Bachmann Trains · Budget
Bachmann's E-Z Lube Conductive Contact Lube (item 99981) is a one-fluid-ounce bottle of liquid that the maker presents for electric pickup, contact maintenance and track cleaning, and lists as suitable for any scale.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
Bachmann's product page introduces this lube in one sentence: for superior electric pickup, contact maintenance and track cleaning, it calls E-Z Lube Conductive Contact Lubricant the modeler's choice. The scale line on the page reads suitable for any scale, so the same bottle is not tied to HO, N or any other gauge. The page's photographs show the product in use: a hand holds the bottle with a long needle tip fitted and aims it at one of the trucks of a yellow and black diesel locomotive held in the other hand. Bachmann sells it as one member of its E-Z Lube line. The shop lists Grease, Heavy Gear Oil and Light Gear Oil as separate items in the same category, each with its own page. Grease is described for applications that need a more viscous material, Heavy Gear Oil for larger locomotive gears only, and Light Gear Oil for gears, bearings, valve gears and side rods. None of those three pages mentions electrical contact.
The product page gives no directions: no quantity per application, no list of parts it is meant for, no cleaning steps. What it does show is on the bottle. The label reads item 99981, Conductive Contact Lube, Plastic Compatible, with the warning Harmful if Swallowed and Keep Away from Children, Ages 14+, and 1 fluid ounce. In the photograph of the packaged item, the bottle sits in a bag under a hanging card that says Made in USA, with a black cap and a needle sitting beside the bottle, while the bottle itself carries a white cap. Bachmann's documents page links a safety data sheet under the title E-Z Lube Conductive Lube MSDS. The sheet itself is headed Conducta Lube and Cleaner and issued by Aero-Car Hobby Lubricants, with its own product code, so read it as the supplier's sheet for the liquid rather than a sheet formatted by Bachmann. It describes a clear, colourless liquid without odour, a paraffinic hydrocarbon, classified as not hazardous under OSHA regulations. It says the liquid may be combustible or burn at high temperatures above its flash point, which it gives as above 110 degrees Celsius. It advises avoiding contact with eyes, skin and clothing, washing hands thoroughly after handling, and keeping the container tightly closed away from open flames, and it calls safety glasses or goggles and chemical-resistant gloves advisable.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| UPC | 022899999814 |
| Model | 99981 |
| Scale | Suitable for any scale |
| Contents | 1 fluid ounce (bottle label) |
| Applicator | Needle tip shown in photographs |
| Label wording | Plastic Compatible |
| Recommended age | 14 and up |
| Shipping weight | 0.1 lbs |
An adult or teenager of 14 or older who maintains model locomotives and track in any scale and wants Bachmann's own contact lubricant rather than a gear oil. A parent buying it for a young hobbyist should read the bottle warning first: it says Harmful if Swallowed and Keep Away from Children, and Bachmann's recommended age is 14 and up.
Bachmann's own E-Z Lube Light Gear Oil is described on its page as recommended for all gears, bearings, valve gears and side rods, and Heavy Gear Oil as for larger locomotive gears only, so they cover moving parts instead of electrical contact. The E-Z Lube Rail and Road Track Cleaner, a six-ounce bottle, is listed in the same category.
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