I have a LOT of operating problem stemming from either dirty track or dirty wheels. I don’t know what to do, as the layout only runs “well” for 3 or 4 days, then it starts to degrade. Is there something I should be doing differenty?
I clean the track with a bright boy, loco wheels with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel, there are feeders about every 6 or 7 feet, the track is Atlas Code 100 nickel silver, and the locomotives are mostly Atlas.
I use a Digitrax Zephyr. (Don’t know how that’ll help, but oh well.)
It depends on your railroads “atmosphere”. if your environment is dusty then you will have a lot of dirty track problems. I always have this problem after working on a section of scenery, but then I clean it then its good for a while. I only “run” trains once a week or so and I think that makes the track accumulate more crud. SO to answer your question, I clean about once a month with the CMX followed by the Centerline car dry. I use Lacquer thinner in the CMX and I have had good luck. What the cleaning cars miss I hit with a t-shirt and a small amount of carb cleaner to finish it off. I am very careful not to get the carb cleaner on the ties, they will disintegrate![soapbox]
It’s in the basement, but the furnace is never on, (house is heated by a pellet stove) so that doesn’t create that much dust. The room isn’t finished, ([}:)]) so that might have something to do with it.
I haven’t clean a engine wheel since last May.However,they are ran weekly at the club.I clean some car wheels the other day…Neither of the club layout tracks been clean for weeks maybe months.We no longer get excited about cleaning track since we operate weekly…
Try wiping the track with alcohol after using the Bright Boy. You might be leaving rubbed-off scunge on the railhead, where the loco can pick it up. You don’t have to scrub; a light wipe should do. Perhaps, too, the rolling-stock wheels should be cleaned a little - they might be leaving dirt. Along with these, you can build a John Allen slider car to prevent dirt from accumulating. Run it in some of your trains, or do like I do and tow it around all the track with a beater trainset loco, at top speed, while you’re doing other stuff.
One more idea is to burnish the track. I am using a modified Gleam Method on my mixed brass, steel, and NS track, and it really does seem to help. Dirt seems to collect more slowly, and what does accumulate is easy to remove.
Aah! If the ceiliing is not finished there is the potential for a lot of dust and crud to fall onto the layout. You might want to experiment with hanging a large piece of plastic (vapor barrior plastic works) under the rafters and see if that helps. I suspect that you will find a lot of stuff on the plastic after a week or two.
Also if the floor/walls are unsealed concrete they will give off some dust. Sealer or paint should help.
Some would say that the bright boy is too coarse and scratches the rail leaving places for dirt to stick.
Finally, metal wheels and frequent running do seem to keep the rails cleaner. My theory is that this burnishes the railhead, removing small scratches and making it harder for crud to cling to them.
To answer your OP, I clean parts of the layout approximately monthly with a soft cloth and denatured alcohol. Loco wheels get cleaned when they need it. I don’t keep track of the interval but probably 4-12 weeks. It does vary.
It must have to do with vapours and particulate matter, even aerosols, as well as dander and house dust. Finished rooms are great, they really help.
Like so many who answer these questions, I almost never have to clean anything that rotates on my layout. I don’t vacuum regularly, I don’t wipe or clean the rails, I just run several trains every week, not even most days, and my rails and tire surfaces stay bright and shiny.
I wonder if over-lubrication might be a wee part of the problem. It could also be that if the basement contains open liquids with high volatility, or if it has a lot of fabricated wood materials found in boxed, u-assemble-it furniture, it may contribute to a mix in the air that the tiny sparking and ozonation around the wheels and pickups helps to turn into wisps of gunk that migrates to the rails due to the charges in them.
My layout is in a climate controlled room in the house and the door is always kept shut when the trains are not running. I have not cleaned the track thoroughly in about 3 years.
Two months ago I realized that the track could use a cleaning, and also realized that my plastic wheelsets were starting to get gummy. Well, I picked up 600 33 in and 100 36 in Intermountain metal wheelsets, and that should go far in clearing up the wheel gunk. And, at the same time, I’m doing the “bright boy thing” to all trackage and a little alcohol wipe afterwards. With any luck, that should hold me for another couple years…
I’ve found that dirty track and wheels are a major problem(obviously!) My layout(HO) is in a bedroom, so i don’t have to worry about dust as much, however I found that i need to a cleaning session every month or so, providing that I run my trains frequently. I do use some plastic wheels and they spred dirt all over the place.[sigh][banghead]. Oh well. I’ll eventually change over to all-metal wheels.[:-^]
[sigh] MY NEXT LAYOUT WILL BE IN A FINISHED ROOM, EVEN IF IT MEANS A SWITCHING LAYOUT!
The question is, will I remember…[:-^] I knew that from the start, but it’s a little pricey…
“Hey Dad, will you pay to finish my layout room?” Somehow I doubt I’d get an answer I wanted. How much does it cost anyway? The other thing is, I’m going to be moving out in around 5 to 7 years, so will it be worth it?
I have considered switching to metal wheels,I’ll try to get some done as soon as I can drag myself into the cold basement…
I’ve heard of the “Gleam” method, but could someone give me an explanation?
I clean my loco wheels once or twice a month and the track gets wiped down about once a year. The wheels of the rolling stock get cleaned when needed, maybe once a year or so.
Don’t fret. Mine’s in an unfinished 1910s basement.
Disadvantages: Dusty. I have to clean track sometimes.
Advantages: I have no qualms about claiming an unfinished room for Man Sanctuary purposes. Its properties are well-suited for the purpose. Conversely, there is a lot more of the house that needs work, and I would feel bad if I used a finished room for my hobby, when we need it for other uses.
Besides, the grungy depths of the basement are pleasing to that cave dweller that lies deeply buried in all of us, and provides a sort of air of mystery. Who doesn’t want a subterranean lair?
However, if you can install a drop ceiling, paint the walls with parge or Sunnydry, and perhaps seal the floor, you can get rid of most dust problems.
This was mentioned earlier, but I had to remind myself to do it - so I’ll remind you…
After you clean your railheads with a bright boy or whatever, take a clean rag with a bit of alcohol on it and wipe the rails. You would be surprised at what it picks up! I guess its some of the grit/grime left by the bright boy, but the alcohol does do a great job.
And those metal wheels are a major improvement over plastic… but if you have any grade - intentional or not - on your layout, those metal wheeled cars will find it!
When it comes to having clean track that stays clean, you might want to try this. It was posted by one of the members of the Model Railroader forum. It worked for me. It’s called ‘GLEAM’.
QUOTE: (Originally posted by Semafore)
I’m talking GLEAM!: ULTRA_SHINY and Smooth rails can now be had with my ‘WHAT box?" approach to this conductivity problem. An HO modeller since 1970, I know the problem WELL!
THIS IS A ONE-TIME PROCESS. DO ALL TRACK!!
1] On an appropiate-sized block, use 400 wet/dry paper to remove the extrusion milling left on the railheads. The block must span both rails.
2] Now use 600 or finer, repeat process.
3] Using an appropiate-sized STAINLESS-STEEL piece, apply moderate pressure and BURNISH the rails! The more you slide back and forth, the smoother and shinier the rails become! [ the GLEAM part ]. This is because you have removed the ridges, bumps, and pits. Burnishing helps seal pores with metal, eliminating traps for dirt and tarnish; almost like a MIRROR!
4] [For Bob H.] Use BLUE MAGIC or equivalent metal polish to deep-clean the remaining contaminates.
5] Last, buff the rails to your eye’s content!
The shine is 5x more lusterous than just polish alone. The wax left behind is minimal, is not insulating, and virtually eliminates rail cleaning.
This is a process HOT OFF THE PRESSES! [Of my brain] I’ve only been at it 6 weeks with amazing results! {I just added the wax step today.} prior to that, though, the NS HO rails I’m guinea-pigging (300’) sans wax STILL gleams today, with slight tarnishing, so I’m gonna wax 'em next!
I will also try some classic brass rail to see how that stands up.
AND REMEMBER; NO MORE ABRASIVES…EVER!!!
Or you’ll just ruin your mirror finish, and
I agree: if the dirt isn’t in the room, it shouldn’t cause a problem. My layout is in its own room, finished except for the unpainted concrete floor. The only loco that gets its wheels cleaned is a steamer from the 1950s, and only because it has brass drivers. I haven’t cleaned track in the-over-15 years that the layout has been in use, and most of my rolling stock has plastic wheels, too: plastic wheels may spread or collect dirt, but they don’t appear to cause it. [swg] I vacuumed the layout for the first time about a month ago, mainly to get rid of a few cobwebs on some of the structures. And for those of you with layouts in rooms used for other activities, the dust generated by daily living is probably the source of much of your trouble. Any room with carpet, especially a bedroom, will generate an enormous amount of dust. People moving around, or even a forced-air heating or cooling system, will move it everywhere, including onto your layout.
Well, I’ve found all my un-used metal wheels and installed them. Now I just have to see if it makes a differance.
Finishing the room isn’t an option, as I’m a teen with a VERY limited income, and installing them over the layout would be a pain. Well, there’s always next time.
I clean track a couple of times a year, usually after changing the layout some way that caused dust. But here are some things that help: [1] run trains often – nearly every day. [2] remove carpet and install tile – really helped. [3] suspended ceiling for basement train room. [4] hot water heat with radiators – not forced air. [5] no smoking in house – my smoking son and daughter head for the back porch when the need overcomes them. I do vacuum frequently because Lucy, my labrador retriever, has a bed under the layout and is usually with me. When I clean, I use a Bright Boy, alcohol wipe, and vacuum with a MicroMark attachment for the floor vac. I have the Atlas track cleaner car, too, and it’s amazing how much that little bitty vac can pick up.