Modellings tips and answers - Maintenance tools - Videos

This week in history

On Wednesday 4th December 1872, an incident occurred off the coast of Portugal that led to one of the most enduring mysteries of modern times.  Halfway between the Azores and the coast of Portugal the eastbound Brigantine Dei Gratia encountered a derelict ship.  The derelict, named Mary Celeste, proved to be abandoned, with no sign of the crew.  A salvage hearing convened in Gibraltar could offer no credible explanation for the missing crew and passengers, which only served to deepen the mystery.  To this day no evidence has been discovered to shed any definitive light on the mystery.  This, inevitably has led to the hapless ship being the subject of many conspiracy theories and urban myths.  Not least of which is the continuation of the wrong name for the Vessel.  This last point can be laid at the door of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote a story based on the mystery but changed the name of the vessel involved to Marie Celeste.  After the hearing in Gibraltar, the Mary Celeste was claimed as salvage by the owners of the Dei Gracia, who operated her until 1885, when she was deliberately wrecked by her Master off the coast of Haiti.

One aspect of building and operating a model railway layout that sometimes gets overlooked is the requirement for ongoing and reactive maintenance of both rolling stock and track.  As model railway layouts are reflections of the real world in miniature, they will inevitably reflect the requirement for both preventative and reactive maintenance that are everyday factors of life on the railways.  For the newsletter this week we will delve into the realm of locomotive and track maintenance tools and equipment and examine a range of products available that will help modellers not only effectively maintain their layout infrastructure but also help safeguard its continued operation for years to come.

One of the most effective track cleaning solutions currently available is track magic, a bespoke cleaning solution by Deluxe Materials.  Track magic can be used not only on the layout track but also on locomotive wheels and pickups.  Simply put, it helps clean and remove ingrained and surface deposits of dirt and other contaminants whilst additionally ensuring an electrically conductive surface on completion.  Supplied in a 50ml bottle, the pack also contains a pipette and foam applicator to facilitate a wide range of cleaning requirements.  The American Company Labelle also offers similar cleaning products.  Their operating coupler oil is a lubricant specifically designed for use on points, point motors and switches, thus keeping these essential features in optimal condition.  Likewise, their fine oil pack contains a versatile oil, specifically configured for application on locomotive axles, motors and bearings.  The oil helps to not only keep these items dust and dirt free but also offers significant protection against operational wear.

In addition to cleaning oils, there are a number of useful and practical aids and tools that can assist a modeller with maintenance tasks.  The loco servicing cradle by Peco is effectively a U shaped foam cushion into which an inverted locomotive can be placed to assist with cleaning.  The cradle ensures a firm hold of any locomotive yet is gentle enough to avoid damage to delicate fixtures and fittings.  The cradle can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of locomotive types in OO/HO, N and OO9 gauges.  Taking this one step further is the servicing kit, which in addition to the servicing cradle also includes a wheel brush and scraper plus a cleaning lubricant.  The wheel scraper, also by Peco is a simple yet highly effective and practical tool.  At one end it has a small metal scraper, ideal for cleaning locomotive wheels.  The other end has an electrical connection wire that can connect to the layout power controller.  When utilised in conjunction with another scraper, or a similarly equipped Peco brush it will complete an electrical circuit allowing the wheels to turn against the scraper, thus ensuring optimal cleaning action.

For those looking to conduct deeper levels of maintenance on their Locomotives, the OO gauge loco crankpin box spanner  by Bachmann will allow modellers to remove crankpins from Bachmann locomotives.  This will be highly useful for repairs involving the swapping of wheelsets and the replacement of traction tyres on these locomotives.  The 25 piece precision screwdriver bit set by Expotools will be useful for other similar light engineering tasks.  In addition to the screwdriver, the set contains a selection of slotted, phillips and torx bits in a variety of sizes; all securely held in a compact storage wallet.  Also by Expotools is the 150mm (6") magnetic parts dish.  This eminently practical item is ideal for modellers engaged on maintenance tasks who have a need to store small metal parts whilst they are working.  The added advantage here is that being magnetic, this dish should save modellers the inconvenience of housemaid's knee after chasing parts that have inevitably succumbed to the call of gravity!

Perhaps the most regularly used item in most Modelmakers toolboxes is the ubiquitous track rubber.  This particular version by Peco can be used in conjunction with cleaning lubricants on a regular basis to help ensure removal of surface dirt and debris, thus ensuring optimal performance.  Another simple tool that is highly useful is the double-ended conrod spanner by Hornby.  This particular item is optimised for use on OO/HO gauge locomotives and will be an indispensable aid to modellers who have a need to work on the conrods and pistons of steam locomotives.  Proper cleaning and effective lubrication is paramount when working on or maintaining the delicate components of a locomotive's pistons.  The power lube, liquid lubricant and cleaner by Peco is especially designed for this kind of work.  Its effective yet forgiving formula ensures that it can be used on plastic components as well as metal ones, thus avoiding any of the chemical damage that can occur as a result of using more aggressive lubricants.

As in the real world, having both an effective maintenance routine and the tools with which to conduct it is essential.  Whether that maintenance is reactive or a regular process, having the correct tools to conduct specific tasks is a great way of ensuring efficient operation of layout infrastructure, whilst enabling its long-term operation.  Many of the tools involved are versatile enough to be used on a variety of other modelling and non-modelling projects, which inevitably helps Modellers with tight budgets or minimal space for large tool collections.  Why not take the time to investigate the selection of available tools to identify items that might be of use in current or upcoming projects?

Modelling tips

We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are the latest ones:

Or re-visit these slightly older ones:

You can read all the articles sorted by categories or from the most recent published one on our website.

Unboxing videos

You want to know what is inside the boxes of modelling products? We open them for you! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified before everyone else or simply click on this selection. Please note that videos are at the bottom of each page.

Find all the latest events and exhibitions for the model railway world, on the UK Model Shop Events directory. Hopefully, 2023 will give us plenty of opportunities to attend events all over the country.

Do you need to order?

Send us an email or give us a call to check availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most suppliers.

Remember, you can park for free for one hour on the High Street. So no excuse not to come and visit us!

Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm. Obviously, our website is open 24h a day and we can post to most locations, including Europe, USA and Australia.

Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
http://www.trainshop.co.uk or find us on Facebook

If for some reason you do not want to receive this newsletter anymore, click this link to unsubscribe