Garden Railway Forum

Can it be done?

I am talking about live steamers with RC, is it worth it or sell them on and then buy into the hobby again?

No answer ttg but will follow this as my RH steamers aren't getting a lot of use, never considered selling and buying in later.

I have had a few engines that have been laid up and have had no problems with resurrection. I think i would make sure they are well cleaned and oiled. A good spray of wd40 over everything won't hurt and I think I would remove the batteries. Possibly a few bags of silica gell in the box as well.

As long as they are oiled and the water drained there is usually no problem with long term store, the normal casualty is the batteries in the RC gear.

Big Jim:122216 wrote:A good spray of wd40  over everything won't hurt

I'd recommend WD40 as a spray cleaner only, and wipe off as much as possible. I'd be very wary indeed of "a good spray over everything".

WD40 is mostly solvents, and is good at diluting oil and muck. However there's no point in leaving it on as it's neither a rust preventative nor a lubricant, and leaves a sticky residue behind once the solvents have evaporated.

The big risk with WD40 is getting it on O rings, which it can swell badly, forcing them through small gaps from which they don't always recover.

It also attacks some types of plastic, paint and varnishes.

It's also worth keeping WD40 off small mechanisms, gears and drive chains.

"WD" is said to be short for Water Dispersant, which is a clue to its original purpose, though some say that it attracts water which will cause rust in the end. My own theory is less harsh: that it merely evaporates and doesn't prevent water long-term.

I buy WD40 in gallon cans and love the aroma.

David 1/2d

Do evaporate-off every last molecule of meths and water - I once forgot I'd put a warm meths-fired Mamod in a sandwich box and, when I came back to it, the paint had softened and was badly blistered, and the exposed steel had rusted :-( David 1/2d

Another option is to loan them to a friend to play with while you are away from the hobby and then return them when you want to play again or sell on.

All I do is ensure boiler is empty, motion etc well oiled and safety valve, regulator and lubricator cap are not too tightly done up. Personally I never leave batteries in even if loco is in regular use.

laurence703:122224 wrote:Another option is to loan them to a friend to play with while you are away from the hobby and then return them when you want to play again or sell on.

[Raises hand to volunteer...]

Thanks for the responses.

Ted, I can lease them to you to cover wear + depreciation

You are not thinking of jumping ship Tom?

Sorry Jim, you are stuck with me running the forum