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I picked up this beautiful SP&S RS-1 Alco Loco from my friends at Eastside Trains.  This is my first MTH engine,  I noticed in the instructions that they recommend oiling the pickup rollers.  I thought it was unusual, so I though I would check with others on the forum regarding how long this has been recommended.  The rollers look to have a rubber inner core.  All the best, Dave

 UPDATE: 1)  I have added a picture of the rollers, so you can see it is metal and rubber;  and 2)  I have uploaded as an attachment the entire MTH Instructions Manual, which is 49 pages.  It is very comprehensive,   on page 33 is the section on Maintenance, including the steps on how to grease the worm gear and bronze drive gear.

Thanks for everyone's feedback!, Dave 

   

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I always follow the manufacturer's recommendations.  I use LaBelle light oil on the rollers, and have been doing so for years.  No issues that I can tell of.

I too go to Eastside Trains as my local hobby shop.  Great store, and they're certified Lionel and MTH service techs.  They always let me run my engines before taking them home.  And, they never call my wife to let me know that a pre-order is in!

Oh yah, great looking engine.

Alan

Last edited by ajzend

Regardless of the lubricant used, oiling pickup rollers is a bad idea. The friction, arcing and heat will rapidly cause a hard gum to accumulate, jam the rollers, cause loss of conductivity, and premature roller wear. Then you are stuck in a perpetual routine of cleaning and oiling every few weeks to stop the rollers from seizing up. 

The service documentation in both Lionel and MTH user manuals has little credibility in my opinion. For example, take note of the fact that the oiling instructions contained in the above post say nothing of lubricating the load-bearing pinion gear bearings, or maintaining grease on the worm wheel and gear (which you cannot trust the factory to handle). MTH is not alone. Some of Lionel's lubrication instructions are mind-boggling. I have seen instructions to oil armature bearings that don't exist (such as on the brush plate of the 726 CC remake), and arrows directing users to apply oil to wheel surfaces, or other odd places, etc.

Sometimes a little common sense goes much further than a drop of oil.

Last edited by GregR

I've never experienced issues with a very small drop of oil on the pickup roller axles, and I have never heard any blowback about rollers wearing out.  With no oil that tiny roller is wearing out the roller and the pin a lot faster than when it's lubricated.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this point, I strongly recommend a bit of lubrication on the pickup rollers.

ajzend posted:

... And, they never call my wife to let me know that a pre-order is in!

 

Now this service could come in very handy!! Might even be worth more than great service on your trains...I need to talk to my LHS about this one!! 

I also use Labelle light oil on pick up rollers, no problems so far in about 7 years. I believe both MTH and Lionel recommend oiling the pick up rollers.

"The rollers look to have a rubber inner core."  

Uh, as rubber in an excellent insulator, this would make them just "rollers", with no "pickup" involved.

Yes, any metal-to-metal moving parts benefit from oiling, and as pickup rollers are just funny-looking little wheels and axles, they definitely need lube - maybe more than most wheels, as they have a small diameter and therefore turn much faster than everything else rolling down the track.

Any light oil will do. 3-in-1 is what I tend to use.  Never had any oil block electrical pickup on my rollers. 

Don't use graphite dry lube. 

The other day, a club member was having trouble with another member's  old, but never-run Lionel T1. It ran fine upside-down on the test bench, but was dead in the water when placed on the track. Investigation revealed the pickup roller axles were seized up with corrosion and would neither turn or conduct electricity. When he tested it on the bench, he used alligator clips on the roller bracket, and it ran fine, but when the clips were put on the rollers, it was dead. After working the rollers with cigarette lighter fluid (naphtha) and pliers, they were made able to turn, and then a few drops of Caig's DeOxit was applied on the roller axles, and the loco soon was running like a champ! DeOxit is great for removing oxide and corrosion, and also lubricates as well. A small bottle of liquid is about $15, but will last a long time. It is also available in a spray can as well, but in spray form it is harder to control and tends to go everywhere.

Bill in FtL

If oiling the pickup rollers causes them to get gummed up then likely either they are using the wrong lubricant or are using too much, there is a reason why they recommend using a light oil for this. I have used various light oils, also used tuner cleaner (unlike contact cleaner, it has a lubricant in it as well, and is designed to lubricate and allow conductivity).  If pickup rollers are seeing severe arcing, it is likely the roller is worn and not making great contact with the fail, or the rail itself is dirty or pitted. As far as heat goes and friction, if a roller is properly lubricated it shouldn't be heating up that much. 

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I've never experienced issues with a very small drop of oil on the pickup roller axles, and I have never heard any blowback about rollers wearing out.  With no oil that tiny roller is wearing out the roller and the pin a lot faster than when it's lubricated.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this point, I strongly recommend a bit of lubrication on the pickup rollers.

You're probably right in many cases. I just can't bring myself to oil rollers anymore.  I'm probably just bitter due to a few bad experiences with passenger car  rollers that froze up with crud, and were promptly sliced by my Super O center rails. I still maintain that Super O doesn't cut rollers ----unless they stop rolling

E-Z Lube Conductive oil really does make a difference. Flush out any previous oil from the pick-up rollers with drops of rubbing alcohol, and let dry, before using it. It will totally eliminate flickering. If you do still have flickering after using it, your tracks and wheels need cleaned or the bulb is loose in the socket.

I oil contact rollers with a product that was intended for locks.  It's called Lock-Ease.  It's a light oil with graphite in it.  I only use it on the contact rollers.  Flickering lights on rolling stock drives me nuts.  I've never tried the Atlas or Bachman products but I can tell you the Lock-Ease stops the flickering lights.  Someone once told me I shouldn't use Lock-Ease because it would gum up the rollers.  I've been using it for a bunch of years now with no issues.  Regardless of what lube you use, applying it sparingly is key.

Tony

Below is a picture from the Postwar Lionel service manual.

Quote: "Locomotive rollers which turn on fixed axles should not be lubricated at all".

Cleaning the gunk out of the center of the rollers and cleaning the axle was commonly required when servicing a locomotive that was brought to me for repair.

Do as you wish.

 

 

 

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A lot of recent MTH locomotives have those rollers, not sure what the purpose it.  I'm guessing the insulator on the edge is to keep the roller from dropping off the center rail but not contact switch outside rails when going through switches.  However, I find that they frequently aren't as reliable as the ones without the insulation on the outside edges. 

Like Dave says, clearly the insulator isn't around the whole axle.  I took one out of my parts box and looked at it.  If you look at the side of the roller, you can see the insulation is only a surface treatment, the metal roller is under the insulator on the axle.

bigdodgetrain posted:

I use contact cleaner, which also services as a conductor

One common misconception is that contact cleaner is conductive.  It is not - one of its properties is that it is a dielectric (i.e., non-conductive) when dry.  If it were conductive after drying, it would create shorts between all of the components it is sprayed on.  It does improve conductivity between components by dissolving dirt and oxides & then flushing them away - but in-and-of-itself it is non-conductive.

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