Have some issues with engines I don't run very often. It looks like the wheels are getting dirty and I think this would cause connection problems on the negative power side. So... Does anyone clean their wheels and how.
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I use a single sheet of paper towel sprinkled with some rubbing alcohol and placed on the track. I then power up the engine and advance it until one truck is on the alcohol/towel. I hold the engine from moving with my hand as I spin the wheels for maybe 15-20 second and then repeat this same method to do the opposite end truck. Wheels come out clean and performance is again excellent. My locomotives are 2 rail. I don't know if this method would work with three rail engines.
Bob
Why don't you clean the wheels and see if it solves the problem?
YEs
part of basic maintenance. I use Q-Tips dipped in denatured alcohol, or electronic contact cleaner.
If there aren't any traction tires, I scrape any accumulation of gunk away, and finish with qtips dipped in mineral spirits.
I don't always use the same tools as a scraper. A sharpened popsicle stick seems to work well without scratching the wheel. But they don't last long.
I place a loco upside down in a foam cradle so that its wheels are readily accessible and both hands are free for the wheel cleaning task. Using a nearby Lionel 1033 transformer, I attach one end of a red alligator clip to the transformer TRACK POWER post and the other end to the loco's pick-up roller; then attach one end of a black alligator clip to the GROUND transformer post and the other end to any grounded part of the loco. Raise the throttle so that the wheels spin. I let the locos own motor do the work!
I dip a Q-tip in 91% Isopropyl alcohol and apply it to a wheel tread and its flange - presto, the black gunk comes off. Repeat as many times as necessary to achieve a clean Q-tip. The wheel(s) with a traction tire will tend to rub off more black (some from the rubber tire) on the Q-tips. Remember to also clean the pick-up rollers.
The cradle can be used for cleaning the wheels of rolling stock, but the wheels must be turned by hand. Some hobbyists use a Dremel tool with a rubber roller in the chuck to spin the wheels at an appropriate speed, but I'm not that handy using a tool spinning at 4K RPM.
Then clean the track. Clean wheels riding on dirty track will soon pick up dirt, grime, and gunk from the track. I couple-up a track cleaning car to a loco for that task. The two angled-offset foam rollers of that car do a great job with GOO BE GONE applied to the foam of the front roller; the following roller absorbs excess fluid. When done, I remove both rollers and wash them with soap & water, then let them dry so they'll be ready for another 1000 scale miles!
Probably too many locos get blamed for poor performance when the underlying problem is dirty track and/or dirty wheels. If you haven't cleaned wheels and track for a while, the cleaning task is like penance for the sin of neglect. The reward is great-running trains!
Mike
Same as Mike Mottler except I use denatured alcohol go clean the wheels AND the track. And while I clean, I also lubricate.
Mike Mottler, This was my first thought for cleaning the wheels. I use a magic erasure car I built to clean the track, Works ok..needs a little modifying. The track cleaning is what made me think of the wheels.
Thanks everyone.
I use q tips dipped in Acetone to clean the wheels and rollers and the Dremel with the wire wheel to turn the rollers.
Mikey
Mike H Mottler posted:I place a loco upside down in a foam cradle so that its wheels are readily accessible and both hands are free for the wheel cleaning task. Using a nearby Lionel 1033 transformer, I attach one end of a red alligator clip to the transformer TRACK POWER post and the other end to the loco's pick-up roller; then attach one end of a black alligator clip to the GROUND transformer post and the other end to any grounded part of the loco. Raise the throttle so that the wheels spin. I let the locos own motor do the work!
I dip a Q-tip in 91% Isopropyl alcohol and apply it to a wheel tread and its flange - presto, the black gunk comes off.
Hmmm, yeah. I did that to one of my diesels and the doggone Q-tip made a break for it, but instead of running away, it ran down in the gear train and brought everything to a very sudden halt. So sudden in fact, that it stripped the plastic worm gear on one side - just broke a big chunk right out of it. That was a heart breaker! So after many hours and dollars, I acquired all the tools and parts needed to safely remove the broken gear and put a new one on. Good as new, but I could have done without all the drama! On the plus side, I learned how to do some new stuff!
Be very careful if you stick anything (Q-tip, rag, toothbrush, screwdriver blade, etc.) near the spinning gears!!!
George
flanger posted:I use a single sheet of paper towel sprinkled with some rubbing alcohol and placed on the track. I then power up the engine and advance it until one truck is on the alcohol/towel. I hold the engine from moving with my hand as I spin the wheels for maybe 15-20 second and then repeat this same method to do the opposite end truck. Wheels come out clean and performance is again excellent. My locomotives are 2 rail. I don't know if this method would work with three rail engines.
Bob
This method is harder to do with 3-rail engines because the towel insulates the rollers from the third rail. I have tried it without much success. It works fine with 2-rail engines because most of the wheels pickup power. I use it for all my HO engines.
I have found that some engines will not run at all unless the rollers and wheels are clean.
I use the the foam cradle and upside down engine and Q-tips with 91% isopropyl alcohol as mentioned by other posters for my 3-rail engines. You do have to keep the Q-tips away from the gears.
NH Joe
Like Mike I put the engine upside down in a cradle and run it at low speed while using turpentine or WD-40 on a felt wheel in my Dremel tool. Been cleaning them that way for at least 40 yrs w/o a problem.
I'll have to check my Dremel kit, see if I have any felt wheels. Good tips everyone.
L.I.TRAIN posted:YEs
part of basic maintenance. I use Q-Tips dipped in denatured alcohol, or electronic contact cleaner.
As most of my train operation is on the TMB club layout which gets A LOT run time, so the tracks get dirty fast, which in turn amplifies the effort I need in cleaning wheels.
Getting a Q-Tip near the gears while cleaning the wheels is a mistake you will only do once. On command engines you have to remove the shell and rotate the fly-wheel backwards by hand to get the fibers out.
I still prefer the upside down in cradle with the wheels turning method described above. I use denatured alcohol with Q-Tips.
For the track I use my fleet of homemade track cleaning cars which have been mentioned on the forum many times. I have about 250 satisfied customers of my free instructions, photos, and drawing.
Dennis
New Haven Joe posted:I have found that some engines will not run at all unless the rollers and wheels are clean.
Yes, this. Some locomotives are extremely picky about clean wheels, rollers and track. My Lionel NYC S1 electric is one of them. Everything's got to be surgically clean, or it will stall.
Since I've been back in O Gauge (15 years or so), I've probably cleaned engine wheels once. I DO clean the track regularly when switching out trains but otherwise, I do no wheel cleaning.
I had a locomotive stuttering on corners and different parts and knew I had dirty track/wheels. Got home from work today cleaned the wheels with 91% rubbing alcohol/q tips and sent my track cleaning train in action and...........
SMOOTH STEADY ACTION WITH STEADY VOLTAGE RUNNING!
Amazing what clean wheels can do for a layout
I’m interested as well. I’ve experimented with a few different designs but always looking for new and improved ways!
