First a little background. Our club layout is located in a restored Canadian Pacific sternwheeler. It is open to the public. We have 2 trains that run every day on a demand basis. From May to Sept. The doors are open allowing dust to blow in. Also we are on the main deck. Tourists walk around on the deck above. Who knows how much dust that causes to fall down on the layout. We have tried masonite pads on cars , contact cleaner, hand cleaning with rubbing alcohal & finnaly metal polish. All to no avail. Every 2 days the guys get a phone call that the trains are not running. So somebody goes over the track & cleans the wheels. I think the problem is the dust & humidity combining. The only solution as I see it is air conditioning & closed doors. Which is’nt going to happen. Sorry for the long post–just had to vent my frustrations.
Why don’t you try the “GLEAM” process that one of the forum members posted a few months back? There were at least 3 related topics. The process seems to be very effective. It involves using
400 grit 3M wet/dry sandpaper on a sanding block on top of the rails.
Followed by 600 grit over the rails.
Then swiping a stainless steel bar or plate on the rails.
Finally the metal polilsh.
Overall the process takes longer but the results seem to be worth it. I’m trying it on my shelf layout on one 5 foot stretch of track.
Go to the “Search” box at the bottom of this page. Type in: To Gleam or not to Gleam. The topics should come up. Be aware that some of the posts use a variation of the technique, but IMHO, the original idea seems to be the one with potential.
Why not have your club experiment with the technique on one heavily used section of track. Then observe it for an extended time period.
Antonio; I neglected to mention we also tried that with the same results. As I said we are right on the lakeshore so I think it is a combination of humidity & dust.
Hey TommyR I saw your layout a couple weeks ago. I got freinds in Summerland. NICE LAYOUT!! Anyways I tried the Flitz metal polish thing and it works good for me. You probably do have a humidity problem since the Sicamouse is all but afloat. You might try making sure the wheels are clean too on a regular basis. But you got a high maintenance situation there I think. Also I think its a pretty cool venue for a model railroad.
I tried the metal polish on my layout --works great. You are right about the venue. We get to interact with the public every teusday nite. I run a BLI Mike with sound & let little guys run it. You should see thier faces light up!! Since you where there I installed the logging camp I built. (pic below)
The logical but expensive option: If your club can raise the money…would it be possible to install air conditioning and a quality sliding door assembly?
This is what my club has and it makes a huge difference with dust.
If installing air conditioning and a quality sliding door is beyond the financial capability of your organization, an air handling unit (sans Air Conditioning temperature control) and the sliding door should help. The advantage of this system comes from the fact that commercial air conditioning systems only recirculate a portion of the space’s air. By mixing outside air with the room air, the system creates a slight positive pressure which causes the air to blow out through anpen door. This prevents the dust from coming into the room when the door opens. Standard home units simply recirculate all of the room air, which allows dust to enter the room (or building) when a door is opened, particularly on a windy day.
P.S. The air handlers will still need air filters, but they are easir to repalce then conttiously cleaning the track.
To piggyback on the above, getting a big fan and some good filters is not that expensive. Then just rig things up so you are pressurizing the area with filtered air. It should really help.
One has to realize that TommyR’s club layout is on the freight deck of a 90 yr. old Sternwheeler and adjacent to the entryway. I think there gonna have to live with the problem unless maybe they enclose just the layout, as though it were in a giant display case. The sternwheeler is located right in the middle of what amounts to the canadian version of the Riviera. Everyone needs to see the beautiful Okanogan Valley in sunny southern B.C.
I cant offer much advice, but thought I’d chip in from my experience. You are right about the dust. I have been chaseing the the issue on my layout as I am haveing some serious issues with dirtty track. Will, it comes back to dust. I have a garage based layout her ein Arizona and I have alot of dust. it really hit me when I last night I saw my tunnel in a ne wlight. I have been cleaning and cleaning but I have never, once, cleaned the track in the tunnel. Going one year. The rest of it? Tt has gotten so bad on some days that trains wont go 5 feet. Good luck with it.
Thanx for your suggestions & thoughts. It would cost thousands to air condition this ship & there are only 8 of us. Also I doubt the ship restoration society would go for it. Same goes for the sliding doors-- not authentic. There is not enough room around the layout to enclose it .So we are stuck with the alcohal & rags for an hour every Teusday nite.
