Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Keeping your locos well maintained and operating at peak performance need not be a tiresome chore. However it does require keeping track of how often a loco is operated and setting up a regular schedule of cleaning, lubricating, and checking various parts. In this video I'll go over the 10 steps that I follow for each locomotive when I buy it, take it out of storage, install a DCC decoder, or do the scheduled maintenance. And remember my guiding slogan--oil bearings and grease gears. So let's get started.
But first a couple of links and my 10 Easy Steps:
Replacement gears shapeways.com/shops/dkrickman
1. Listen for cracked axle gears
2. Check wheel spacing with NMRA gage
3. Check and clean wheels when needed
4. Check for lint buildup on axles, bearings, and pickups
5. Oil worm gear bearings
6. Grease worm gears
7. Remove truck coverplate and grease gears from below
8. Oil motor bearings but don't overdo it
9. Oil wheel bearings
10. Clean balky motors using CRC QD Contact Cleaner but never apply oil to commutators
Keeping your locos well maintained and operating at peak performance need not be a tiresome chore. However it does require keeping track of how often a loco is operated and setting up a regular schedule of cleaning, lubricating, and checking various parts. In this video I'll go over the 10 steps that I follow for each locomotive when I buy it, take it out of storage, install a DCC decoder, or do the scheduled maintenance. And remember my guiding slogan--oil bearings and grease gears. So let's get started.
But first a couple of links and my 10 Easy Steps:
Replacement gears shapeways.com/shops/dkrickman
1. Listen for cracked axle gears
2. Check wheel spacing with NMRA gage
3. Check and clean wheels when needed
4. Check for lint buildup on axles, bearings, and pickups
5. Oil worm gear bearings
6. Grease worm gears
7. Remove truck coverplate and grease gears from below
8. Oil motor bearings but don't overdo it
9. Oil wheel bearings
10. Clean balky motors using CRC QD Contact Cleaner but never apply oil to commutators
