Large Scale Central

"Squeaky axles" -- an argument for a remedy

Problem Solving
#1

For those using metal wheels – the ball bearing types may not be the focus here – there is a remedy I have used here in So. Calif. for the “squeaking” of axles rubbing inside plastic journals.

The remedy is obvious: Apply a small drop of plastic compatible oil into each journal and replace the axle end. OK, the argument is DIRT and DUST will get in. I have lubed over a hundred freight and passenger cars plus loco tenders the same way at the Living Desert outdoor RR in Palm Desert, Ca. for years. The dirt and dust concern is very understandable with the continual dry, and dusty, winds. However, it appears the journal makes a tight enough seal around the axle to prevent wear from dirt entry. Granted, any oil escaping does externally capture the dust and is therefore visible – thus giving evidence to the “wear” concern. The squeaking stops.

Thanks to Ron Gibson, current Walthers mgmt. for the Marklin/LGB product side, Mobil One is a very good plastic compatible oil – in 5/30 and other weights – for our hobby. I simply reload any medium LaBelle applicators. The same accolade for the Mobil One grease for the loco gears sold in the small tubs. However, the LaBelle heavy weight oil is also superb for the internal loco gears and bearings. It has a tendency to stay.

Wendell

#2

I prefer graphite when the journals are plastic, it tends to work into the plastic surface, and it cannot collect any dirt or grit, and it does not seem to get “gunky” after a while.

In metal journals and metal axles, I prefer light oil.

Ron recommended Mobile 1? Oh oh! Don’t let the lube vendors to Walthers hear that ha ha!

Regards, Greg

p.s. I don’t think there is an argument for a remedy, no one likes squeaky wheels I believe!

#3

What’s wrong with squeaky wheels? Ever been around a real railroad yard? :wink:

Ducking for cover.

#4
Ric Golding said:
What's wrong with squeaky wheels? Ever been around a real railroad yard? ;-)

Ducking for cover.


Amen !
No fancy sound cards here.
I rely on my squeaky wheels for atmosphere :slight_smile:
Ralph

#5

At the botanic, when something’s really making a racket, it’s often the wheels rubbing on the brake shoes.

#6

Squeeky wheels don’t bother me except with every squeek I would guess there is wear somewhere.
Wendell, we don’t have dust on the desert! This morning it’s raining!

#7

Yes, I have the same concern, a squeak must be lack of lubrication… how much wear, I dunno, but it worries me… when I first started, my cabooses squeaked, then I learned about carbon brushes, and how NOT to lubricate them! ha ha…

Regards, Greg

#8
Ric Golding said:
What's wrong with squeaky wheels? Ever been around a real railroad yard? ;-)

Ducking for cover.


Real railroads do squeak and squeal. When I am on the steam railroad I hear the passenger car wheels squeal as they pass through the switches at the end of the passing siding.

I have some wheels that squeal on my stock but as it is the cheaper Big Hauler coal hoppers I don’t have too much concern as it is most likely prototypical… My Aristo 1:29 freight cars do not squeak.

#9

I don’t have any squeaky wheels since following the advice of one of my club’s founding members. I use white lithium grease sold in any auto parts store. He has been doing this for many years without any adverse affect.

My tuppence worth.

Bob C.

#10

Bob-
Good idea. Never thought of lithium – apparently, plastic compatible.0

#11

White lithium was the preffered Slot car racers grease back in the day. When I was “playing” with the Ho scale AFX cars a friend gave me a bunch from his “typwriter repair” stash as he worked for IBM back then.

Chas

#12

“But Keptin! The Dilithium chrystals!”

#13

Lithium.
Ain’t that a battery?
Or is it Lithohwaynium?

:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#14
John Bouck said:
Lithium. Ain't that a battery? Or is it Lithohwaynium?

:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:


Only if you are running a BiPolar! :stuck_out_tongue:

#15

The whole “plastic compatible oil” thing has gotta be some kind of myth. Nowadays all oil comes in plastic containers doesn’t it? If it’s in plastic, it’s compatible.

Maybe this BS allows some sharp cookies to sell miniscule quantities of oil at premium prices. I don’t know where it all started, but AFAIC it’s a crock of snot.

The emperor has no clothes.

Rant over. As for squeaks, I like 'em because they’re prototypical. But I hate 'em because, as the old Rolls-Royce ads used to say, “where there’s noise, there’s wear.”

The most useful thing with oil is to have a good micro-applicator. I use a hypodermic syringe I got in an inkjet refill kit a few years ago.

I’m a lithium grease guy, because I bought a tube of the stuff in 1965 and as far as I can tell, it’s still 99% full.

Grease keeps the crud out.

#16

John,
Not all oils come in plasitc containers and not all plstics are interchangeable. A plastic squeeze bottle is likely a poly-something and the plastic journals are something else. I can remember back in my Hobby shop days as a "R/C car repair guy Iw as using a bottle of oil that was sold by Aristocraft (they too marketted and sold R/C car and other R/C items at the time) as suitable for their products but testing showed they made even their own plastic products brittle. It was amazing at how fast the parts on the RC cars would disintegrate on these things using that “oil”. So short answer NO not all lubricating oils are 100 percent “all types of plastic” plastic compatible.

Chas

#17

Actually, Chas, I expected an answer like yours would pop up pretty soon, and I thank you for it.

Of course, I realize that there are different types of plastics and poly-somethings and different types of oils with different additives and solvents, etc ad infinitam. You’re quite right, of course. Thanks for the clarification. I have heard that some oils will turn some plastics into a gooey mess. I believe however that this is the exception rather than the rule.

I suspect that the plastics used in our trucks are pretty robust and unlikely to be affected by most oils. I may be wrong. I have ignored the much offered advice to go to my LHS and buy something costly, and I haven’t had any problems. I have only made sure that all the oil I’ve used came out of plastic containers. I would be cautious enough to avoid oil that was only sold in metal or glass!

My main point, though, is that it seems pretty silly to me to go hunting for so called ‘plastic compatible oils’ as if these oils were some kind of scarce and precious commodity, or as if they were something mysterious and miraculous when the common everyday oil you put into your car or chainsaw or whatever is in a plastic bottle.

#18

John,
No problems really…As I recall the parts that failed were a type of “engineering plastic” very similar to what they seem to use on our trains and it simply went very brittle and starting cracking sitting on the shelf waiting to be picked up. That one cost me as I’d lubed up all the “bearing surfaces” of the plastic suspension points wiht the oil marketted for it. I essentially had to replace and rebuild all those parts on that R/C car. Granted replacing the parts on our trains would be easier IF there was a problem.

Chas

#19

But, Oh man, I’d have been pretty ticked off if it had happened to me. After all, you used oil labelled by the same manufacturer! You had every right to expect it’d be compatible, and even then your stuff falls apart. A real crappy deal for you.

In this hobby I’m always learning something new, it just never quits…!

#20

Also John, By your “I’m safe if I buy it in a plastic container” logic…Superglue would not work for you…you’d never get it out of the container right?

Just saying…not all things are created equal…even more so in today’s world.

Chas