Can someone give me some advice on what is the best ready to run track cleaning car to purchase? Thanks!! Dodger
I wish MR would review all available track cleaning cars. That would answer the question.
I use the simple Walthers box car with track cleaning pad beneath the car. It works for me, but I do not know which is the best on the market. The Walhters car is affordable, and that’s an advantage.
Welcome to the forum.
I’ve got a CMX “Clean Machine” car. It’s the Cadillac of the species, and priced accordingly.
This is a shot of the car, on an un-scenicked part of my layout. I put it between a reefer and a subway car to show the size:
The car is a brass tank which holds your choice of cleaning fluid. They recommend lacquer thinner as an “aggressive” cleaner, or alcohol as a “second tier” cleaner. I use alcohol in mine, because it’s winter and I didn’t want to offend the ladies of the house by using smelly stuff while the windows are shut. In the picture, the knob at the right side of the car is the fill spout for the fluid. The knob in the center controls a precision needle valve which sets the flow rate for the fluid on to the pad at the bottom, which rubs on the tracks.
Subways imply tunnels, and that’s what I’ve got. I bought this car because I have to keep the tracks clean in my tunnels, and that’s a chore to do by hand - more-or-less impossible in some spots.
This is a very heavy car, and the friction from the pad on the tracks makes it even worse. I need to MU together two subway power units to drag it around. (My road engines won’t fit in the low-clearance subway tunnels.)
It really does the job.
I will second the CMX car from Tony. I actually bought two of them, painted them main. of way gray, used some ATSF decals, and include them in a work train pulled by two GP35’s. The train runs with the first CMX car running a “wet” drip pad, followed by a gondola with some misc. track material like spikes, a few ties, a brite boy for emergencies, then the second CMX which runs dry and picks up residue from the first, and a brass Hallmark ATSF drovers car that I had purchased and had no earthly or railroady use for. This train stays together on its own spur in my Oklahoma City area, and is run before an operating session. I very seldom ever have to clean track otherwise. As the other poster said, they are not cheap, but I feel they were worth the investment in keeping the railroad railroading.
Bob
I’m another very happy owner of a CMX Clean Machine. I run mine in a MOW train as well about every six months or so. The thing weighs a ton but works very very well, I use two Proto GP9’s to pull mine around the layout.
Here’s another vote for the CMX Clean Machine. I use alcohol most of the time and push it with a Proto 2000 SD 50. It sure makes cleaning the track easy.
I clean mine whenever the trains lights start flickering.
Bill
On our 20 x 40 foot HO scale club layout, we were having to clean track weekly with a Centerline track cleaning car and Goo-Gone.
Since purchasing a CMX Clean Machine from Tony’s Train Exchange and filling it with lacquer thinner, we clean tarck only every six months or so. We run the Centerline car dry behind the CMX to mop up any residue. The CMX is the best on the market, in my opinion, especially for a large club layout with difficult to reach track areas.
And here is another vote. It’s the best. i have a dusty insulated garage, after a week without running nothing will run there. Then out comes the CMX with a strong engine to push it. And voila, perfect tracks. It is the best and easily worth the cash.
Magnus
Yet another vote for the CMX. I use 91% alcohol, which is how I cleaned the track before getting the CMX. The CMX just makes it easier and I’m running a train, which is nice. I find using alcohol eliminates the need for a second, dry wipe of the track.
Tilden