# clean & lube 60 year old train engines



## marksidehill

i'm new here. i have several old train sets from the 40's & 50's. i know the engines would run if i just cleaned them. what do you recommend for cleaning & lubing.

all info is greatly appreciated. i'm hoping to list them on ebay this coming holiday season.

thank you very much

mark


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## Bob V

marksidehill said:


> i'm new here. i have several old train sets from the 40's & 50's. i know the engines would run if i just cleaned them. what do you recommend for cleaning & lubing.
> 
> all info is greatly appreciated. i'm hoping to list them on ebay this coming holiday season.
> 
> thank you very much
> 
> mark


WD-40 works well to remove old grease that may have hardened on the drive train. You can use 20 weight oil or 3 in 1 oil to lubericate the moving engine parts such as gears, motor shafts and axles. Hope this helps...


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## binskyhere

*Cleaning cars.......*

What is the best cleaning solution for cleaning cars? Can I use water with a little dish detergent or is this not recommened?

Thanks,
Eddie


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## Bob V

binskyhere said:


> What is the best cleaning solution for cleaning cars? Can I use water with a little dish detergent or is this not recommened?
> 
> Thanks,
> Eddie


Hi Eddie...You are right on track. Use dish detergent with water and a soft old tooth brush. The tooth brush works great to get in all the little cracks. Then rinse it of with clean water. Then use WD-40 to coat all the metal parts so that they do not rust or oxidize. Spraying WD-40 on the plastic parts will not hurt them and will give them a like new shine. Happy Cleaning.....Bob


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## Stan kolak

*cleaning engines*

White lubricate grease is also good for the gears, especially plastic. Car manu. used this on car doors. Use a light oil, NON-DETERGENT, such as 3 & 1. Detergrent oils could soften some plastic parts.


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## Stan kolak

*cleaning cars*

al ll the methods here are good. If the cars have the orig. baked on enamal paint, all is OK. If someone hand painted latex over them, some may rub off.


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## Rideauwrangler

So would the consensus be the most effective and safe way to clean Lionle Engines is dish detergent with water and a little WD40?


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## Boston&Maine

Rideauwrangler said:


> So would the consensus be the most effective and safe way to clean Lionle Engines is dish detergent with water and a little WD40?


You would probably want to take the engine out of the frame first and then wash the frame in dish detergent and water... As far as the motor goes, all the gears will need grease and then all the axles, bearings, pickup rollers, etcetera need an oil lube, I guess you could use WD40 for this part...


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## Lownen

I think what Boston&Maine is getting at is, you usually want to dismantle a locomotive to clean it. Dish detergent and water are fine for the shell, and for un-powered cars, but the mechanism is a totally different matter.


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## Rideauwrangler

I think I'd be affraid to take these things apart; I simply want to make them a little more presentable for sale because as is everything looks in poor condition but it's just dust.


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## sptrains.com

If you're afraid to take them apart, I'd suggest listing them dusty. There is always the chance that you'll do more damage to the item than it's worth. It's like how you hear on the Antiques roadshow, "if this item wasn't refinished it would be worth $10,000 but since it was, it's worth $1000.00. 

You might not get absolutely top dollar by not cleaning them, but if while cleaning them you remove decals or cause extra wear, that will hurt you even more. The people in the market for these items, know what to look for and how to properly restore them.


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## Rideauwrangler

sptrains.com said:


> If you're afraid to take them apart, I'd suggest listing them dusty. There is always the chance that you'll do more damage to the item than it's worth. It's like how you hear on the Antiques roadshow, "if this item wasn't refinished it would be worth $10,000 but since it was, it's worth $1000.00.
> 
> You might not get absolutely top dollar by not cleaning them, but if while cleaning them you remove decals or cause extra where, that will hurt you even more. The people in the market for these items, know what to look for and how to properly restore them.



Right on; thanks for the advice!


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## Lownen

Rideauwrangler said:


> I think I'd be affraid to take these things apart; I simply want to make them a little more presentable for sale because as is everything looks in poor condition but it's just dust.


Sponge the shells carefully with warm water and dish liquid detergent. Then sponge them again with only clear water.


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## Boston&Maine

Maybe you could go to Staples and get a can of compressed air and blow some of the loose dust off :dunno:


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## JCS

*Like as is*

I like the train you pictured as it is. It looks like it is old.


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## MacDaddy55

*Old & Grey.....will run someday!*

Hey guys,
The fun part of purchasing stuff on Ebay is the chance to refurbish, remodel, kitbash, repair something that you want real bad( One mans trash is another mans treasure). I recently purchased a Mantua 2-8-2 Mikado with a cast shell that hadn't seen the sun for 20 years. The gentlemen said it really pulled/hauled the freight and ran like a dream....20yrs ago. I carefully dismantled the engine, cleaned the body & tender, checked the drive wheels for electrical contact, greased the axles,gears and especially the old worm drive motor with 3-1 lite weight oil. Boy does she haul now. That is the fun of this hobby and why we enjoy it so much. So, yeah sell in its original condition and happy Ebaying. Thanks I hope this helped!


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## Boston&Maine

Yea, it can be really fun to go deal hunting on eBay... Cleaning up and old engine and giving it new life is a fun thing to do...


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## toasty

i bought some old used brass track on ebay, whats the best way to clean?


can i simply put it in a tub of soap and water? then let dry? 
maybe spray WD40 after dry?


Thanks


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## GN.2-6-8-0

Actually if these are truly train sets from the 1940s-50s (LIONEL or American Fyer) your better off not touching them as collectors will tell you cleaning or attempting to restore the looks will effect their true value.
leave them as originally found'hopefully in original packaging.


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## carinofranco

marksidehill said:


> i'm new here. i have several old train sets from the 40's & 50's. i know the engines would run if i just cleaned them. what do you recommend for cleaning & lubing.
> 
> all info is greatly appreciated. i'm hoping to list them on ebay this coming holiday season.
> 
> thank you very much
> 
> mark


Hi,

If you are going to list them and if you do not have experience servicing locomotives, I suggest that you simply dust them off with a dry soft bristle paint brush. You can list them as is. proper servicing of a locomotive is not hard, but it involves dismantling them, cleaning and degreasing everything, lubrication, repairing broken wires, putting it all back together, and testing it all. It is fun and rewarding to do if you like this kind of involvement in the hobby and there is lots of advice on this forum to help you with any question or problem. Good luck.


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## Big Ed

carinofranco said:


> Hi,
> 
> If you are going to list them and if you do not have experience servicing locomotives, I suggest that you simply dust them off with a dry soft bristle paint brush. You can list them as is. proper servicing of a locomotive is not hard, but it involves dismantling them, cleaning and degreasing everything, lubrication, repairing broken wires, putting it all back together, and testing it all. It is fun and rewarding to do if you like this kind of involvement in the hobby and there is lots of advice on this forum to help you with any question or problem. Good luck.



Good advice, save it, this is the time of year when everyone finds their old trains and want to make them run.:thumbsup:
But.
You do realize that this was posted in 2007? 
And the original poster never had the courtesy to ever come back, he posted that 1 question and never returned. :smokin:


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## carinofranco

big ed said:


> Good advice, save it, this is the time of year when everyone finds their old trains and want to make them run.:thumbsup:
> But.
> You do realize that this was posted in 2007?
> And the original poster never had the courtesy to ever come back, he posted that 1 question and never returned. :smokin:


Wow, do I feel dumb! no, I did not notice that this was an ancient post. ?Thanks for your note.


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## Big Ed

carinofranco said:


> Wow, do I feel dumb! no, I did not notice that this was an ancient post. ?Thanks for your note.


We have all done the same thing,me included.
I learned to start first with looking at the date. 

That one never came back, but stayed tuned like I said this is the time of year with new members wanting to fix their old trains up to run under the tree.


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