Hi I live in England, at the moment no matter how often I clean my track it seems within a couple of days its rearly dull again. Im running a track cleaner on days when i`m runing this of course keeps it clean Is there any quick way of cleaning track other than having to use an LGB polish pad? I do not want to damage my track it is all LGB.
I’m wondering why you feel it necessary to clean the track so often? Shiny track in the garden is impossible, but just because it’s dull does not mean it won’t conduct current. The environment I live in is not too much different from England (only warmer!) and I clean my brass Aristo track once or twice a year. Unless you are having conductivity issues or running DCC, I don’t think such frequent cleaning is necessary.
Try using a little WD-40 (or equivalent light machine oil) on the rails after you clean them, that will inhibit the corrosion and make it easier to clean the rails the next time.
Ah, the principal ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil! WD is for water displacement.
The year before I started my real layout I had a small oval in the front foundation planting bed and ran an o4o on it. I had to clean it nightly or it wouldn’t run; that’s why I went SS on the biggie!
I would not use WD-40 as it is not plastic compatible. I have heard of it eating plastic ties after repeated use on switches. I use CRC2-26 to clean off the pad of my Aristo track cleaning car pulled by an Aristo 0-4-0. Once its running great I know everything else will too. The CRC2-26 will do everything the WD40 without eating the plastic and its great for wheel cleaning. It will also reduce oxide formation on stainless track.
-Brian
Now that is an interesting and useful hunk of information; Thanks, I’ll file that one in the back of the head.
Thanks for that. I have a 0-4-0 LGB loco as you know they pick up via the shoe system if rails not clean running is very jerky[:)]
I have found that the LGB locomotives with the pick up shoes, are geat track cleaners by them selves, I live in a sub-tropical part of Australia, in Queensland, I find if I run at least once a week, no actual track cleaning is required, on my LGB, Aristocraft and Local Code 332 Brass track. First train of the day is an LGB (with Shoes) pulling my Aristocraft track cleaning car around a couple of times, no problems with conductivity all day.
If I do not run for a while, then I must use my dry wall sander on a pole and walk the track!
Regards, Danny Sheehan in Oz.
I clean my track before each use with a drywall sanding pole that has the fine nylon mesh screen. Very little effort is needed and the track surface shines like gold in the sun. I also cut the nylon mesh and attached it to the Aristo track cleaning car pad and either push it or pull it around.
dan
Nice trick with adding drywall sanding materal to the Aristo track cleaner and useing and LGB 0-4-0. I have both and did’nt think of that combination. How do you attach the nylon to the sanding block
Dave:
I’ve also made my own track cleaning car. I took a standard Bachman box car, drilled two holes into the bottom and attached some thin copper tubing up into the car with some serious use of liquid nails. Sliced out a piece of 1/2 inch plywood slightly larger than my sanding pole head, put in a pair of 3 inch long 1/4 inch bolts to line up with the holes under the box car. A short piece of aluminum channel (bathroom mirror molding) attached to each end of the plywood allows me to use stationary “alligator paper clips” to hold the sanding cloth in place. Sorry I do not have a picture, but it is just a larger version of what I used to use in N scale. Check the “small scale” forums and I’m sure you can find many other examples that can be easily up sized to the garden. This way I can clean as I run, or not, as I choose.
What’s track cleaning?
When I cleaned by hand I used a decorators sponge - don’t know if you have them in other countries - and it worked great. I followed that with a wipe down with an old towel to remove any left over grit, had to do this only 3 or 4 times a year even though I run all year round. I have also used vinegar to wipe the track down, that does shift some muck but encourages oxidisation if you don’t remove it all. I have now bought an LGB track cleaner and the decorators sponge stays in the paste bucket and the vinegar stays on the chips!
Cheers,
Kim
Thanks for how to build a track cleaning car info.
I had a spare nylon mesh screen for drywall sanding joint compound, I just cut it down a little and folded it over and around the Aristo Block and screwed it back on. It will last forever, easy to clean with an air compressure. It work’s great especially if you have a large layout.
Works better than anything else I tried.
dan
The dry wall sanding poll is the best advise. you can use it at any angle and if you thing you need to do a little bit of more cleaning. You just go back and forth a couple of time.
You can also go inside things like tunnels and bridges.
Also keep you old socks. Put one in a can or jar of WD40. Ring out the sock. slip it over the pad. Lightly wipe all your rails.
Long and/ or steep grades will need to be wiped clean.
unless you soak your ties in WD40 it will not affect them.
NEVER use GOO GONE is the metal can, Use GOOF OFF in the plastic bottle. GOO GONE is in a metal can because it eats Plastic faster that that Japanees speed eater…
I think you need a battery powered loco to run the track cleaning car. But then, once you have batteries in one loco, you’ll put batteries in all of them and won’t care about track cleaning[banghead]
Thanks for all the info guys I think I`ve got the idea [bow]
The tie deterioration I spoke of was reported by Ron Wenger, long time AristoCraft guru and event coordinator for the first 8 or 9 ECLSTS. Of course, different plastic formulations will react differently with different reagents. If you do not believe this word of caution, I guess you can ask Ron about it.
-Brian
DO NOT DO AS I DID clean your rail with a hand held power sander with 160 grit paper IT WILL LEAVE GROVES IN YOUR RAIL HEAD[#oops]. The work went quickly and I had good traction on my 4% grades. But after a few runs around the track needed to be cleaned. The plus side my wheels were clean.
Someone told me that electrical-conductive oils are available that you can put on the track and wheels. I don’t know if it is feaasible for outdoors. Aristo makes one.
I switched to batteries last year. No more track cleaning for me!