# Washing Your Locomotive



## wilbeck (Dec 10, 2008)

Should I wash my steam locomotive after a run? If with what and how. Thanks for any advice


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't wash mine anymore, because I have R/C stuff in the cab and tender. But when I did, I used Simple Green for Electronics. Now I occasionally wipe them off with a dry shop rag to get the big stuff off. An interesting thing I've seen is Ryan Bednarik, who has a hose that he connects to his blow down valve. He steams off his locomotive after each run. I also read where Jerry Reshew uses Kiwi shoe cleaning rags to clean locomotives, but I don't recommend using them on locos that have a matte finish like the K-28. Some locomotives like Roundhouse have really strong and durable paint jobs that are easy to wash with most anything. I'm sure there are lots of ways to clean a locomotive if you want to do it.


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## Dave -- Use Coal (Feb 19, 2008)

Over ten years with the live steam hobby and I have never "washed' and engine. I have never seen any one "wash" and engine. Everyone I know just wipes the engines down with a rag after a days running to get rid of dirt and steam oil from the outside of the engines. Of course, coal fired engines need more cleaning --- ash has to be remove from the grate and fire box and the flues get a brushing. 

In general engines are cleaned with rags, cue tips and now and then a little WD-40.

Bill Courtright has the best maintained coal fired engine, his Sandy River. He uses the above and a lot of time and patience. The Engine is over 10 years old and looks as good as new.


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## Slipped Eccentric (Jan 2, 2008)

I just set mine in the driveway, shoot them with simple green and hit them with the hose. I don't normally have a lot of delicate detail pieces either though.


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## Shaylover (Jan 2, 2008)

As a carry-over from my 5" gge days I use a mixture of kerosene and motor oil in a spray bottle and give the motions and wheels a good spray to get rid of any dirt or oil.
I let the loco drip dry for about half an hour and then oil the motion before putting away. The rest of the loco is wiped down. 
I particularly do this if running on a ground level track.
The mixture of oil/kero is about three parts kero to one of motor oil. I find that the kero washes any dirst and leave a patena of oil on the surfaces so is also a protector as well.


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## Steamboil (May 12, 2009)

Hi, 
I do not usually wash the outside of my steam engines, for I personally like the natural weathered look; however, if you really want them to look great, first rub off any oil etc... with a clean rag before the engine cools (yes, the key is before the engine cools off at the end of the day's running). Next, you can let them cool (if you want to), and then spray them with funiture polish and rub off till shinny, and finally, you can store them inside your home when finished without having to worry about dust hurting them on the self. 

Happy steaming, 
Tom S.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

I used to be a "CLEAN GEEK" about my engines until I meet Jeff Runge and John Frank. They taught me the fine art of leaving them oily and greasy. A little wipe down never hurts, but the real ones were never clean. One time at DH Jeff had his Mikado upside down working on it. A small part came loose and we could not find it. On further inspection, it had stuck to the grease on the engine!







Now that is an instance were a part would have been lost if the engine had been clean.


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## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

My current "clean up" is spray down with a WD-40 pump bottle while warm, then wipe it down. One word of caution, be sure the fire is out before spraying with WD-40 it will flash over !! This is done at the end of the day. Every few weeks I use a garden sprayer and mix up some dish washing liquid, with warm water and spray it down, then rinse and blow off with compressed air, this cleans up the outside and running gear pretty good. Cleaning the wheels is done by wetting a blue shop towel with gasoline, laying it over the tracks and rolling the engine (or rolling stock) repeatedly until it stops leaving black stripes. You have to move the towel every few passes. If you don't do this there is little to be gained by cleaning the tracks. No I do not spend time on the bottom of the boiler.... The cab and tender only get the quick wipe down and wheel cleaning.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Now Mr. Grunge. Say it ain't so......................you, turning into a CLEAN GEEK ?? I would have believed that you had bought stock in Accucraft before I would have believed this!


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## wilbeck (Dec 10, 2008)

Thanks all for the advice. If I'm going to give a wash, the Simple Green sounds good, though I couldn't find the 'electronics' variety.


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## Bob in Mich (Mar 8, 2008)

Hi All,When I first got into Live Steam,First Engine a LGB Frank "S" I have used Pledge.It will remove Steam Oil,dirt smudges.And best of all Engines all ways look presteen wnen done.Spray it on and wipe it off with a Towel 
Regards Bob


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Wait till the wife is out. Set the dishwasher on cool dry and run your engine through the cycle. Sometimes hard to get the Big Boy in but with a little wiggling it can be done. 

Come on guys, these are live steam engines, mechanical devices. A little WD40 a rag and call it done, they are not pianos!


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

You could always lay track down to and through the local "brushless carwash"!!!!


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By Dan Pantages on 17 Aug 2009 09:25 PM 
Wait till the wife is out. Set the dishwasher on cool dry and run your engine through the cycle. Sometimes hard to get the Big Boy in but with a little wiggling it can be done. 

Come on guys, these are live steam engines, mechanical devices. A little WD40 a rag and call it done, they are not pianos! 


Okay Dan,
I really HAVE to see how you get the piano in the dishwasher!!!
If they're black, let them get dirty.
If they are a bright colour, then take a little more time to get them clean.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## TonyW (Jul 5, 2009)

Hot water, dish washing liquid and a soft brush are all my locos (from Finescale Hunslet to Accucraft NGG16) ever see, and with one exception they are all R/C. I've been doing this for 20 years and it hasn't done them any harm so far!


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## mack505 (Jan 2, 2008)

Larry Mosher built a wash rack at his layout. It has a hose connected directly to a hot water supply, and a simple table to hold the loco. I believe he uses Goo Gone as a detergent. Works great!


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