Lubricant and cleaner overview

This is made by only a few manufacturers. The only 2 that I know of are Aerocar and Atlas, they come in a small bottle with a needle for precise application, Aerocar can supply larger quantities. It is well possible that Atlas is supplied by Aerocar. (I am not sure!) As an alternative you could use Peco 'Powerlube' which should be available through most UK-based modelshops. Kato's oil is also electrically conductive and could be used as an alternative.

ACT-3753 Conducta lube as supplied by Aerocar powerlubepl64

Peco 'Powerlube' (ref. PL64)

Made by Aerocar, Woodland Scenics, Kato, LaBelle and most model railway manufacturers. Not oils are the same and some are more suitable than others. A good motor bearing oil should fill the space between the bearing and the armature shaft, this is a very small space, the capillary effect should suck the oil into the bearing, watch out for over-lubricating, which is often the cause for repairs. Use only one small drop of oil per bearing (each motor has 2). A small bottle of oil lasts for years,depending on the size of your collection and how often you run your trains. If you have Kato models, it is best to use the Kato oil, but other oils, Aerocar ACT-2002 and LaBelle 108 in particular are good alternatives.

Clock oil seems to be a very good lubricant for model train motors. It is long-lasting and has a good friction reduction characteristic. Dr. Tillwich, a manufacturer from Germany has a wide range of clock oils, of which some are of interest. These products are marketed in the USA under the 'Etsyntha' brand. A number of clock repair specialists carry these products. Dr. Tillwich also supplied a custom-made lubricant for the Mars Rovers 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity'.

Sorte 1-3 and Sorte 3-5

oel 1-3 und 3-5

Dr. Tillwich Sorte 1-3 (left) and Sorte 3-5 (right) clock oils

These oils are clock oils of different viscosity. Sorte 1-3 is the lighter one, Sorte 3-5 is slightly thicker. Originally developed for clocks, these oils are also suitable for lubricating railway models. Use these oils only on metal motor bearings. I would recommend Sorte 1-3 above Sorte 3-5 for use on N-scale models, but Sorte 3-5 seems to work well. Use watchmaker's oilers to apply the oil to the bearings. These oilers are often used by watchmakers to oil the tiny bearings that are common in clocks and watches. I recently aquired some Sorte 3-5 and now the stuff is under test. I can now report that Sorte 3-5 works well as a motor bearing oil. I used it on a Tomix Meitetsu 8800 class EMU and after a few months the oil seems to do its work without any noticeable effects on the mechanism. On a further Tomix model (very old C57 class steam loco) I used not only Sorte 3-5 oil, but also B52 grease on the worm gear and on gear bearing. The loco runs very smoothly after being stored for a few months. An EF71 electric loco,was used as another guinea pig; I used Sorte 3-5 oil on the motor bearings and B52 grease on the worm and gears. Performance until now is good, with no ill-effects noticed.

Watchmaker's oilers, very suitable for oiling model train motor and axle bearings.

Some German modellers have good experience with Ballistol, a cleaner / lubricant oil commonly used in small firearms. It is a thin, red-coloured (like red wine) oil that has good penetrating characteristics. It seems that Micro Ace uses something similar as factory-applied lubricant. Available through hardware stores, gunsmiths and some model shops.

waffenoel

Weapon oil, same type as supplied by Ballistol

This grease is made by Dr. Tillwich, a German manufacturer of precision lubricants. Dr. Tillwich's normal range is mainly aimed at clock and watch repairers and a few lubricants have been successfully used by railway modellers. This product is marketed in the USA under the 'Etsyntha' brand. The manufacturer recommends this product for use on worms and gears and claims great reduction of wear and friction. I hope to report on this product in the near future. Recently I found this stuff at a modelling fair and I bought some. The stuff is now under test, but is promising to be very good. I used this on 2 different olderTomix models: with good results.

This is a dry graphite powder that is used to lubricate magnetic-action knuckle couplers as offered by Micro-Trains, Kadee, Accurail, Atlas, Bachmann, Life-Like, McHenry and Kato. Lubricant offered by Kadee, Micro-Trains and Woodland Scenics.
MT231

Micro-Trains graphite coupler lubricant. The same product is offered by Kadee.

Woodland 651

Woodland Scenics graphite lubricant for knuckle couplers.

Denatured alcohol: available from supermarkets and hardware stores.
Lighter fuel: available from supermarkets, chemist's shops and (more expensive) tobacconist's shops.
Goo Gone: through Centerline Products and Centerline dealers. Hardware stores and supermarkets in the U.S.
Aerocar Track Cleaner and Conditioner: through Aerocar and Aerocar dealers.
Tomix cleaner: through Tomix dealers. Supplied with Tomix track and wheel cleaning kit (contains wheel cleaning rail, track cleaner car, cleaning fluid and some spare cleaning pads). Available through Tomix dealers.
Rail cleaner could be applied with a clean cloth or with a rail cleaner car with the option of wet cleaning, like the ones offered by Tomix and Centerline. Wet cleaning is best be done before or after operating sessions. Please leave enough time to let the cleaning fluid to evaporate. Use adequate ventilation!