As I consider cleaning the wheels of my large freight car collection, I am wondering if anyone has stumbled upon an easy method? I keep hearing that cleaning the wheel treads with a track cleaning eraser, like a Bright Boy, is the most common way... however, this seems long and tedious when having to clean so many wheel sets.
Can anyone share an easier method, or some helpful advice?
Thanks!
Yes, While rotating the wheels, individually, dab the affected surfaces with a Q-Tip dipped in alchohol, Goof-Off, Goo-Gone, paint thinner, acetone, WD-40, or any other petroleum distillate. Try really hard to keep whatever you use off your fingers and off of any plastic...such as the trucks.
Set each car aside and do another four our five. Then, in the order that you dabbed, take each car and wipe the wheel with a paper towel. A sharp blade might come in handy for stubborn stains, but you should find that these products will do a good job of cleaning your wheels.
Note that metal wheels, while not immune, tend to keep your rails cleaner, and tend to keep clean longer themselves. Plastic wheels, on the other hand, tend to muck up the rails before long and will accrue to themselves a lot of the muck.
