A few questions regarding tinplate care

Ok here's another pic showing where the bar is rubbing on the tender causing the paint to be scraped off.

That is normal wear. The only way to avoid it is not to run it.

Put a drop of oil on all moving parts, I'm not sure about Ives but I assume it's the same setup as Lionel where the wheels are hollow, so they need a drop of oil on both sides to be lubricated properly.

If the axle pops out just bend the truck in a tad so it doesn't do that anymore, it's just a sheet of tin.

I don't own any MTH repros, but from what I've seen/heard the quality of them isn't anything amazing. I've heard countless stories of them arriving with scratched or chipped paint, sometimes it's been touched up but is still noticeable. There is some slight wear on my original Lionel cars, but that's over the course of 70-90 years, not less than a month and still not as severe as what you show. I really doubt anyone will notice the paint loss though.

Zett,

   Put some Red & Tack on the Tin instead of the fine oil, it makes a great deal of difference.

The coupler rubbing can be mostly eliminated by bending the coupler up just a little on each piece of rolling stock, to just separate the metal surfaces. 

PCRR/Dave

Zett,

Dave is right on the money. I've been using Red-N-Tacky on all of my vintage prewar for more than thirty-years. It is the only thing that stays where you put it.

I think Axel is a member of a rock band.  It is an axle.

Granted, this forum is not a bastion of punctuality and correct spelling, nor is it meant to be, but that one just bugs me. I point this out only as a friendly forum member.  Ok, I'm a geek and do too many crosswords.  Cheers.

Could also be the face of the wheels touching the tabs on the bearing covers.

I had the rubbing issue on a newer Lionel set as well. I put a small piece of electrical tale cut small on the bottom side of the coupler. This minimizes the paint wear. The turtle wax cleaner wax also helps minimize scuffs, etc..

Oil all wheels and axles, and add small amount white grease the gear(s). MTH recommends this on all items right out of the box.

Good Luck,

JoeG