TRACK CLEANING

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Kusojiji

Kusojiji

RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
I vacuum my floor daily. Vacuum my track 3 times a day. Clean the track with mineral spirits three times a day at least, letting it dry before running anything on it. Each time I do that, I still get black stuff on the cleaning pad like I never cleaned it. I run one train on it basically all day.

Sound about right?

Since I just cleaned it, I'll take a picture of the pad later at the next cleaning.
 
Kusojiji said:
. Clean the track with mineral spirits three times a day at least, letting it dry before running anything on it. Each time I do that, I still get black stuff on the cleaning pad like I never cleaned it. I run one train on it basically all day.

Sound about right?
Click to expand...
Sounds about what I see as well! I use mineral spirits too. Made the switch several years ago. I
Was using 91% rubbing alcohol. Mineral spirits has helped some in that regard.

It has gotten better since I am mainly metal wheels, but I can clean and run over it again and still
get black streaks. Very rarely does it effect running. I have a set of feeders for each piece of track.
Probably helps a great deal that I have keep alive in almost every locomotive I run.

So I get your frustration!
 
Kills my 0-4-0s. To calm down a bit, I'm running my GP35 right now. It don't care.

Another messed up thing is that my HO track is really bad at this. My N track, which runs alongside, is not as bad. I run my 4-6-4 with a few cars behind it all day without issues.

migalyto said:
I have a set of feeders for each piece of track.
Click to expand...
Wow! I bet that took a lot of wire management.
 


I’ve never cleaned my track with any chemicals on my track only a bright boy or lately a big eraser (pink one) don’t know if color makes a difference but between the two my track run fine. When I see the locomotive starting to studder I take the eraser and rub down the tracks and it will clean all the dark stuff off the rails.

Once in a while I will take some paper towels and put some 91% alcohol and run the locomotives wheel on that to clean the wheels but very seldom do I do that.

I have sound in my locomotives and no keep alive in any of them. And have had no problems with power and not all my tracks have feeder wires to them.

Switches power the track for some of the industries. When it’s thrown for that track power is to that track other wise track Has no power and I’ve had no issues with track power with the eraser as my track cleaning tool.

Try the eraser idea might surprise you how well it works.
 
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What track are you using, that might come in to play.
I clean mine much the same but I run a centerline car dry for a few trips which seems to help with the black gunk.
Another thing that may contribute is plastic wheels on the cars.
 
I have Kato unitrack for HO and N. I'll give the dry approach a try. I made a box car with a DCC concepts track rubber underneath it.

Home Page | Layout Concepts

Home Page | Layout Concepts
www.dccconcepts.com www.dccconcepts.com

I haven't used it in a while as I thought the particles that it leaves behind would be detrimental. I guess I can drag my vacuum car behind it.

THanks!
 
I have used in the passed is a box car with a couple holes in it and a Masonite pad with screws supper glued to it. Use rough sides to the tracks and the screws up through holes in box cars. Run it around with the next freight and see how much crap it collects. Few trips and the track will be clean.
 
Same here. 3D printed a box car and added a slice of the cleaning block to it. Even made one for the CMX cleaner.
DCC CONCEPTS PAD CAR.jpg
CMX PAD CAR.jpg
 
I use two cars about once a full year has passed. I push a Bachmann typical track cleaner boxcar ahead of my heavy all-metal PCM Y6B (PCM was a Broadway Limited Imports edition along with Platinum, Paragon, Stealth, and Blueline). Dragging behind the Y6b is my CMX track cleaner, heavy brass 'tank car' into which I have used kerosene, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. As far as I am concerned, each cleaner fluid did a good job, if not a great job, and I do get a full year's use out of the rails, meaning four seasons of humidity variation, dust, pollen, heat and cool (my train room has a dehumidifier running pretty much 24/7, but the late spring and early summer tend to be quite dry here).

I rate the CMX care very highly. It's a nice piece of kit, if expensive, but what price would an avid hobbyist pay to run trains instead of always nudging locomotives along to get to a cleaner stretch of rails?
 


Kusojiji said:
Didn't seem to be too effective, but will give the cleaning block car a go. Willing to try anything! Appreciate the reply!
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I used to clean my track monthly with erasers, IPA on a rag, etc…

But since I applied NO-OX-ID “A SPECIAL” to the rail tops 2 maybe 3 years ago I haven’t cleaned my tracks once..
minimal single application of NO-OX-ID with just a light amount on your fingertips…once and done..

My locos run perfectly with no stuttering.. I still have 4 unused boxes of erasers if anyone wants to buy at a deep discount…



IMG_4265.jpeg
 
Kusojiji said:
I have Kato unitrack for HO and N. I'll give the dry approach a try. I made a box car with a DCC concepts track rubber underneath it.

Home Page | Layout Concepts

Home Page | Layout Concepts
www.dccconcepts.com www.dccconcepts.com

I haven't used it in a while as I thought the particles that it leaves behind would be detrimental. I guess I can drag my vacuum car behind it.

THanks!
Click to expand...
This works VERY well, the Aluminum Oxide pad cleaner does not scratch the rail. Useing it on O gauge track. You can thin-slice the dirt off and refresh the surface.

USA link
ttps://ironplanethobbies.com/product/dccconcepts-jumbo-track-cleaner-aluminium-oxide-in-pure-rubber-dct-tcb?searchid=342780&search_query=Jumbo+Track+Cleaner+(Aluminium+Oxide+in+Pure+Rubber)


Pep
 
Kusojiji said:
Wow that's awesome! Glad you are having that much success. I saw on another thread that one guy uses a graphite pencil. Will have to look into that as well.
Click to expand...
I have seen this as well, a graphite rod or bar rubbed here and there along the rails and the trains distribute it. However, I believe the idea first was to actually clean the rails...so that step can't be avoided AFAIK.
 
I surprisingly don't have to clean mine that often, I use the John Allen method, a boxcar with holes drilled in the bottom with two screws (or nails) glued to a strip of Masonite. I run one of these with most of my trains, keeps the rails pretty clean longer. (Rough side on the rails) I can't seem to find a photo of one of mine, but here's a diagram I found of one on the web.
HO track cleaning car.png
 
Colorado Midland Modeler said:
I surprisingly don't have to clean mine that often, I use the John Allen method, a boxcar with holes drilled in the bottom with two screws (or nails) glued to a strip of Masonite. I run one of these with most of my trains, keeps the rails pretty clean longer. (Rough side on the rails) I can't seem to find a photo of one of mine, but here's a diagram I found of one on the web.View attachment 219464
Click to expand...

I think the Masonite is also a good candidate.

Pep
 
Well I just ran out of my regular cleaning fluid today so I started looking at alternatives.
I never thought of trying WD-40 before but according to the list below it’s actually far less polar than what I’ve been using thus far.
Much to my surprise it actually took gunk off my locomotive wheels that I had just cleaned previously!
So far I see no evidence of residue left behind on the rails so if this works out woohoo!
Has anyone else tried this?
IMG_1571.jpeg
 


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