Maintaining engines

I don't have any steamers, but here is a link for Lionel trains. I think this one is mostly for postwar trains, but probably a lot of it would still apply to the more modern ones. One difference is the motors, modern trains use mostly can motors.

Maintaining Your Lionel Trains

On my diesels, I lightly oil the axles, exposed gears and other moving parts under the engine like the pick up rollers. I use Red & Tacky for the gear boxes. I have only MTH and a couple of Lionel command control diesels. I use Labelle oils (it's what my LHS carries) and Red & Tacky grease. There are also Excelle lubricants available from forum sponsor JT's Mega Steam. I believe they even have a lubrication kit containing an assortment of their products.

Maybe others will be along with more info on the steamers.

You'll need to get some hobby oil and grease. Many recommendations will be coming your way. Lightly oil the axle bearings and lightly grease any gearing.

Rod Miller

"You'll need to get some hobby oil and grease. Many recommendations will be coming your way. Lightly oil the axle bearings and lightly grease any gearing."

All true - plus oil the rods and valve gear on steamers. Also, if the gearbox(es) are accessible (on a brass steamer they usually are), turn loco over, remove the gearbox cover and grease - every so often. Say every 50 - 100 hours of service. For most of us that's a long time. 

- a good grease is automotive axle grease from an auto parts store

- a good oil is 3-in-1

The "specialty lubricants"...I've never been convinced of their superiority, and axle grease/3-in-1 are as good as it gets.

I'm sure someone will have an instructions copy of this or a similar brass steamer to send you.  

Red 'n Tacky #2 is hard to beat for a gear grease.  Any light oil works on axles.

Beware plastic gears and automotive lubricants--they are not necessarily compatible.