Grease

Red-n-Tacky I like it

It's all I use.

 

When your LaBelle 108 empties, top it off with Mobil 1.

hello guys and gals.........

 

I use Red & Tacky #2 in mine Sunset 3rd S.F. 5011 engine, made it even smoother runner.

 

the woman who loves the S.F. 5011

Tiffany

I use the Red & Tacky also, for all sorts of gear boxes. I use X-L Lubricants for all other train related oil/grease requirements. 

Red-n-Tacky all the way.

I always love this topic. As someone in PM, I could never understand why a water resistant industrial grease with anti-seize needs to be used on a model train.

 

All you need is something for modeling purposes..not a heavy packing grease for 18 wheeler axle bearings.

 

For plastic to plastic gears, Tamiya R/C Ceramic or Cera HG grease. For metal to metal gears, try Tamiya Molybednum grease.

 

The gear material, speeds, pressures, temp., etc. that these greases have been engineered for, is identical to our O gauge trains.

 

For oil, the synthetic Liquid Bearings found on eBay is exceptional product.

 

 I think the bigest advantage of Red and Tacky is the Tacky part. Oil and lighter grease have a tentency to be thrown off the gears and onto the track. This can be a problem when lighter grease such as Label is used on the spur gears of Lionel steam engines and the exposed gears of diesel engine power trucks. We all know that grease and oil thrown onto the track builds up over time. in addition to dirty track grease and oil on the tracks causes the "ring of crud" on the wheels of engines and rollong stock.

 

Thanks,

Richard 

I agree.  Second is its longevity for storage purposes - it won't cake up or solidify.

 

We really don't need an Extreme HP grease for trains... the rest of the package is just bonus material, especially the very low price per use.  And that adds up if you have 100, 200, 300+ locomotives to keep maintained.  Don't flame that number - I think you'd be shocked at how many of the 10,000 forum members here are toting over 100 powered units.

I think you'd be shocked at how many of the 10,000 forum members here are toting over 100 powered units.

Hoppe's No 9 lubricating oil and Gun Grease!  Works great for fishing gear and guns, why not trains?  Love the needle applicator on the oil bottle, and I lube the moving metal on metal parts with gun grease, like coupler mounts and such. 

Here's another vote for Red & Tacky.  I also use it on my machines and the windmill.  Just a couple of dabs using a toothepick and run the engine slow to spread the grease and it is good to go.  As others have said, it stays where you put it and doesn't get flung all over. 

I bought a syringe with a curved plastic tip at a LHS and it works perfectly for storing and applying Red-n-Tacky in precise, controlled amounts. I recently bought an MTH Pennsy sharknose AB unit off of eBay. It had very low milage on it so I ran it a bit before doing any maintenance on it. I oiled the axles with Labelle and greased the gears with Red-n-Tacky. It ran noticeably smoother and quieter after that. I love the stuff. Lucas Oil products in general are great. I use their fuel injector cleaner in my F150 with very good results.

I just use white lithium grease out of a tub.  Sometimes I'll use a gun grease (I think I currently have Shooter's Choice, but it's a little thin).

 

For you guys that fill your own syringes, how do you pack them so they don't get bubble/air pockets?

I've been using Lucas Red-n-Tacky #2 along with Lucas Gun Oil for a number of years. Their Gun Oil has the same sticky quality.

I packed my syringe with small amounts of grease at a time. This helped keep air bubbles from forming. Also, I would partially block the tip a press the plunger down to create pressure in the cylinder to help compress the grease even more.

Another Happy user of Red N Tacky #2

Stays where you put it, won't harden up over time and is low cost.

How often to you guys grease your engines with Red n Tacky?  I thought I read on one of my Legacy instruction sheets that you should do it every 20 hours or so.?  I have been just applying a small amount each season since I just run them at Christmas time.  I run them a couple of hours a day b/w November 28ish - the second week of January.

 

Thanks.

I used to use white lithium grease and LaBelle oil.  But recently I switched to 5w-30 Mobil 1 for oil, and I've been very happy with it.

 

As for grease, I bought a tube of molybdenum disulfide grease for the gearbox of my 783 Hudson, and the improvement was so striking and noticeable that I tried it on my #18309 Reading FM Trainmaster.  Again there was an instant improvement in running quality.  I will probably start using it on the rest of my locomotives as well.

 

 

I typically use Labelle 106 grease. I have some Lucas Oil Red N Tacky, loaded into a syringe. I do use it on occasion.

As I think about it, I think the Lucas product has a stronger odor, and I have some concerns about it staining (Although I guess the Labelle product might stain too)

I would be a little careful re the use of Mobil I. This is a high detergency oil with a high base number (so the acidic products of combustion from an auto engine do not degrade it quickly, requiring an oil change to keep the oil "sweet".) Most recent auto oils have sufficient detergency that you can actually wash your hands with them to clean greasy hands. These additives may be good or "not so good", long term, for the gears and bearings used in model trains. I use labelle, including the PFE grease with Teflon, with good success.

Do not interpret this post as criticizing Mobil I. I use it in both of our autos. It is clearly head and shoulders better than conventional refined petroleum stock. I just do not know enough about the additives used in it re its use for model trains, especially those with non metal gearing.

I use Labelle 107 oil and Bosch purple grease. The Bosch product usually lasts between 5 and 10 years depending on how much a given engine gets run.

jackson

This is what I use on my locomotives.  I don't run my trains hard or that much over the year and I do lube/maintenance on them at least once a year.  I have found that the grease on gears and in gear boxes are just fine.

 

I can see where red and tacky might be an advantage if storing engines for a long time or if one runs them for a great length of time.....i.e.,,club or larger layouts.  I believe there is a place for both of them.  The key is to grease and oil the engines....period.  So many members seem to run new engines right out of the box and just do the minimum wheel bushing lube. 

 

I think the manufacturers should have available a more in-depth disassembly and lubricating instructions for engines if the owner wants to go into the maintenance that far.  I think the only instructions in operator manuals is for a very limited lube.  I have run into the problem in wanting to lube my Lionel FT power unit.

 

Not all of us are model train repair trained.

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

I just read this about 2 hr ago,in a MTH Manual:

 

 

"Maintenance
The engine should be well oiled and greased in order to run properly.
Regularly lubricate all axles and linkage components and pickup rollers to prevent
squeaking. Use light household oil, such as that found in M.T.H.'s
maintenance kit. Do not over oil. Use only a drop or two on each
pivot point. DO NOT
OVER OIL

The locomotive’s internal gearing was greased at the factory and should not need
additional grease until after 50 hours of operation or one year, whichever comes first.
Follow the greasing instructions below. Note that in some tightly packed engines you
may need to move internal components temporarily in order to access the gears."

There is another thread discussing cracking plastic gears on some Modern Era locomotives. As Hudson5432 wrote, could using the wrong lubricants have be a long term effect on our trains?

Here is one short article on lubricating plastic gears. Apparently some lubricants will have bad effects on plastic.

Whatever comes in the MTH kit, its red.

Working fine for me since 2000

quote:

DO NOT OVER OIL

A lot of the repairs I've done were related to over lubrication, or putting oil / grease where it didn't belong.

I agree with CW.  I've repaired engines that were totally sprayed with WD-40.  What a mess.  Also e-units covered in oil.  Too many brushes that are stuck in their tubes.  Oil and lube everywhere but where it needs to be.

People vastly overcomplicate maintenance.  Mostly, such a tendency is the result of the maxim a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  I see the same thing with automobiles -- second guessing the manufacturer's service recommendations.  There are whole forums where people will endlessly argue about, for example, engine oil.  Such discussions yield little useful information.

 

Follow what the manufacturer says, in terms of type of grease / oil and in terms of when to apply, and in what quantity. 

 

And if following the manufacturer's instructions leads to bad results -- this is first-hand evidence that the manufacturer is incompetent -- then the answer is not to second guess the manufacturer but simply to not buy the product.  That will provide the manufacturer with the necessary incentives to correct its advice regarding maintenance.

Larry;

I follow the MTH rules, 50 hours or a year.

However, I have yet to need to re-apply Red N Tacky #2. I do check tho.

I've been using it going on 3 years now.

The first engine lubed with it has yet to need more lube.

I'm sure it eventually will need cleaned and replaced just to get rid of contaminants.

Making note to self that now is a good time, As I rebuild the Layout I can do each engine as I unpack them. This way I won't miss one.

Great to see another Tamiya man here.  The best part about all their greases is they are safe for plastics.  You definitely cannot say that about industrial products.  Get them off ebay or maybe TamiyaUSA.com

 

Tamiya Moly Grease 87022 ~$3.00

 

Tamiya Ceramic Grease 87099 ~$4.00

Originally Posted by LS1Heli:

You're looking at it all wrong.  It's not that you need to use the Lucas on a model train, instead, you are able to use it on a model train... with great benefit, extremely low cost, and it's easy to acquire.

And, as has been stated above....

Do not over oil.

(If grease is "flying off of your gears"....you are most likely using too much, and/or applying it in the wrong places!)