A friend in Brooklyn, NY lived in one of those tall old Victorian houses with three floors on top of a big basement, and topped with a huge walk-through attic over the top of the whole thing. The attic, shaped by dormers and architectural flourishes, was broken down into spaces to reflect the rooms of the third floor and was floored but not finished. He had trains set to run through all of those rooms with dioramas throughout. The ultimate treat for any visitor was to be invited to stand on the steep folding stairway at about waist-high in that space and have the trains and lights on and running all around you. The occasional derailings or collisions were cause for much activity by the various engineers overseeing the operation. What a floor show!

Sewing machine oil is particularly good for your train use because it comes in specialized containers meant to pinpoint the oil delivery. No one who sews wants machine oil on the working surface of the machine, where it would ruin or damage the fabric. Be patient with that kind of container--don't squeeze it too hard or you'll have an explosion of oil.

eBay is good for trains and paraphernalia, but for this kind of restoration I would be inclined to look for area flea markets first. eBay can provide a price and materials guide, but at a flea market you can get your hands on the stuff for sale and plug things in to see if they really work. And if you find someone selling these train materials you're also likely to tap into a local network through that vendor. There are tons of flea markets around Texas, and the granddaddy of flea markets is the Canton, Texas, First Monday market that is huge. Do you have something comparable in Idaho?

SRS