Last weekend I did a “World’s Greatest Hobby” presentation for 4 dens of Webelo Scouts at a camp in the Adirondacks. Before I started on Saturday I noticed that the track needed cleaning (like, the loco didn’t want to run) and that I had left the track cleaning stuff at home. Went over to the Nurse to see if she had any rubbing alcohol and she gave me a few Alcohol Swipes to use. They are the presoaked pads used to clean an injection site (My Mom used them for her insulin shots). They worked great on the track. Couldn’t believe how much gunk I got off the track and the old track ran like new for the whole day. I am probably the last person here to know this trick, but I thought I would pass it on to you. [:)]
I have a medical kit in my van, it belongs to the company, but hey if it makes my trains run better I’m gunna give it a go!!
Ken.
The day I stop learning new things is the day they can bury me six feet under.
I’ve been into trains for 35 years(I’m 40 now) Thought I new a lot untill I signed up with this forum. I’ve learned more here in 4 months than in 35 years. Remember the Boy Scout motto-ALWAYS be prepared!!! Good to see you teaching kids about trains.[bow][tup]
I’ve been using alcohol to clean tracks for some time now. It seems to work, as shown by the crud on the rags I use. And it evaporates quickly too. Our club tried using a Bright Boy to clean the tracks on our modular layout at a show once. The trains worked worse afterwards! We discovered that the dirt sanded off the rails was staying near/on the rails and was being picked up by the wheels on the rolling stock. Now if we have to use the Bright Boy, it’s a follow up with a clean rag.
Bob Boudreau
I am going to give it a try… Sounds like a great idea,Cox 47
Interesting idea
thank you!
OKay, that explains a lot.
One thing I didn’t mention in my post last night was that the pad itself seemed to be just rough enough to help remove the crude from the tracks. I had cleaned them thoroughly with track cleaner and a rag before moving the switching game to my truck. I counldn’t believe how much more stuff came off on the swipe. After finishing up, just toss the swipe in the circular file…
If that is the case, then you could use tissue paper or paper towel for the same reason; it is abrasive, as anyone with plastic non-coated lenses in his glasses will tell you.
Personally, I would use a re-usable cloth with the alcohol, and scrub once the alcohol has sat on the rails for a few seconds to loosen the crud. Tissues tend to break down and leave stuff behind, while the cloth can be washed and re-used.
Howmus, if you can get the swipes for a good deal (often they come wrapped in plastic and cardboad in batches of 100 or more), they should indeed work just fine. Good tip, and thanks.
Selector / howmus…you can get these alcohol wipes at any drug store, 100 count in individual sealed little packets for about $1.50. I use them to clean my eye glasses all the time, as these type of wipes are the easiest way to get crud off the eye glasses without scratching the plastic lens used nowadays.
Going to try them on the club layout, tho… perhaps I can save some elbow grease for work elsewheres…[;)]
Awesome, I might just have to go out and pick up some of them.
Coolness, thanks for the tip.
yup, Thats how I clean my track, before I would use the one I needed to test my blood and clean sites for shots but now my mom has gotten into the habbit of buying two boxes of them, one for my trains and one for my medical needs.
Just an FYI for selector… I looked closely at one of the wipes, and as I thought it is a cotton or rayon cloth soaked with 70% alcohol. I thought they were as I have helped my mom with her injections several time.
I’ve been using alcohol for a number of years to clean my track. I never thought of the little wipes though!
I have one of those old Lifelike track cleaning cars, you know, the work train with the tank on it, that I bought at a train show for a couple of bucks. ( It is a Great Northern, so I had to have it! ) It has a felt pad on the bottom, and you are supposed to fill the tank with track cleaning solution. I just wet the pad with alky, and then run a train. Works great!
Rotor
I had some of these, too, when I was shooting insulin a few years back. I had the same idea but they sure are WET! I think I saved my leftovers someplace.
I did the alcohol wipes a while back, used them to clean the loco wheels also, but Locomotive3 really was pushing the MAAS and related polishing pastes, I finally bit the bullet and bought some, did the track and I am extremely pleased with the results. I also did the goo-gone ACT-6006 and other cleaners, but the polishing of the rails has negated any need to use a pad to clean the tracks in a week or so. Usually I cleaned every other session, now I have yet to take a cleaner to the tracks.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=42905
Just my 2¢