I use rubbing alcohol, the 70% stuff since the 100% is prescription only and my doctor won't accept clean track and wheels of my model trains as a viable excuse for him to give me a prescription for it. Paint stripping and cleaning up surfaces before soldering is some other uses I have for it. Don't know how I'd live withing isopropyl alcohol.
Yet, now I've read about the 'gleam method', I am keen to give it a go. Sounds promising.
Other methods I've used and learn't from are track rubbers, goo gone and pencil led.
Track rubbers are ok, but have the side effect of leaving rubbish around the track that later turns into more gunk on the rail (and wheel pick ups). It can damage point blades on turnouts and wears the rail. My club has something that does seem ok as a rubbing tool. It looks and feels like one of those foam sanding blocks. It is just abrassive enough to loosen gunk but not hard enough to damage track.
Goo gone seemed ok at first but it did leave too much goo around. I found the rubbing alcohol to be cleaner yet doing the same job. It does work though and if it suits some people then stick with it.
Now, pencil lead! Pencil lead is just graphite. Same stuff Kadee will sell you as dry lubricant powder. Graphite is conductive and shields metal from oxidization. I used to use brass track which took me ages to clean up at the begining of each session using both abrassive rubbers and serious attention with a foam cloth soaked in isopropyl alchol. The pencil lead (graphite powder) worked wonders in keeping brass track clean and conductive. The down side was, of course, it also made the rail very slippery. Real shame as it it great for the cleaning issue. Some people sware by pencil lead, but I have noticed they run very short narrow gauge trains with no gradients.
None the less, pencil lead is a good alternative for the poor man or the stingy man for lubricating couplers and axle tips. That's all I use it for now. I just thought I'd mention it for completeness.
In future I will try out the gleam method. I like the idea of shinny railheads as that is prototypical. I am worried it might reduce traction though and this is something I'll watch closely. Which reminds me, an account from the AMRM (Australian Model Railway Magazine) review team spoke of locos losing traction after the team finally got around to cleaning the track on their gradient test section. While dirty, engines could haul a decent load up the hill, but once cleaned the drawbar power noticably dropped off, even to the point of wheel spinning is some cases. They were supprised to find that the lose of conductivity was less of a problem than the lose of traction.
I am interested to read the views of experienced track cleaners in relation to conductivity versus traction.
One last thing, I haven't tried either Walh's hairclipper oil or ATF, but people say wonderfully things about them. And the balsa or masonite cleaning cars are raved about by some. Personally I am not sure which is best. I will continue to experiment.
PaulB
