My track’s long overdue for cleaning; even though my locos run somewhat OK on it, I can see the oxidization build-up. My question: Is it OK to use a brite-boy to rub the tracks clean? Or is it something that was more applicable to the days of brass track?
I’ve heard a few people say I should never use a brite-boy because it will scratch the track, and cause even more dirt to accumulate on it. Other people say it’s perfectly fine, and the only thing other than solvents [which might leave residue] for really getting caked-on crud off the track.
Wiping with alcohol should get much of the crud off for you, and then you can follow up with a quick, light buff using the Bright Boy. I don’t know why they would market something so successfully and widely used if it were as deleterious to the tracks as some folks insist they are.
Aw, come on, Brite-Boys are perfectly fine. They are not abrasive like sandpaper. And, as Selector points out, if they were bad for your track, they wouldn’t be for sale so many decades after they were introduced.
Many of us including myself use a Brite-Boy. Once you use them, they do leave tiny scratches that gather more crud and cause problems with DCC in the long run. Cleaning with a cleaner might be the best way or burnishing the rails with a contact burnishing tool that does not scratch the rails.
The rolling stock wheels also gather crud and must be cleaned at some point or they will continue to unload crud back to the rails.
The reason I use the Brite-Boy is they work quickly.
I amn one of those who feels the size of the abrasive grit in Bright Boys is too large. When I use an abrasive, I use a “Pink Pearl” eraser. It’s basically a big blob of the stuff that’s on the end of a pencil eraser. It seems to me to have a much finer abrasive than the Bright Boy.
I’ll add that I prefer not to use an abrasive if I can avoid it. Sometimes I just wipe the track with a paper towel (dry). Other times I might use a paper towel with a solvent. I’ve used kerosene, but I think it leaves a slight residue–the famous Wahl clipper oil leaves one too, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I repeat that I try to avoid abrasives, and it’s for the same reason mentioned by another poster: I’m worried about putting scratches in the rail surface.
I gave up on Brite-boys a few years ago. I only use alcohol and a paper towel or a nylon brush on a rotary tool (only once…on low speed). There’s less of a chance of abraision to track and wheels.
The same could be said for Athearn’s sintered iron wheels, but we insist on preferring nickel silver wheels now. What about plastic freight car wheels ? - we’ve since learned the benefits of metal wheel-sets. And lets not forget brass track - it was the standard for many years until we discovered the benefits of nickel silver track.
It’s all about progress and knowledge. Something that was marketed so successfully for so many years has been displaced by better products and methods. The Bright-boy is as old as brass track itself. We are learning new and better methods of track cleaning and maintence and it has been proven that ANYthing abrasive used on the rail scratches the surface and attracts dirt and gunk more rapidly. The current trend that is growing more popular is the use of polishes and burnishing methods.
With that said - I’ll tip the scale …
I’m fully against them or anything that is abrasive. I adhere strictly to metal polish ( like Flitz ) on a rag and buff them to a shine and am currently in the process of burnishing the rails as well. I can go for months on end without cleaning the polished sections and haven’t had to touch the burnished sections for over two years !!!. Draw your own conclusions.
We cleaned the rails on our modular layout with a Brite-Boy, as many of the modules hadn’t been operated for a while. The trains worked worse after the cleaning! We figured out that the material removed from the track still stayed around as fine dust. Wiping the tracks with a dry rag cleared it up. I now use alcohol on a rag to clean mine, it sure does show the removed crud after a few passes.
I notice my Brite-boys get harder the older they are. Oldest one is about as hard as sandstone. I only use one which is still flexible,and then wipe with alcohol. Joe
I bought a Brite-Boy but have never used it. I prefer Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol and a lent free cloth. I wouldn’t even consider using sandpaper of ANY grit. Why?
You scratch the smooth surface of the track, leaving crevices to catch more dirt and debris
You still need to clean off the tracks after you finish sanding them.
I’ll stick with alcohol and mechanical rubbing. I clean my tracks maybe once a year - twice, at most. So, to answer your question: No to Brite-Boy.
I have a couple of brite boys, but the only time I use one is when I get a little scenery residue on a rail, then I use brite boy very lightly to loosen the scenery. Otherwise, my track cleaning is two Tony’s CMX cars, one wet, one dry on a work train.
Decide for yourself. Examine a piece of “dirty” track with a good 10X magnification lens (like a Coddington or Hasting’s triplet) or a jeweler’s loup. Rub it with the bright-boy and then re-examine. If you can live with what you see go for it!
I’m in the “no bright boy” camp. All those little scratches collect dirt faster than before. The bright-boys work great but one has to keep using them and use them more frequently. They have been banned from the club I belong to.
Wow, I knew if I waited long enough, the 'nay’s would come out!
Maybe it was the sintered wheels on my set of Ahtearn RTR AC4400’s that contributed to their poor performance Thursday night, which led to me thinking about the track cleaning question…
Yep, mine is still inside its original blister package. And from the looks of things, that’s where it’ll stay! Guess I’ll head over to Wally World and pickup some metal polish, that seems to be the most trouble-free approach.
Used to use them for all track cleaning in the past. There were times at the old layout that a dozen of us members would be scrubbing the rails all over the place before shows or operations.
Now the old club, and most of the handlaid brass rail was first done in 1953-54, was in a musty dusty basement of an old building. The layout was old and we used old methods to try to keep it clean. Don’t know whether the new layout with nickle silver and in a climate controlled space is staying so much cleaner do to this and only clean the track with alcohol or laquer thinner in track cleaning car.
A brite boy is only used if for some reason scenery glues or paint gets on any unprotected rail.
I believe that they are abrasive, but it’s not a rail grinder. Yet some of that ancient brass in the old club had some spots where I could see that the brass railhead was worn and rounded off. From normal wear or cleaning over many, many years–who knows.
I guess it’s your choice as to what to use to keep the rails clean, pending your individual circumstances and conditions.
I used a couple of Brite Boys on my layout and my clubs layout for a few years. I bought a CMX Clean Machine so now the Brite Boys only get used if I get glue or scenery material on the track. They still have a place in my tool box. I discovered a quick way to clean them. Get a old piece of carpet and rub the Brite Boy on it, it really cleans them up.