Check for excess lubrication

[Will Vale]

Hi all,

 

Some RTR locos seem to be very heavily lubricated, it varies quite a bit between models + manufacturers. When you get your new purchase home, especially if you're going to take the body off to fit a decoder, detail parts, or whatever, check around the bogies, wheels and particularly bogie baseplates for signs of oil or grease. If you find some where it shouldn't be, carefully wipe it off with a rag or similar before handling the model further. If there's an awful lot it *may* be worth dismantling further to remove the bulk of it - most models don't need much lubrication.

 

It's also worth checking the box around where the wheels sat in case there are any grease spots - otherwise they'll transfer back onto the model when you store it.

 

I've had a couple of instances of this recently - one I spotted in the box and cleaned up before handling. The other I spotted just after removing the body - I'd managed to touch a bogie baseplate, get a layer of grease on my fingers and thence onto the bodywork, which was a pain to clean without damaging it. I know it should be obvious but I tend to forget in the eagerness to play with a new toy, so I thought I'd post a tip in the hope of sparing someone else the bother

 

Cheers,

 

Will