Maintenance and servicing of the steam loco tender
Many model railroaders do their own cleaning and servicing of model steam locos. But not so many actually realize just how important it is to give the tender the same amount of care and maintenance as the loco itself. It's just simply there to tag along... right? In most cases, no. It does much more. In fact, when we get locos in the shop with problems such as jerky operation, running better in reverse than forward, etc., one of the first places we look is the tender. The pickup wheels of the tender are crucial in conducting electricity to the motor. Anything that breaks or weakens the contact points along the way will cause the loco to run improperly. In the following steps, I'll explain what we do when servicing these necessary little "tag-alongs".
1) Carefully disassemble the locomotive to tender connection, setting all of the parts in a small parts dish. Remove the wire going to the tender if it is attached separately.
2) Remove the wheel trucks from the tender. Holding the trucks with the wheel surface exposed, take a soft metal-bristle brush and gently go over the surface of each wheel. I use a Q-tip to apply a drop of alcohol to the wheel tire and then brush again. In extreme cases of discolored or oxidized wheels you can use extremely fine sandpaper (500 grit or higher) to polish the main surface and then brush the wheel. I don't recommend coarser sandpapers, as roughing up the wheel tire too much may result in the wheel getting prematurely dirty again and/or removing the plating on the tire.
3) Now here is the part that many overlook. The current comes in through the wheel tire to the axle, from the axle to the truck, and from the truck to the tender. Then it gets to the motor through the tender lead. We'll deal with the second crucial contact point here, which is the axle journal where the rotating axle conducts electricity into the truck. If you can take the wheels out of the truck easily, it's best to do that and clean each journal and axle point. But when they will not easily disassemble, I keep a can of electrical contact spray on the bench for this one procedure. Take the electrical spray, with supplied tube attached to the nozzle, and carefully press just enough to get a few drops of solution into each of the axle journals, both sides. After doing this to all of the journals, place the truck on your track and run back and forth with your fingers. This will remove any oxidation or material that may prohibit contact. Do the same with the other truck as well.
4) Now we'll work on the next crucial point. That is the contact between the wheel trucks and the frame of the tender. While the trucks are off, take the metal-bristle brush and go over both the contacting surface of the truck, and also the corresponding surface of the tender frame. You may want to use the fine sandpaper to make sure the surfaces are free from oxidation, paint, grime, or anything else that might hinder conductivity.
5) The final step is to reinstall the wheel trucks with the wheels in the proper order. Normally, the conducting wheels are on the fireman's side of the loco (left).
6) The final step is to reattach the loco to tender connection. Wipe all of the parts clean and test the locomotive. After testing for several minutes, turn the loco upside down on the bench again and apply a tiny drop of quality oil in each tender axle bearing. This will give the contact spray time to clean the journals before the final lubrication. The servicing of your tender is now complete.
Normally, this operation will be done in conjunction with cleaning and servicing of the engine. If both processes have been done and the locomotive does not run to satisfaction, or if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us..
Yardbird Classic Trains