I run mostly postwar conventional locomotives. For 30 years I ran some engines over a 6 week period of time when the layout was down on the floor. The rest of year the layout was in a garage, leaning on a wall and the trains were on shelves in a hall or spare bedroom in the house.
I would take the 6 to 8 engines I wanted to run each fall and give the armature bearings a small dab of oil and maybe the wheel bearing and let them go. I did the same to any others I decided to run. No problems in most cases. Engines setting up in a normal house hold environment did them not harm.
I do the same with engines from my train shelves now as the layout is set up all the time. I have 50 plus engines.
Charlie
