i have a couple athearn BB, some dirty track, a walthers bright boy. a couple days of trying to clean the track and locomotive wheels with the bright boy.>>>still dirty track, still dirty locomotive wheels, and a walthers bright boy. the bright boy doesn’t clean track very well or i’m not using it right. does anybody have any suggestions on “what” i should clean my track and locomotive wheels? thanks
I use emery cloth or sometimes a wire brush on my Dremel tool
A liquid or paste metal polish, such as MAAS or Magic Wadding Polish, is much better than a Brite Boy. If you have the Brite Boy I’m thinking of, it’s a piece of stone that scratches the track and makes it attract even more dirt; and it is worthless for cleaning wheels. To clean the wheels, the simplest thing is to soak a small rag in a liquid such as rubbing alcohol, stretch it out over the track, and let the locomotive’s wheels spin on it.
Another thing to use, including on your portable phone charger contacts, is an eraser. it will leave some residue, maybe alot if your track is that dirty, but it is cheap and effective. Just vacuum along the tracks afterwards.
I agree, though, with cacole. Solvents are FAST, and EFFECTIVE. And, running even a small eraser around train wheels is a pain. Also, the eraser particles could end up in the works, so don’t use it on the loco.
Actually, unless I’m mistaken, a Brite Boy is finely ground fiberglass. Stay away from the emery cloth and wire wheels. They leave minute scratches that actually make the problem worse. I read in another post, where someone else had recommended metal polish. I haven’t tried any of the liquid cleaners that DCC makers recommend for cleaning track. They supposedly leave a conductive coating on the tracks.
Thank you, cacole. I found your message using search, and your wheel cleaning method works like a charm. It may be old hat to most folks, but it was a big help to a newbie like me.