[LOST AND CONFUSED]

I am addicted to the bachmann 10 wheelers and want to lube gears on slightly used ones I purchase on ebay. I have read GEORGES great tips but missed this topic if he did address it .I also want to know if its necessary to lube it after it has been sitting unused for years.When I first get them I run them
on an inside track going very slowly at first till they loosen up then they seam fine but I use them to run 7 cars at a time and want to know if there is anything else I can do to protect them from damage. Besides not running so many cars. THANK YOU AHEAD OF TIME FOR ANY REPLYS

 

[Mik]

My only real suggestion is to avoid the first three incarnations of the Bug Mauler if you can. (I had all 3, starting with the battery op ones) The choices seem to be to baby them or repower. The last generation (5th?) and the Annie seem to be good locos.

There is a lube plug on the bottom of the later generation ones and the Annies to make things easier, I think.

 

[Bill Swindell]

As I recall, there is a cover on the bottom of the gear box. You can remove the cover and lube the driver axles and the gears from there. You MUST use plastic compatible oil and grease. LaBelle makes a good product, just buy the plastic compatible versions. Some Bachmann engines have oilite bearings on the axles. These can be oiled, just one drop per bearing. If there are no bearings, the bearing surface is just plastic. In this case, I just put a dab of the grease on the axle so that when it turns, the grease will lubricate the plastic bearing. You might also want to put a drop of oil on the valve gear wherever it rotates or slides. Do not over lubricate anything. It just makes a mess and gets all over places where you don't want it.

 

[Torby]

Bachmann says every 6 hours. I'd believe it with their pink gear grease. It doesn't stay where you put it.

The Labelle gear grease stays put. Just put a little dollop on the gear through the rubber plug on the bottom. You can find this stuff at any train dealer. You only need a light coating.

I also put a tiny drop of train oil. Oh, where is that tube... You can find it at train dealers... on all the moving places of the rods and valve gear, especially on the crosshead.

 

[Pete Thornton]

It is very easy to remove the plate covering the bottom and add some lube, as George Schreyer describes. (Loks like you did miss it!)
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html#lube
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html#assembly

The gear grease has been covered above - I'm not a fan of the Bachmann pink stuff either! Lube the axle bearings with 'turbine oil', not te 3-in-one stuff. (It's a blue can, not a red one.) Turbine oil is available in most hardware stores, and is designed for lubricating motor bearings, such as the ones on your a/c fan motor, or the axles of your LS loco!