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I'm in the procces of doing the 'gleam' treatment on my track. But it won't make a lick of difference if I run equipment with dirty wheels on it. Loco wheels are easy to clean with my Kadee electric wheel cleaner; but freight cars are a PITA because I have to hold the free-rolling wheels steady while rubbing each one with an alcohol-soaked Q-tip. Very time-consuming. Is there a more efficient way to do this?
Ken, since you've got metal wheels, go to Wallyworld and pick up one of their cheap ultrasonic jewelery cleaning machines. Drop the wheels in and they will get sparkling clean in about a minute.
I use a small piece of scale lumber stripwood. I cut one end clean and square with a sharp blade and then used the resultant edge of the wood to scub the length of the tire surface as I rotate the wheel. It takes two minutes per item of rolling stock if it is especially dirty and hard, but the wood makes short work of it most of the time...about a minute a car if you are dextrous.
When doing lots of cars I use the re-railer that has been slotted for Handi Wipes and the Handi Wipe is wetted with contact cleaner. (shown in Model Railroader some months ago) A Handi Wipe wetted and just put across the rails will do in a pinch, and run the cars across it. What the other guys have said all works well too.
Now for the important part: Unless your roster consists entirely of Athearn Blue Box locos with the old sintered iron wheels, throw your Kadee wheel cleaner in the garbage! Those things were meant for those old Athearn sintered wheels. Use them on the more modern plated brass wheels and they will take the plating off in a very short time. Once the bare brass under the plating is exposed, your cleaning cycle gets increasingly short. Some may not care about this, however, if you talk to the guys at the Walthers service department, and many other modelers I have spoken with, these wire brush cleaners have fallen out of favor. They're 20 year old technology that's great for 20 year old equipment designs. Not so great for the new stuff. Do your locos (and yourself!) a favor.
Thanks alot for the input, gents! I think I'll start out with Bob's method (alcohol-soaked towel on rails) since it's the simplest [and most likely the cheapest, LOL].
Alan, I'm glad you mentioned that about the Kadee wheel brush - I've hardly ever used the thing, except maybe on my steel mill switchers because that track was the most troublesome. Guess I need to figure out some alternative method now for cleaning loco wheels...
I have used A battery powered dremel on low speed setting with A wire brush to clean the wheels on my frieght cars.
Just hold it to the wheels and give em A spin.
Whoa, sorry, but I have to disagree with that one! Goo Gone leaves a residue behind. It's great for removing tape residue after you paint the living room, and the other stuff it was designed for, but as a track or wheel cleaner, uh-uh! I know Centerline promotes it, but most have found it leaves a residue behind on the rails that attracts more crud. Stick to alcohol, contact cleaner or something similar.
