Clean and Maintain an N Scale Diesel Loco: Model Railroad How-to

Cleaning Wheels | Cleaning Trucks | Cleaning Gears | Lubricating Mechanisms
In this video first I talk about how I do quick cleaning of my N Scale diesel locomotives’ wheels before an ops session using commonly available, household materials. Then I show how I do detailed maintenance of the gears and truck mechanisms. My subject for this video is my most used locomotive - the Kato NW2. However, I also show the key steps of maintenance on my Kato RDC, Walthers Proto GP 38-2 and Atlas VO-1000.

[@DccDude-df7bx]

brilliant, the dissasembling bit especially

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thanks! Glad that this is helpful. ☺️

[@craigsmith8128]

Ahh man thank you, I picked up a couple of Kato RDCs from a train shop as a pair. The dummy one has something in its gears locking it up completely. That little part at the end saved my day. Much appreciated. Thanks for sharing this!

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Glad that I could help. Happy Model Railroading!

[@ouchsour4573]

Wow that look beautiful and very real !!! I like this a lot.

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thanks so much 😊 Glad that you found this video helpful Cheers! 🙏

[@jwconglomerate332]

Great video, definitely subscribing. This will be my first attempt at cleaning so I picked up an older locomotive for $25 in case it goes sideways and something gets damaged or lost, just to get the practice. Thanks for the tips and guidance, I'll see you on the other side of the tunnel.

[@BritishRail60062]

Thank you for this video. I love these wee Kato model trains. I have many of them myself and I think ConCor and Atlas used Kato parts on their older models too.

[@TrainsandDioramas]

You’re welcome! N Scale (and smaller) locos are a thing if wonder for me even after modelling in that scale for nearly 20 years. The precision engineering that goes into N Scale and below deserves a lot of appreciation.

[@redbirdtony2010]

Great video on how to clean and maintain locomotives, thanks for sharing

[@TrainsandDioramas]

redbirdtony2010 Thank you! Glad that you liked the video and hope the video is helpful.

[@dacuzzz]

very good detailed instructions on how to clean & maintain your locos... thx for sharing.. vinny

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thanks Vinny! Glad that you liked it. :)

[@dacuzzz]

hi... just a heads up... i know there is a big time difference but if you can watch my live stream tonight ..8pm eastern ... i will be giving you a shout out

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thank you Vinny! I've set-up my alarm right now and unless there are some serious snag, I'll be there. Thank you again, and really appreciate you considering a Shout Out for me. :)

[@colnagocowboy]

I habitually clean my track before every operating session (4-5 days a week lol). I clean maintenance my engines, doodlebug etc. 2-3 times a year.

[@TrainsandDioramas]

That’s a good habit for sure! At one point I really got tired of cleaning tracks though, especially when my layout was halfway through - I really wanted to finish the layout and build things, but then if I didn’t clean the tracks, I couldn’t run any trains, so I was spending a lot more time cleaning tracks then building my layout.

[@myattpetermartha6661]

your videos are really great. I'm basically a beginner at this so this really helps me along. Is there a video on how to install new Truck Pick up shoes

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thank you kindly! Unfortunately I haven’t made a video about installing new pickup shoes but I’m sure you’ll find something over the Internet. Good luck! Kaustav

[@1shell1kill]

hey man, thank you for making this video! I do have a little question. Do you think it is okay to use this method with trains that have rubber tractions?

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Hey, you’re welcome! Yes, all this is applicable for models with traction tires. The only thing is that you need to be a little more gentle and careful with the wheels with rubber tires so that you don’t cause wear and tear. It might help to actually take off the tires from the wheels, clean carefully and then put them back in.

[@1shell1kill]

got it, thanks a lot!

[@seanpacificrailroad3700]

I have an N scale dcc atlas locomotive that was running pretty good one day next day not so well it runs from the start super slow on full throttle and it takes a little while to catch up to the full speed any idea 💡 please thank you 🙏 Your videos are great you should really consider changing your name to (Dr. Awesome Model Train Professor Fantastic Superhero 🦸‍♂️ that’s the title you should have because you my friend are awesome thank you 😊

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thank you so much Sean for your kind words. 🙏🙏 Thomas the Tank Engine is the real railroading super hero, not me... 😂 When you say your loco doesn't start till you go full throttle, does the light come on? If you were running DC, then I would've almost attributed this to dirty wheels, but since the loco is DCC, it might be a bit complicated. This is what I'd do: 1. Do the basic check on connectivity - All wheels are clean, tracks are clean and all contact clips /strips are clean. 2. Make sure that both the trucks are sitting properly with the right gears meshing, and the truck contacts are not tangled with the contact strips. The trucks should be able to move freely with it's copper contacts touching the copper strips all the time. 3. If the decoder is hooked through a harness, make sure the harness is connected properly. 4. Make sure that the tiny gears are clean and lubricated (but NOT over lubircated). 5. After all the above checks and corrrections as necessary, if you still have the same issue, then unfortunatley it has to be either the decoder or the motor. Try another decoder first since that's much easier than changing the motors. You might even want to contact Atlas at this point. Hope this helps, and good luck repairing your loco. Cheers!

[@seanpacificrailroad3700]

@@TrainsandDioramas thank you so much I’ll try everything you told me to do and you’re right Thomas is the real superhero😂😂😂

[@KatoOnTheTrack1]

Subscribed 👌🏾

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@logginlocos9023]

Great detailed and step-by-step instructions! About your layout: What region and era are you modeling? Obviously, it looks like a warf scene near a coastal or seaside town, perhaps somewhere on the east or west coast of the United States. Also, was your layout featured in an N-scale magazine some years back?

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thanks J.D.! The layout is a freelance layout based on Iain Rice’s Coalport, MD 1941 design. I moved the era by 20 years to 1960s and named it Wrightsville Port.

[@TrainsandDioramas]

To the 2nd question, yes. The layout was featured in 2013, but I have some or the other article that get published in that magazine every year. I am planning to do another feature next year when the layout is complete.

[@tedfisk1211]

Great video. I have lots of locomotives that don't run anymore and I am going to use the elements of your video to see if I can resuscitate them. I am going to try my hand at it prior to sending back to the manufacturer. Thank you.

[@TrainsandDioramas]

Thank you Ted, glad that it was helpful. Cheers! Kaustav

[@drmacho8046]

Any Luck? I have a loco that is not running either and might try these tricks as well