I would like to hear from other model railroaders, about on how they keep their tracks cleaned, and what cleaning equipment works best. I have a 12 X 12 foot HO layout. any Idea would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks, Tony
Susanville, California
I use eveything from rubbing alcochol to a peco track erser ( I only use that on very dirty tracks ) I usually prefer the cloth and rubbing alcohol method
Jeremy
I have a variety of cleaning products from the .99 cent Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
to ACT-6006, eight ounces for almost eight bucks. Tried the $66.00 www.centerlineproducts.com
to the $99.00 Tonys Clean Machine.
Sold both the Centerline & Tony’s and settled for MAAS, the two ounce , three way paste cleaner that removes, polishes and delays oxidative degradation.
This product is used by Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and many branches of the Military.
$3.50 at Walmart, Homedepot, maybe Ace. Home cleaner materials section.
Also great for locomotive pick-up wheels.
THANKS MR Jan 2003
There is a simplify application process should you want it, post it.
t
A while ago some one on here suggested a piece of leather. I do not remember who. Supposidly it works great. I usually use rubbing alcohol and a cloth, it gets all the dirt.
I took a used disposable razor, glued the blade guard on so the blade was permanently covered, then stuck a self-adhesive felt pad on the blade guard, trimming it to size. Your local hardware store should have a good assortment of self-adhesive felt pads including some rectangular ones a bit bigger than the end of the razor. I just dip it in rubbing alcohol and scrub away at the track. When the felt pad gets torn up or dirty, I just peel it off and put on another one. One bad thing–the pad catches on the points at turnouts and can damage level crossings.
The problem with cleaning track is you have to keep doing it on a regular basis!
What if you could do something to your track so that you would never have to clean it again! Sound interesting!
All it is going to cost you is a little time and a bottle or tube of silver metal polish. That’s it!
Sounds too easy doesn’t it! You don’t have to use a bunch of chemicals or spend the price of a new engine on a dumb cleaning car either. I through all my cleaning cars away, and I have a bunch of them. Just about every brand and type there was!
I have, as many others have, advised anyone asking about track CLEANING, that the problem is you are only cleaning the rails and not protecting them from getting dirty. So now you have to clean them again and again. DO YOU like to clean the track or run trains?
By using metal polish and any type will work (MAAS, Mothers Mag wheel polish, Blue Coral or any silverware polish, it don’t matter) you are first removing the dirt build up and/or oxidation. Then the wax/polish puts a protective coating on the rails that fills in the minute scratches. This eliminates the air from affecting the metal rails again and keeps the scratches from filling up with dirt. The dirt won’t stick to the rails just as waxing an automobile keeps the dirt from sticking to the finish.
The polish will not cause a build up of crud on the wheels as does Wal Hair Clipper oil does (and Yes I have used it and won’t any more)(I also have a big list of stuff I have tried over the years that didn’t work).
And I know there are many modelers that will never change as their methods work BUT if you are not happy with having to keep cleaning your track give the metal polish some thought. You will never go back.
And no it does not cause your engines to lose traction and it eliminates the sound engine drop out problems too!
I am using it on a layout with over 2600 feet of track on it so if it works on t
I"ve got a system that works but requires some tinkering to get started. I tried the Centerline brass rollers with Handi=Wipes and it worked out OK except the Handi-Wipes kept falling off and I couldn’t run the track cleaner into a stub track because when it was reversed to come out it left the Handi-Wipe there. The solution was to cut a transverse groove in the roller which I cleaned out and deepened with a cut-off wheel in the Dremel. Presto!, bi-directional track cleaner. I next decided to reduce the number of passes and milled out the fuel tank of a (dummy) Athearn F-7 A unit which was the front engine of my 2 unit SP F-7 psgr set. I then cut a Bowser PRR gon in half and added 2 styrene side panels to lengthen it to where it would hold two rollers (with a partition between them so they don’t interfere with one another). The result is a track cleaner with three rollers that only takes two round trip passes to clean track and gives me an excuse to run something lickety split. With 1700 ft of track, track cleaning becomes less a chore than a career.
To clarify: when all three rollers have the transverse grooves in them you can apply a double thickness of Handi-wipes by sticking one end in the groove, run a double thickness around the roller and then stuff the loose end into the groove. The back side of an X-Acto No. 11 blade works like it was designed for just this chore.
Sounds like something to try, Bob…thanks!!
Im content with cleaning my rails right after I lay them and just keeping some of my homemade track cleaners mixed in with the rest of the cars on the layout. Although that metal poli***hing does sound like a good idea. Ill have to try it.
I use a John Allen track cleaning car -
I epoxied a pad of masonite to a couple of small nails, drilled holes in the underframe of the car and slipped the nails on the pad into the holes. The pad rests on the track and the nails slide it around the tracks with the car. It works great!
Bob & I firmly believe in the metal cleaner -polisher. It doesn’t get much cheaper
yet it’s very effective. For $3.50, give it a try, I will even guarantee it. Here’s my application.
Cut an old 100% cotton t-shirt into 5"-6" long strips X 2" wide.
Wrap the t-shirt material around a brightboy or similar size piece of wood. This size fits
right between your thumb & forefinger and makes it easier to apply.
Apply the MAAS on the long narrow edge of the BB and drag across the two top
rails)both at the same time).
Let slightly dry and then with an untreated strip of t-shirt material wipe off the cleaner.
THANKS MR JAN 2003.
I could not agree more, MAAS is the way to go. Cleans, cuts electical noise, and most importantly slows re-oxidation. I use it on rails amd the wheels of all my stock - not just locomotives. After a while even Bachmann wheels have respectable pick-up without daily cleaning. Once try MAAS you won’t be asking questions about how to clean track.
What if I told you I usually clean track once a blue moon and that’s if I feel like clening track…Interested?
More to follow…[:0][:D]
I used it on the driver/pick-up wheels of a 1963 Lionel HO Steamer that was never
cleaned. Cut right through 40 years of crud.
Brightboy + Elbow grease