Track And You - How good is your relationship?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

This is a wierd take on the controversial subject of how to keep those rails clean. All things considered, I do not believe that any track can be cleaned once, and then forget it. There are so many variables to take into account. Common dust, work dust, oxidation, petroleum deposits, carbon flux, a host of other contaminates, even our breath and skin oil. By far, the best solution is to build the pike, clean it, put on all new stock, and operate it under a vacuum condition. Outer space.

Insofar as that space travel and dwelling are still a few generations away, probably the next best thing is the Contour and Gleam method. A forum search on ‘gleam and contour’ will provide a lot of information I won’t rehash here. However, I can attest that the method works well. 5 years on the SFRM.ORG HO display.But I had found that a few other things I do also help prolong the effectiveness.

Suppose a teacher took a group on a field trip, and they all got their shoes muddy. If the teacher wiped her shoes, but the children didn’t, wouln’t the floor get dirty? Same with locos and rolling stock. So, clean ALL THE WHEELS.

Then, ELVIS IS NOT DEAD. Graphite the coupler draft boxes, lubricate all the rolling stock wheels AND bolster swivel areas. This will significantly reduce the electrical load on the locos, and results in decreased arcing along the railhead, which produces carbon flux (Black Gunk). Arcing pits the railhead, decreasing surface area contact to the wheel.

Last, try to keep the room dust free as possible, and control the humidity, 50% - 60% is ideal. Since I live in South Florida, I must accept more like 70%-90%. The local will vary, as with results. I do occasionally wipe down the track, because our environment is dusty, hu

2

My layout has (at present) something over a hundred feet of once-gleamed track, mostly code 100 Atlas flex (plus odd orphans from odd sources, including brass rail flex where the locomotives don’t go) and hand-laid specialwork.[:P] Other than the initial gleaming and a once-in-a-while vacuuming, my track has never been seriously cleaned.[^] An occasional swipe with a paper towel hardly counts as cleaning.[}:)]

To put that in perspective, the layout space is an uninsulated garage in the Dessicated (and dusty) Desert, with code-mandated open vents to the outside (thanks to the presence of a gas-fired hot water heater.)[|(] Normal humidity is measured with a single digit, and anything approaching East Coast or Midwest normal is the improbable dream.[:)] OTOH, temperature may swing 50+ degrees between 4AM and 4PM, and will swing close to 100 degrees between February dawn and August afternoon.[:O] Insects are uncommon - spiders spin webs and then starve.[xx(]

As for rolling stock, about 90% metal wheels and operated almost daily.[^] What track issues I’ve had were not caused by dirty rails.[8D] Wheels haven’t accumulated the crusts of crud I encountered on other layouts in other places.[:D] In fact, periodic inspections have seldom revealed any dirt at all.[:I]

Track maintenance so far has involved correcting glitches in point throwing linkages and about four lengths of flex, laid with inadequate expansion joints, which had to be lifted and re-laid.[|(] All have come under the heading of, “Fix once.”[^]

Am I happy with that relationship?[%-)] Youbetchum![:)][8D][:D]

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on track as bulletproof as I can make it)

3

Very Well, Thank You.

I am an older model railroader, and have been for 40+ years. My present layout is HO scale and about three years old, and is a work in progress. The track has been in for two years. I am having some operating sessions now with no problems.

I haven’t had to totally clean my track at all after the first time. I laid the track, cleaned it with a bright boy, then wiped it with a finger to remove any grit the bright boy may have left behind. The only time since then that I have cleaned the track is after working on scenery in some area.

As for the rest of the time, I use Masonite pads under some of my boxcars. They keep things clean for me. Each train that gets run has at least one car with a pad in it. Come to think of it, I haven’t had to clean the locomotive wheels either.

The RR is in a finished, dedicated room with Propane heat and A/C plus a ceiling fan.

4

I agree with you, there must be a build-up of house-dust at the very least. Yet, very much like the other gentlemen, I have not cleaned my track since it was put in place in the summer of 2006. Yes, I have had some black streaking here and there. 600 grit paper does a good job with three quick rubs. But, except for the after-track-weathering four years ago, when I wiped all the rails down with alcohol and a clean bedsheet fragment, which did come up with black streaks, I have not undertaken an extensive or purposeful cleaning session due to problems I thought were the result of dirty rails.

And despite my benign neglect, and despite not running trains for as much as three weeks at a time, my basement layout doesn’t seem to mind it. The trains run reliablly.

-Crandell

5

Thanks for the replies, all of you. Today I furthered the debate, and fowarded the issue of track cleaning to some more reputable people: The MythBusters! That’s right, I let them in on this age-old problem. So many ways that work, which is best? Of course, we will have to see if they even consider this one. But since the dawn of scale electric trains, track cleaning has been the dog.

I=II/ I=I)/

Looking at the two symbols, they represent stock rail laying 90 degrees to the right, one their sides. The slash is the wheel’s bevel. The left one is stock rail, the right one is contoured rail. The left one rides on the square narrow edge, the right one rides on a more uniform, slightly wider tread, and maintains that area at all angles. BTW, all you modellers using masonite pads: you do achieve a slight burnish, as the tiny metal particles embedded in the pad sliding along the track repeatedly seems to accumilate this. It also slightly rounds the rail’s edge. But then, it does’t CLEAN, it merely spreads the shmutz. REAL railroads occasionally redress the railheads, which gets a serios pounding these days. Our trains need good electrical contact.

Many modern model locos have multipe-wheel pick-up, which accomodate poorer track conditions. The gleam method lets even a Gandy-Dancer operate seamlessly. And, the electrical path from the wheel to the motor must be optimum. May use wipers or metal frames. Either must be keep clean, and properly lubricated, Too much lube will get to the rails…so wipe away excess. Pipe cleaners are great.[tup]

6

In a word tenuous at times. I do agree with all of your points with the one exception being the Masonite John Allen type car leaning pads. Anyone who uses these and has for any length of time knows that cleaning the pads and or exchanging them is paramount.if you don’t then exactly what you describe happens you merely push the schmutz around. I have one cleaning car on every train, the club I am involved with has been suing this method for some 50 years and has a lot more track then I could ever hope for.and the car cleaners have been working flawlessly for many years.

I have on occasion found the need to use a bright boy to clean track when I have not run trains for a very long time, also some Isopropyl alcohol on a clean cotton rag works very well. Actually two rags one to apply and one to wipe clean. Being as i am in the construction stages this is all too common an occurring these days.The real enemy is oxidation and as you say nothing short of operating inside a vacuum chamber is going to change that. I have a liquid used for prepping surfaces for painting in the auto industry called “Pre-kleeno” it is sued to remove all of the grease and oils such as you mentioned form your hands etc. from the surface prior to painting. Your post has prompted my interest in seeing how this stuff will work as a track cleaner.

I believe the one Band-Aid we use on out track work that masks the need to maintain clean track work is running numerous feeder drops to the DCC buss wires.The purpose of this as you well know is to insure good and constant electrical conductivity through out the layout. By doing this we have sort of circumvented the need to maintain clean track.

I think it safe to say one could get way past the point of obsession when it comes to cleaning and maintaining track work very easily if you allow yourself to. I know it’s important and I know all of what you say is true and factual but strictly speaking for myself I have not ever seen the need to be that obsessed with it.