One section of the layout must have been stored near a heat source or a vent, because both the FasTrack and the RealTrax are badly corroded. What’s the best way to take the corrosion off? Can I do it with the track mounted on the layout, or do I need to take the track off? Thanks for the help.
Not sure if it will work well, others will be by soon to give better adivce, I’m sure, but to get rust off tools and other things, I have used WD-40 and some tough scrubbing, or even 100% lemon juice (the acids in the juice get into the rust and loosten it)…
I have never had to really do that with any kind of track though, so I cannot say how well either would work…
I used Goo Gone on some gunky O22 switches…worked wonderfully!
DJ:
There was an article in CTT about a year ago that dealt with techniques to recover rusty track.
The article recommended using a Scotch-Brite pad to remove the rust, I tried it and it worked great. Once you get the rust off the rails you might want to think about treating them with Rail Zip or a similar track cleaner to help boost their conductivity. I’ve heard of folks using WD-40 to clean the rails after removing the rust and to put down a protective layer so that the rails don’t rust again but I don’t know what that does to traction tires, etc.
Good luck!
Thanks everyone. The scotch-brite pad worked fine on the corrosion, then I wiped it down with 91% alcohol.