I continue to be amazed with these features in MR on large and extremely detailed layouts.
I view my yearly (!) vac cleaning of my HO basement layout (34’ x 30’) with Great Fear and Loathing, and despite my use of the obligatory garden-hose-with-nylon-covered-tip, I still can’t seem to avoid breaking something each year – a tree, a figure, a vent. And my layout is not nearly as finely detailed as Sellios’ Franklin & South Manchester or Elwood’s Olympic & Puget Sound.
And that’s just the yearly vaccuming. Despite using nickel-silver track, all-metal wheels, and periodic (i.e. weekly) runs of twin-tandem Centerlines, I still must keep my Bright Boy handy. I simply can’t imagine how these guys can keep the track clean amid all of that fine detail.
I had track cleaning problems myself. I had to clean the track every 2 or 3 days, then I learned about the GLEAM process. It involves sanding the track with 600 grit or finer sandpaper, then burnishing the rails with a piece of stainless steel. I use the bent over handle of a stainless steel spoon on mine. Then I apply a small amount of Blue Magic metal polish to a piece of cork roadbed and run it gently over the rails, inline with the track, let it dry and then buff it off with a clean piece of cork. I did the entire layout. Mine’s not as big as yours, but it still pretty substantial. Make sure ALL the polish is removed from the rails, otherwise you’ll have the arduous task of cleaning it off the wheels of your loco(s) and rolling stock. I used this process last June and haven’t had to clean my track since, except for little spot spills of plaster dust or sand.
I don’t have a mega-layout, but just completed my periodic cleaning, too. In my case it’s about 18 months since the last one.
I also use only metal wheels. The only track cleaning I do, between major cleanings, is when I’ve managed to get paint, glue, or the like on some track.
Otherwise, my big attack is with a CleanMachine, using acetone. I run it on a large section, then clean it’s wheels and replace the pad, then re-run that section.
At the same time, I clean all wheels, with acetone via Q-tips (lots of Q-tips!).
Yes, acetone is nasty stuff, so be careful, especially to have good ventilation. But it’s a GREAT solvent (that’s why it’s bad for your lungs) and leaves no residue.
But a lot depends on the environment – my previous layout was about 100 feet from the Atlantic in central Florida, one of the most corrosive environments anywhere. Nothing lasted even a month; neither the Gleam process nor acetone nor anything else I could think of.
Our club has an experiment in progress to attempt to prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt, but my theory is your bright boy is the source of your problem. Once a bright boy hits the rails it puts scratches in the surface that collect dirt much quicker than a smooth rail. The solution is to polish the top of the rail (similar to what Jeff mentioned except I use 1200 grit sand paper and aluminum oxide to polish with), so dirt cannot find all those little groves to hide in, and just a wipe will clean it.
The white cloth (linen I believe) buffing bits work for the aluminum-oxide. The hard part is that they are unrulely and difficult to keep off the surrounding scenery and ballast.
so I’m taking away from this a lesson: If your getting ready to build a layout with other than brand new track, put a real good cleaning and polishing on those track sections BEFORE commiting them to the layout!! I’m thinking the track will be very easy to clean and polish while still pieces in hand, and likely last longer between cleanings after it’s on your layout.
You got it USN… best time to polish is before. Otherwise, just do a section a time. Much less daunting.
One of the biggest secrets to a clean layout is… the room itself. The cleaner, the better. Watch for windows that might allow dust. Try and avoid painting or working in the room (i.e. sanding dust, etc.) Also, make sure the air supply (if you have it) comeing into the room is blowing clean air in. If it isnt, might think of installing a filter over the vent. A air cleaner could a wise investment, even a cheap on and keep it in the middle or by the high traffic areas.
Unfortuntly, my layout is in the garage. I am renting so makeing improvements is a limited scope of options. And being in Arizona, I can even begin to explain the dust issue. its incredible. I bight my frustraion with the knowledge that someday… I will have a nice, clean room… someday.
I’ve known about this process for over a year, but I was skeptical of it’s reported advantages. About 6 months ago, I did a test on a long siding on the front of my layout. In the past, I might be able to run trains for several days or a week before having to perform major cleaning again. My grandsons were always disappointed when I had to tell them “the layout’s not working right now”. (I’m not sure who was disappointed more, me or them!)
Back to the test: over a one month period, I tested two locos on the siding. EVERY time I powered them up, THEY RAN!!! EVERY TIME!! Switch them onto the mainline and it was back to herky-jerky motion with the often-needed finger push. As far as I was concerned, the test proved to me that the Gleaming process works! I didn’t have time before Thanksgiving to work on my layout, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I gleamed the whole layout. It too THREE DAYS to do everything, and my layout isn’t that big!!</
Cleaning track is just that cleaning. But using metal polish protects the track from the dirt just as waxing your cars paint finish!
Cleaning has to be done continuously. This is where the modeling community is in a rut and why there are so many companies out there producing cleaning cars. Everyone stated that I run my (fill in the blank here) type of car before I run my layout. GEE! That sounds like fun. When I want to go play trains I want to do just that not clean the track so then I can play trains. This is where the metal polish has stopped the complete waste of time having to c lean the track before I ever begin to run the trains. This has been going on since the beginning of time (relative to model trains)
Now Fast forward here to the present time and if anyone remembers in MR magazine someone suggested using metal polish to clean and protect the track. I too thought that this was a joke as I had and was using at the time just about every type of cleaning car from drags to wet machines to powered vacuums. I also tried what ever was the latest liquid that was popular that week.
While they all did just what they were supposed to (CLEAN the track) I was back doing it all over again in 2 weeks before the next Ops session. I also had to clean the engine wheels several times during each Ops session. The group was beginning to get real tired of this cleaning thing. One problem was that while I was cleaning the mainline and passing sidings I could not get into each and every industrial track as they had cars in them. So while the mains ran OK as soon as the switching began the engines picked up dirt from the industrial spurs and we were back to the same old thing.
It is hard to believe that my layout is still running and I really and truly have done nothing to the track in reguards to cleaning.
I have begun to look closely at the rails and it is really looking bad. There seems to be a lot of discoloration on the rail tops BUT the engines just keep on running smoothly.
I am planning on running the layout until the engines just won’t run on it smoothly anymore before I do any reapplying of the metal polish! 3 and 1/2 years and counting!
Now that we got the track cleaning answer, what do you do to keep the rest of the layout clean. It’s a real pain using that shop vac. Anyone have a differnt approach?
Gee, Bob, don’t you think you’re exaggerating just a bit? “Everyone stated that I run my … before I run my layout”? Pray tell, just where did you see that, or anything like it? You must be reading some other thread. I didn’t say it in my post, and I didn’t see it in any other post. In fact, I stated that I clean about every 18 months. Yes, months.
I’ve tried the process, and found it too much work for the results . . . for me, on a previous layout, in very tough conditions. If you like it, and it works for you, great. Conditions in train rooms vary widely, and I suspect this has more to do with how clean track stays than the method. Maybe not. But please don’t put words in my mouth, ok?
I think Bob was making a generalized statement that many modelers claim they have to clean their tracks before operating sessions. I don’t think he was trying to put words in anyone’s mouth.
Since Bob tried the metal polish over 4 years ago, he may have been the one to pass on the gleaming process, although he just mentions the use of metal polish and not the sanding and burnishing before the polishing.
I think that sanding and burnishing is an integral part of the total process. If anyone has been using a Bright Boy track cleaning eraser, it is almost certain that the tracks have tiny, microscopic scratches on the tops of the rails which accelerates the accumulation of dirt on the rails, which accelerates the oxidation of the rails, which necessitates CLEANING the tracks again and again. Using a very fine grit sandpaper reduces the scratches, but won’t eliminate them. The burnishing is what really “polishes” the tops of the rails. The stainless steel is much harder than the nickel-silver rail so it tends to flatten any rough areas on the rails. The metal polish is the final step in the process and completes the dressing of the rails.
All I know for sure is that the process works, and works very well, thank you! I have had to re-do a few short sections and that may be attributed to not having done a good job in the first place. Some of the areas I’ve had to re-do are hard to reach. I sure don’t mind doing a small section from time to time since the rest of the layout performs so well.
Just my opinion, but I will be eternally grateful to the unknown person who passed along this labor-saving process.
I am sorry that you thought that I may have suggested that you run the cleaning car before operating!
To all of the others!
YES, I was making a generalization but I have been on this forum since 2001 and I have lost count of the number of individuals complaining that they dislike cleaning their track or how their latest cleaning car (which costs too much) works but they still have to clean the track again and again.
I could go back and drag up every post from the archives (if the search function worked that well and I had a couple of months). But all that still would not prove anything. I have over 60, replies myself, to the track cleaning questions just for this forum alone!
As was stated every layout room is different! And what works for me may not work for everyone else (although 90% of those that have tried metal polish in the Northwestern PA area no longer waste their time using a cleaning car!!!)
And NO I did not come up with the GLEAM Process – I just used the metal polish on the layout and that was it! NOTHING else. I figured that if it worked for a couple of months then I was ahead of the game. I just kept on Operating the layout whenever I wanted to and would reapply the metal polish when the layout quit running smooth. I AM STILL WAITING for this to happen. So don’t get down on me for not having a failure with the metal polish method!
Now WHY would my situation be any different that anyone else’s?
Is it not recommended that the room be finished (ceiling, walls, floor)(as stated on these forums, the Yahoo Groups LDSIG &
I did a similar experiment with the polishing stated above and endorse it also, but as we’ve about worn that out, as the layout goes, I use a swiffer with the extension handle. Works great. I polish accesories and running stock and locos with Pledge, and it helps them stay clean and easy to dust. I have a small shopvac with the attachments for PC cleaning, a reducing hose small brushes etc. and it works very well.
As stated, keeping the room clean goes a long way to keeping the layout clean. The vacuum I use to clean the floor (no carper; hardwood floor) exhaust outside the room. And the filter over the vent makes a huge difference. Put a filter in place then check it in afew weeks and you will see what I mean.
A warning about using Pledge, or any other furniture polish. Don’t use it on anything that you intend to paint down the line. Pledge contains silicone, and silicone doesn’t get along at all well with most paints, resulting in a condition called “fisheye”. Depending on the porosity of the surface, it can be very difficult to get off. So just watch the overspray.