I became mindful of this issue with my early MTH engines, before Proto 3 and before I heard of BCRs.
Back then, I knew I could have problems with my MTH Proto 1 and 2 engines if they were not run for a long time. So, I made a point of running them at least once every few months. Doing so saved me money, helping to avoid otherwise unnecessary repairs.
Now that I've replaced all of the original batteries with BCRs in my Proto 1 and 2 engines, I know it is no longer essential to run those MTH locomotives periodically. It's my understanding that you can let them remain on the shelf for years, and they should still work OK. Do you agree?
Maybe it's because I am primarily an operator as opposed to a collector, like to run everything I have, and am in the habit of doing so fairly frequently, but I apply this regular running to all of my locomotives. Does this make sense to you, or do you think I'm being overly cautious?
At the risk of personifying my trains, in the back of my mind I believe that I can keep my trains and layout "healthy" by making a point of running everything at least once every 2 months. I do this with all of my locomotives, including my numerous Postwar engines as well as everything modern.
My technical knowledge regarding maintaining and fixing trains is very limited, but, over the years, thanks largely to this Forum, I have the notion that regular and reasonable running of all things mechanical, and even digital, is a good thing; that when something squeaks, I oil it (a little dab will do ya); and whenever I run anything, it's just for a few minutes, at most. I believe this helps avoid wearing out traction tires, general wear and tear on the locomotives and their parts, and problems with what I believe is most fragile: smoke units.
Do you agree?
Since I don't clean my track that often, I believe short regular runs of everything keeps my layout healthy too. Does this help corrosion from developing on the tops of our rails, thereby keeping them cleaner than they otherwise would be.?
I would love to know your thoughts about everything I've raised here, and anything else you can think of relating to these issues, and I'm particularly interested in your reasons for your thoughts.
Don't hold back! If you think I'm an idiot for any of my above thoughts, say so and your reasons why.
LOL, Arnold
