What Track Cleaning Car do you Think is the Best....?


Greg@mnrr

Section Hand
I have two Centerline track cleaning cars, a box car fitted with Masonite and a Walther's box car with abrasive pad. None of which I feel do a good or lasting track cleaning job.

I plan on using the method from TrainMaster that uses Track Magic followed by a minimum amount of graphite applied to the rails. But...

What are your experiences will track cleaning cars and what is your opinion?

Thanks...

Greg

###############
 
Technically all of my cars are track cleaning cars. I run my layout at a minimum of 5 days a week and that keeps the track clean. I have Dust Monkeys on all cabooses, 18 of them, but I still think that constant running does more good. Once every 18 months or so, needed or not, I run a train with a Masonite car, a Walther's abrasive car, and a Centerline car; all pushed by whatever loco is available, on main lines and passing sidings.. Once every two years, I use a Woodland Scenics Tidy track cleaning wand on industrial spurs, but I also don't normally have any issues there either.
Disclaimer: My layout is not in a garage or basement which admittedly are more dust prone than my train shed.
 
CMX Clean Machine followed by two Centerline cars to mop up the residue
That's what are club uses. If cleaning by hand this is the best for track and wheels.
 
This discussion comes up about once a quarter, but, here goes:

a. metal wheelsets do a great job between cleanings;

b. when you do have to clean, and you know why, it's best to use a non-polar fluid. High on a list published on modelrailroadhobbyist site four years ago are, in order, kerosene, WD-40 Contact Cleaner, and CRC. Auto transmission fluid, Wahl's Clipper Oil, and lacquer thinner, other popular choices, are well down the list as they are semi-polar.

I have used alcohol and 600 girt paper to good effect, but nothing seems to last. I purchased a CMX last year and ran it with lacquer thinner to do the initial cleaning job per their instructions. See the list above...though. Anyway, I did as they asked, and then dabbed kerosene on the dried rails. Works pretty well.

If the rails are free of dust, and don't have the black organic streaking on them near the frogs, or at crossings, etc, then use a large, clean, steel washer over the rails. They do a pretty solid job as well.

Run trains for five minutes each week.
 
Using sandpaper or even a Bright Boy on your rails will scratch them and provide a grip for crud that would otherwise wipe off easily.
 
A good way to finish rails after treatment with a Bright Boy or find grit, and even when they're brand spankin' new (the tooling that extrudes the rails leaves grooves as well), is to run a clean 1.5" or larger steel washer back and forth over the bearing surface. That's part of the famous 'gleaming' process.
 
Always use pleanty of motive power to pull your track cleaner around.

20211127_101852.jpg
 
Not sure how far you've progressed with the track cleaning car idea - I purchased a CMX tank car track cleaner and found it very good to run over the track occasionally. The best advice I ever got regarding tack cleaning was via a YouTube post by Gregg of Fishplate Films - link attached

First word of advice - don't use any abrasive track rubbers or scourers if you can possibly find another way to clean stubborn spots - they destroy the smooth surface of the rail and lead to more track contamination than you started with. I have also abandoned Isopropyl alcohol where possible except to clean some stubborn wheels. I follow Greggs' advise and use a product called INOX which cleans the track and helps prevent oxidisation of the cleaned rail. Things have never run better or for longer between track cleaning sessions. There are numerous other YouTube videos from other modellers who have fully endorsed Greggs findings. Hope this helps
 



Back
Top