I haven't ran my Lionel trains since 1992. Can I run them right out of the box? Do they need any maintenance?

Question

I'm planning on setting up my Lionel Trains this holiday season

Answer 1

Make sure you keep that steel wool away from any motor magnets.

Answer 2

Lube, polish, clean.

Lost some treasured N-gauge engines because they had sat for 20 years. WD-40 has it uses. With bigger gauges, you have a bit more tolerances. Just get ready to clean.

Answer 3

Lionel trains are some of the most durable ever made. A light oiling will go a long way. I use sewing machine oil on my trains a few drops and you're back in business. Use the Scotch Brite ( green ) pads to clean the pick ups and wheels. A coarse eraser (white ) will clean the tracks the best. You might consider getting a piece of plywood for under the tree because the carpet fuzz will stick to the freshly oiled motor and gears. Who knows you just might like to keep them running after the holidays.

Welcome back into model railroading!

Answer 4

They should run just fine without much trouble (it may take a bit of coaxing to break them back in).  However, a quick inspection to blow off/clean any dust/dirt within the movable/mechanical parts certainly would not hurt.  Also, giving all of the moving parts (particularly the locomotive[s]) a quick shot of oil would probably be a good idea as well.

Answer 5

Make sure the locomotive wheels and pickups are clean, and if the top of the rails are rusty, it might need some steel wool or a pass with one of those heavy 3M scrub sponges.

Yeah the mainlines shoot sparks on rusty rail too, but 600V arcs over rust better than 24V does.