journals. Before putting the car back together, be SURE to lubricate the axle journals or other moving parts, like knuckle couplers. Use a light oil on the journals and something like a powdered Teflon or graphite on the couplers (use sparingly to avoid getting this ultra-slippery stuff on your wheels or track later). You will be amazed at how effective this little bath is, the cars come out looking almost brand new.
Moving to the next level, I just "shopped" a few flat cars with pipe loads (USA Trains). But before starting I took a good look at them to see what was needed. Only one grab iron was missing but all three brake staffs and wheels were gone. In addition, many of the pipes were loose, as were a few of the cradles that held them in place. I planned to replace the brake wheels and staffs with Ozark castings and solid metal rod, all of which I had on hand. I save all those extra grab irons and small parts that come with new cars and had another USA Trains grab iron in the spare parts bin. The point being, of course, is that once you make the inventory you should try to acquire the needed parts before starting. Writing to the manufacturer is the best way to get them, and often there is no charge. I dismantled the cars completely and cleaned them up first. In addition to lubrication, all I had to do was drill holes for the brake gear, replace the grab iron and re-glue all the loose pipes. A little black paint on the new brake gear was all that was needed to spruce them up and get them back on the main line. In the case of my Father's train, I ordered a great deal of parts from LGB, like whistles, bells, door handles, railings, brake hoses, and even a new cow-catcher. LGB sent them all at no charge. I other situations I've
had to completely repaint big items, especially roofs, because of stains, discoloring or damage.
Now I've also heard of a few other "simple" car cleaning techniques, like putting the car in a dishwasher, but I'm not brave enough to try it. I also know a gent who just sets his cars on a siding, sprays them heavily with Windex and lets them "soak" for awhile, and rinses them off using the shower setting on his garden hose sprayer. But he never dries them and you'd be amazed at the sound of all those squeaky journals! (But it is effective on plastic building kits that are left outdoors. This mystery "windexer" keeps an eye out on the weather and then runs out and sprays all his buildings with Windex before it rains, getting a free rinse from Mother Nature.) To each his own, I guess, but the warm, soapy water bath works best for me--- and will have your cars looking as spiffy as ever if you give it a try.Gary Nichols
