My 19 car postwar train started decoupling and derailing the other day, after running fine for weeks.
I decided to clean the track on the main loop (isopropyl alcohol). It seemed to make an improvement.
Once in a “blue moon”. I have not found a cleaning car that is as good as a good old rag with alcohol. I do fine that nickel silver does not “dirty” as quick as other tracks.
Not very often, maybe 4-5 times a year.
I try for once a month.
laz57
HO scale every time before I run.
S gauge tinplate - once a month. only local spots
O gauge new tinplate track - never
O gauge gargraves - once a month
Every two months with a Trackman 2000.
I have heard of cleaning track for electrical reasons but I have never heard of cleaning track for "decoupling and derailing " reasons. That’s a new one.
Earl
All the time. I’m always pulling my home-made track cleaning car around one of the main lines, switching from line to line every few weeks.
Can anyone tell me how much of an effect the dust that is blown from your furnace has on your track and trains? … or is this “dust” the main issue with having to clean your track frequently?
I’ve been setting mouse traps to keep the cat off of the layout - seems to work in the evening. I’m not sure if she gets up on the layout during the day. She better watch where she steps - SNAP!!!
Brad
Gargraves/tubular layout… 25 switches… built in 1971. Track has never been cleaned.
On the annual Christmas CC, once a week or so.
Rob
My thinking is: clean track should help minimize rolling friction, hence reduce decouplings and derailings caused by excessive drag. [And it’s much quicker to clean a loop of track than to reclean wheels on 20 or so cars (which I had cleaned within the last 6 months)]
runtime
I watch the pickup wheels for arcing and the illuminated cars for flickering to determine when to clean track. I wonder if residual smoke fluid is a legitimate contributor to making the track get dirty quicker?
Jim
I clean my track about 3 times a year at the most. After you clean with Isopropyl Alcohol, a LIGHT coat of WD-40 applied to the track with a wrag helps keep the dust and dirt and grime at bay.
Brad, my furnance is on the other side of the basement. Any dust that settles on the layout comes from the ceiling above - which is open - just the floor joists for the first floor. Fortunately, I don’t have much I can see - and that’s my test.I guess if you can see it and it bothers you, you can go after it with one of those dusting things that look like a big fuzzy ball on a stick - I did find a nice sided spider web back in the corner of a yard - showed me how long it had been since I’d run that rolling stock - LOL.
Was reading in CTT about how dedicated track used just at Christmas and properly stored the months in between can begin to oxidize and should probably be given the once over with the scotch brite pad before assembly around the tree. Same with roller pick-ups. Beats trying to crawl under there after the fact. Berk’s WD40 pre-emptive wipe down was also suggested.
Jack
Does anyone know if traction tires leave residue on the tracks? My track has been used very little because the layout is not yet operational. Yet, I can wipe my palm over any area that has been used and see black residue on the palm. I suspect traction tires will wear on the track, especially when hauling long consists or traveling up grades. Most of my engines use traction tires.
Bill
Doug, Thanks for the reply!
From your forum responses, I’ve gathered that you are a busy father with smaller children. I too have two kids and find it difficult to get a few minutes with my trains. Then when you actually get a few minutes - the last thing you want to have to do is to spend most of your time cleaning the track!!! … or having to nudge a train that has poor contact with the track!
I did purchase the track cleaner below, but haven’t experimented with it yet. I’m thinking that if I hook it up behind my 2026 and then run the engine in reverse - this would/should clean the track rather quickly and give me more time for running trains than cleaning track.
I’m liking the Scotch-Brite idea too - maybe a once-over wouldn’t hurt before I transition to the track cleaner below.
I recall you saying that you have a track cleaning car too. Did you build your own?
Brad
Random thoughts:
Nineteen cars are quite a few; especially if they are heavy “postwar” cars and the curves are relatively tight-radius.
It doesn’t do much good to clean the track if you don’t also clean the wheels and rollers.
I wouldn’t put WD-40 on the track (or wheel surfaces) under any circumstances. It leaves a gunky residue. Try Wahl Clipper oil or LGB smoke fluid – believe it or not. Personally, I prefer my track to be plain old clean with no “top-coat” of any kind.
Oil may cause the premature softening, deterioration, and failure of traction tires.
Wheels get so dirty sometimes it is necessary to scrape the black crud off mechanically or to use something like a Dremel tool with a wire brush wheel. Always use good eye protection (preferably double layers) for everyone within the same zip code when using such a tool as it will throw bristles of steel, brass, whatever.
Disintegrating traction tires leave a residue on the track, as does “spent smoke,” furnace dust , etc. Make sure the combustion chamber in your furnace is not
Don’t use any alcohol/water mix with less than 91% alcohol, otherwise some kinds of track will rust – sometimes as soon as overnight.
Over-oiling probably causes more dirty track/wheels than any other single cause. That said, a 19 car postwar train needs to be kept rolling freely or you are likely to get detrailments (especially on curves*) and/or uncoupling problems.
*Sometimes known as the “stringline effect.”
Brad, that’s a nice car. and you’re right about the kids. I seldom use the ‘elbow grease’ method for both time and access reasons, but running my homemade car - which is a weighted flat with scotch-brite pads between the trucks - ‘dry’ around the layout just attached to various trains seems to do the trick to get dust and/or crud off the very top of the rails - where it seems to matter.
I have only used WD-40 once just to try it out, but it was slimy. I’ll never use it again.