how often due you run,your engines, and due maintenance on them?

Ever since I moved over to TMCC my conventional stuff just sits.  Slowly items are being sold or converted.  Maintenance should be more regular but my run times tend to be an hour or less.  

I make point of lubrication while watching the New Years Rose Bowl parade and maybe the Westminster (?) Dog Show after that if needed. 

Wife hands me car. drop of LaBelle on each axle point, she checks no oil dribbles on wheels then check off master list. Done. 

Locos are done with a cradle so I can concentrate to check and make sure all gears are lubed and oiled per MTH manuals.

I have about 125 or so locos . . . 

- Maybe fifteen are regular, which will probably get run a few hours during any week.  These I check every month of so and lubricate, my goal to service/check them about every 20 - 30 hours of running.  

- The others I try to run once a year although I don't get to all of them that often.  I always thoroughly check the loco, clean the wheels and rollers,  and lube everything I can first.  

I oil my locomotives when I can't stand listening to the squeaking any more.Nick

Clean and lube my locomotives about twice a year.  Too much oil and grease is not a good thing.  I rotate running my engines so most have the same operating hours.  I keep a log book marking down run times. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Once every other year.  May not sound like much but they're only on the layout on average one week a year, running maybe 10 minutes total running time.

- Mike

To be truthful, there's too many variables to take under consideration. This is due to the fact that no two engines / locomotives are the same. The types of loads the units are subjected to and on what type of layout. One variable that few operators take under consideration is the way that they run their trains. The above is based upon my sixty plus years in the hobby. Not too long but long enough.

That all depends lately on how much snow I have to move. I have 7engines sitting on my layout. Usually I run 4at a time at least once a week. After I get board with that 4 I will switch at least 2of them. I do maintenance twice a year.

The most important part to this process, is having a place to put the locomotive.

Need a homemade engine cradle.