I use Labelle 103, which is for model trains. A friend used ordinary 30/40 engine oil with his locos without issue.

I wouldn't use 'light' oil such as 3 in 1 oil, but any good quality mineral engine oil should be fine.

And yes, this topic has been discussed in the forum many times over!

An old Märklin leflet says that one can also use SAE 30W motor oil to lubricate locomotives.

Regards

Åke

Hi Des,all,

>My Marklin stuff hasn't been used for 25 years and, although it seems to be functioning, presumably some lubrication of locos, turnouts and other moving parts would be a good idea.<

It's a good idea to open things up,see if needs cleaning and lube and some replacements(brushes,springs,etc.) That will also give an idea on how things work.Notes&photos don't hurt either!

>Is it necessary or advisable to use Marklin oil?
Or will any light machine oil do the trick?
Or is there a specific type/grade/specification of oil that you would recommend?<

You'll see some suggestions below.I'm with Big Daddy on the Lebelle but I am now using WS oil very good stuff.
One other thing,on the new loks I have worked on grease seems be too popular with gearing!




>PS I did search to see if this topic had been discussed before, but searching for "oil" yielded thousands of results.<

Well we have talked about a thousand times!

D

Hello Ray!

Which are the reasons that Märklin oil isn't good? (in the perspective of those who don't like it)

Just in case, I also use Märklin oil...

Cheers,

Walter

The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by shear stress or tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal notion of "thickness". For example, honey has a higher viscosity than water.

Viscosity is due to the friction between neighboring particles in a fluid that are moving at different velocities. When the fluid is forced through a tube, the fluid generally moves faster near the axis and very slowly near the walls; therefore, some stress (such as a pressure difference between the two ends of the tube) is needed to overcome the friction between layers and keep the fluid moving. For the same velocity pattern, the stress required is proportional to the fluid's viscosity. A liquid's viscosity depends on the size and shape of its particles and the attractions between the particles.[citation needed]

A fluid that has no resistance to shear stress is known as an ideal fluid or inviscid fluid. Zero viscosity is observed only at very low temperatures, in superfluids. Otherwise all fluids have positive viscosity. If the viscosity is very high, for instance in pitch, the fluid will appear to be a solid in the short term. A liquid whose viscosity is less than that of water is sometimes known as a mobile liquid, while a substance with a viscosity substantially greater than water is called a viscous liquid.

Hi!
When I came back to the hobby more than 10 years ago I went to a Märklin dealer and asked for Märklin oil. He replied he would not sell that "motor glue" (Motorkleber was the German word he used) and that I could choose between Faller, Roco, Fleischmann. I took the Fleischmann oil as the bottle resembles the Märklin 7199 oil I was used to.

I used Märklin 7199 in the ’70s and nothing had hardened during 25 years of storage and everything worked fine.

OTOH I bought Märklin sets made in the ’90s new from the dealer - and motor and gear were locked with hardened oil.
Always the same story: new formula, a penny saved is a penny earned - and now the Märklin oil has a bad reputation (but it should be OK nowadays).

Apologies if this has been addressed but I couldn't find info specific to my question about lubrication for locomotives. I was at my local hobby shop checking out various oils and they all state on the packaging that they contain PTFE or teflon. Is that safe to use on Marklin locomotives from the early 1980s? Thanks in advance for any help or insight!

You could ask that question ten times and each time get a different answer.

Important thing to remember is that certainly up to the 60's and possibly a bit beyond, most lubricants were mineral, ie fossil fuels, and grease was often clay-based.

But for at least the past 20-30 years, synthetic lubricants have reigned supreme and have good properties.

Generally, the consensus also seems to be not to mix the two for best results but to be a purist in this regard would mean thoroughly cleaning out any old lubricants but that can also be quite invasive.

I've used modern lubricants on some quite old Loco's and had no issues.

Most model shops will stock good brands, such as the mentioned Labelle, Faller etc but some do have particular properties making them especially suitable for certain tasks such as lubricating plastics etc.

Cheers

Steve


PS - I'm not advising against Märklin's own oil, not for a second. I use it myself. But I think the question was more asking what 'other' oils could be used, if Märklin was not available at the local hobby shop.

Edited by user 24 May 2022 12:58:38(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi
There are different needs for Märklin gears:
- the historic Märklin production (1950 to 2000): winter grade motor oil is good (light machine oil is OK but a bit too fluid)
- the recent Märklin production (2000 to today): the Märklin oil (07149) is more fluid and formulated to avoid damaging plastic, now in constant use in transmissions). This is complemented by the Trix grease on worm gears (TR66626). Of course, ball bearings (SDS motors, etc) should be left alone
Cheers
Jean