****THIS IS THE TECHNICAL PAGE FOR HORNBY DUBLO****
OILING OF LOCOS
For the last 16 years, I have used Labelle brand lubricating oil, available from most hobby shops or Walthers in the US, their type 108, for all my model train oiling, including Dublo and newer plastic stuff.
The bottle comes complete with a needle-like applicator, allowing a drop to form at the end (you have to practise to avoid a large drop). I also cut a piece of paper towel (Bounty is my favorite) and touch it to the part after oiling to sop up any excess.
Parts to oil in a Dublo engine with integral motor:
1- Top bearing: most had a hole in the center of the bearing screw which was intended for this purpose. These bearings do have a small steel ball to act as the bearing surface, and it must be kept oily. One drop occasionally suffices. If the engine hasn't run in a couple of years use two drops.
2- A drop of oil at the very bottom of the armature shaft will find its way into the bottom bearing.
3- Two drops on the worm gear, then run the engine slowly to work the oil into the pinion on the axle.
4- VERY OCCASIONALLY: a drop on each side of each axle, including bogie / pony if applicable. On two-rail engines particularly, oil must not get on the inside surface of the wheel, where the 2-rail pickup wire makes contact.
Cleaning:
VERY CAREFULLY, with a small screwdriver of the type found in the little slotted screwdriver sets you see around, clean out the carbon grim that accumulated between the contact pieces on the armature. There are tiny wires from each pole soldered to the bottom part of this, so GREAT CARE not to touch those. If you can't see the wires, don't clean.
Before oiling, I run the engine on my workbench (suspended so the wheels are in the air, running freely) slowly (about 4 volts or even less) and I apply a little Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing alcohol, but use 90% type, not less, water is not good here) to the commutator. The engine will momentarily run very fast, and the brushes actually perform the cleaning function as the rub the alcohol in. After that, let it dry for a minute and then oil it.
For the self-contained motors, such as the Ringfields, both bearings need to get oil in them. With age, the self-lubricated bearing does dry out and will need to be oiled regardless of the original instructions.
And finally, a tiny drop of oil occasionally on the moving parts of the valve gear is an excellent idea. Once again, I dab the parts with the Bounty towel to pick up all but a film of the oil. By:MARWAN NUSAIR.
