Does anyone have a suggestion for the best way to clean the wheels on this locomotive (or maybe all Rokuhan locos)? The manual says use a dry cloth to wipe the wheels. I find I can use Q-Tips to wipe down the "rear" set of wheels easily which look like they only do electrical pickup. I found after running for a few days, the loco started stuttering at low speeds and the constant lighting flickered at low speeds around certain track sections, but cleaning the rear "free" pickup wheels fixed this immediately. But what about the front set of wheels? These are the set of wheels where two of them have rubber tires, but they all obviously do some electrical pickup as well which requires wiping. The problem I find with the front wheels is that these front wheels are "locked" in place by the gears unless the loco is actually being powered so you cannot physically spin them yourself to clean them from all sides. Does anyone have a technique they use to clean Rokuhan engine wheels from all angles?
You need to power the locomotive while you're cleaning the wheels. You can set a piece of powered track across the pickup wheels to run the drive wheels for cleaning. Don't use alcohol on the wheels with the tires, it's not good for the rubber. If you are having to clean the loco every few days you should consider the cleanliness of the track too. Is it near a heating/air conditioning vent that could by dumping dust on the layout? Open windows & breezy day? I typically run an electronics grade alcohol wipe over as much track as I can then push an Aztec track cleaning car around the layout. Be careful with the alcohol wipe as it can damage paint. I do this before every operating session and I rarely (3-4 times per year) need to clean my locos. Hope this helps, Mark
http://www.trainboard.com/highball/...cleaner-from-tsugawa-yokou-model-12508.91978/ This should solve your issue with wheel cleaning. Still need to order one for myself.
Thanks for the replies. Kez, is that cleaner safe to use on the wheels that have rubber on them? I'd hate to wear down stuff prematurely. Looks really nice though.
Great wheel cleaner. Worth the effort. I an ordering the N scale version also. I got the Woodland Scenics version and it was a waste of money for me. Trey
Unfortunately, I can't answer your question regarding the traction tires, as I have not used this cleaner personally. Perhaps someone else will be able to lend their advice.
Perfectly safe on traction tires. It is very soft. Never use the brush type on traction tires. The BAZ BoyZ
Awesome. Thanks so much guys. Being new to the hobby I have so many questions. You have all on this board been very understanding and willing to share your knowledge. I really appreciate that. I seem quite often to have some very specific questions that don't have Google answers! (yet)!
