White substance collected plastic and die cast engine bodies

Spiders?

Can you post a picture of the offending white stuff?

Yes picture would be helpful . Sometimes it could be the metal reacting eventually pitting the area , also from a pellet type smoke stack which is easily wiped away.

The "white stuff" on the plastic could be a mold release agent. Gilbert plastics from the 50's era are well known for this, probably other manufacturers also.  Best way to remove is with a hairdryer and then wipe dry. Experiment with distance and heat settings in order not to melt the plastic.

Rich

If it's anything like what I get it's fly poo

  It's likely a mold if it is on both metal and plastic. You don't mention if there is paint on the raw surfaces or painted portions only, etc.

It could be either release agent from casting, or live mold from the little bit of info given.

Soap and water won't clean it off? Naptha?(watch inks & paints, but plastic freindly and "old" Lionel’s solvent of choice and suggestion for cleaning cars. A little stronger than most paint thinners or mineral spirits I'd say).

Also a long shot, but sun damage/fade as well. (it only takes one bubble in glass and about a weeks time to create a spot (magnified light source))

Spiders or mites? Doubtful but maybe. This question makes me really want to see it.

Pellet residue... on cars too? Doubtful. (Naptha)

I've had air fresheners spot up (non-train) items like it was bleach. Alcohol can sometimes stain plastic too I guess. (more likely it took off part of a gloss coat on that person, but it isn't great for the life of some plastics either)

White powdery corrosion originating on the raw metal castings, migrating only  by chance, not actually spreading onto plastic/paint, not "eating it" might be zinc pest. A gritty surface texture and/or metal cracks are two more symptoms of pest. (flawed, dirty, contaminated metal batch is the cause)

Could be the infamous stearic acid mold release agent:

That's nasty, I hope you will be able to get rid of it.  Luckily, I've not run across this stuff so I don't really have an answer or suggestion for you.   Question, if can't be removed, can you disassemble the truck and paint it with a flat black to hide it?  Best of luck on trying to get rid of it.

I asked about this as it pertains to PW Flyer stuff: it was identified as the "parting agent", and  was suggested to use a hair dryer to warm the parts a bit...

Mark in Oregon

Strummer posted:

I asked about this as it pertains to PW Flyer stuff: it was identified as the "parting agent", and  was suggested to use a hair dryer to warm the parts a bit...

Mark in Oregon

That was a video I posted, not just a photo. It shows how I used heat to remove it. 

It can be found on both early Flyer and Lionel plastic parts.

Jim

Without pictures and more descriptive information from the original poster Postwarhigh, the guesses are just that, guesses.

Since he said it is present on both diecast metal and plastic surfaces, the mold release agent used for plastic production isn’t valid.

Zinc pest reveals itself as bubbles and cracks, not a powdery growth, and, again, since he says it’s also occurring on plastics, that’s a non-factor.

So let’s just wait until Bob posts some pictures and more info before we go any further.

All engines are now clean and those that were not able to be cleaned are no longer with me.

mold release- this is not mold release agent

I am trying to avoid this “stuff” from occurring once again!

my hunch is that it is from spiders which I have rid from the area with a electronic plug-in.

Thank you to all members who have offered their suggestions  thank you, postwarhigh.

The white powder on postwar zinc die cast parts could be zinc oxide. To clean it off I use Triflow and a soft bristle brush. To prevent it in the future keep your trains in a cool dry place.  Relative humidity of less than 40% should prevent most corrosion on both zinc and steel. 

Thank you for the input however when certain items were cleaned - the paint was damageespecially on plastic shells- sorry for lack of pics 

postwarhigh posted:

 

my hunch is that it is from spiders which I have rid from the area with a electronic plug-in.

 

Well, if the white stuff comes back, then you'll know it's something else, presumably. Too bad you couldn't figure out how to post some pictures - without those, all anyone can do is speculate. Spiders get into your camera?  

Another alternative: just move your engines somewhere else. See what happens.

Powdery zinc pest was a "short cut" to a "metal impurity" oxide, white rust, galvanic corrosion, efflorescence; "buddies" seen together and/or hard to tell one from the other.

Powdery mildew below can occur anywhere. Fine mite web can look very similar and some spiders do lay molt webs, like a blanket, but it sounds like a colony if it is a creepy crawly and they will just move around IN the house with that electric stuff.

I hope you don't have pets. They hear a lot of those devices too

(Actually, I hear some of them too. I'm very sensitive to highs; 19khz easy last hearing test)

I used a little Armor All on a soft rag to remove white mystery substance on old  plastic cars. I assumed it was plasticizer that leached out of the plastic over the ages. It has not come back in 20 years. The stuff was sold in auto parts stores as plastic protectant.

I've had the white stuff on trucks of many cars, both plastic and die castings.  First thing I do is attack it with WD-40 and a toothbrush.  That's always worked for me.