I recently invested in a track cleaning car, but I have to say that I’m not real impressed with the results. I think I’d be better off cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and an eraser like I’ve been doing all along, but it’s such a pain to have to do it that way ([:(])…
Anybody got a better method ?.
Tracklayer
I just use a brite boy abrasive block on a stick, and sometimes alcohol. But I’ve heard of people mounting rectangles of masonite under boxcars with nails- and they say it works well. Also, for around 70$-100$ you can get one of those all brass cleaning cars, which I’ve also heard work very well. I think they’re sold by Tony’s train exchange. The only thing keeping me from buying one is the price…
Good luck[8D]
I use a block of masonite, or rubbing alcohol and a shop towel.
Nick
Mother’s Mag Wheel Cleaner, MAAS, any metal polish for mag wheels will do a fine job if you don’t slop it all over the place. A single dab on a clean cloth wrapped around your forefinger, and wipe on, wait5 seconds, and wipe off. You won’t have to clean for a long time unless your location is quite polluted.
Alcohol is cheap and works well, too, but if you are having to do it more than once a month or so, try the metal wheel polishes…there are several.
I use MAAS. My layout is in my bedroom, so theres little pollution, but I havent cleaned any track in a little over a year. Pretty impressive in my opinion[:D]
If you want to avoid the mess from metal polish, try Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding Polish – the same results as MAAS and others without any mess. Nevr-Dull is cotton wadding soaked in some kind of metal polish for mag wheels and other metals, and just requires that it be rubbed on. You do not have to go back with a second wiping because nothing is left on the rail to clean off.
Even on a 20 x 40 foot HO scale club layout, cleaning is required only twice a year with Nevr-Dull.
You didn’t say what type of track cleaning car you bought, but the only one I have ever found to actually do any good is the CMX Clean Machine filled with Lacquer Thinner.
This is what I do, now some may not agree but I have had excellent results. I own two Roco track cleaning cars that I run on a regular basis; they have a pad on the bottom that is basicaly a Brightboy (an abrasive eraser availble at your local hobby shop) with a little spring pressure to hold it down. They work very well for preventive maintenance. For more serious cleaning I Have a Brightboy that I use on the track while I’m watching the trains run. These very simple methods keep my trains running very well. The important thing is to stay on top of your maintenance, it you don’t you will have trouble, Do what I have done and problems will be few and very far between.
I think I will stick with the Blue magic or Mothers Mag Wheel Polish as I don’t have to reclean/polish my layout at all. And I think that my 2700ft of track gets used as much as any club if not more. I am also continuing to do scenery and adding track all the time so the layout is far from being super clean!
I have found that using an old piece of HO cork roadbed and spreading a little polish on it that it keeps the excess polish from getting on the sides of the rail.
I have not had to reclean/polish my track going on 3 years so using the Mothers or Blue Magic polish is what works for me.
Cleaning track is NOT one of my favorite jobs and running a dumb cleaning car just to have an excuse to run trains is not what I built the layout for!
BOB H – Clarion, PA
I also use the Roco track cleaning car. It works real well for continuous running. This car has been sold by Roco in the past and is currently sold under the Walthers Trainline brand. Here is a link: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/931-751 or http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/931-752 Here is the replacement pad: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-1066 Hope this helps.
Jim
Maybe I just don’t understand the obsession with these cleaning cars thing. I always felt it was a chore to clean the rails.
With the many posters on this forum and other forums I am on, it seems that they (and just who is this they?) love to run the track cleaning cars and they look forward to doing this PITA project.
This is why, it seems, that they are willing to stand in line to purchase the latest cleaning car and/or vacuum or what ever to run around the layout. And they do this cleaning thing over and over again.
Well personally I Despise, Dislike, Abhor, Detest, Loathe cleaning track. Sorry to get so violent!
So when the metal poli***hing worked out so well, I assumed (which I am beginning to believe I was in error) that everyone else also did not like to do this chore!
Now I do not have to waste my time cleaning the track to get ready for my bi-weekly Ops sessions. I can finally enjoy my OPs nights instead of having to continually push an engine through a switch or have the sound drop out. And I felt that I should pass this new way of doing (or lack of doing) track cleaning on to those that also hated it.
BTW the polish seems to keep the dust off my rails but then again I do not have forced air heat in my basement where the layout is. So this may be a problem for others. But I still get some dust but never pay any attention to it as the layout just keeps on operating so smooth. Maybe some day (and I will report it when I have to clean the track again), I may have to break down and do my favorite job (cleaning track)!!!
BOB H – Clarion, PA
MAAS & Mother’s Mag wheel cleaner/polisher are excellent & inexpensive products. The sucess is in the
application, both rails at the same time without overlaping & messing up your ballast or scenery.
Thank you MR January 2003.
So, you guys who have had good success with Mother’s or MAAS, do you have any plastic-wheel rolling stock? It’s been widely reported on this forum that plastic wheels are a big contributer to dirty track. I don’t have enough run-time on my layout yet to make that call for myself, but I did just buy a big bag-o-wheelsets and I’m in the process of converting my rolling stock now.
When comparing track cleaning success, it would help if we know whether or not you’ve got a lot of plastic wheels.
Flix does a great job of cleaning the top of the rails but it is very difficult to apply neatly to the tops without getting it on the ties and the side of the rail. If not cleaned completely off, it creates an unrealistic green tarnish on the sides of the rail.
After trying that approach, I’ve gone back to using the Brightboy. It does an excellent job I did my whole layout in about the time it took me to do 6 feet of my double track mainline with the flix. For hard to reach areas where I’m not able to rub hard without risking damage to structures and scenery, I use Rail Zip. It cleans well with a gentle wipe and doesn’t leave the tarnish like Flix does.
That’s the “John Allen” approach. I’ve used it for years, and it does work well. I only clean with a brite boy if the trains have not been run in several months or if too much construction debris (sawdust, etc.) gets onto the track - then I vacuum it before using the brite boy.
The Allen car just runs around with trains in the regular consists.
Why not use plain jane nail polish remover? I remember that stuff because the Bachmann and Tyco maintenance instructed that. This was in the '70’s. I use it on a q-tip to clean the wheels and a little swipe on the rails after a bright boy.
MisterBeasley
Yes I have plastic wheels on most of my rolling stock, yet!
I have over 800 cars and maybe 25% have been changed or came with them stock. As I put the cars through maintenance I usually change the wheels over to metal ones. I really do not see any difference with the metal wheels over the plastic ones. The plastic ones do not seem to be picking up much dirt; although certain brands of plastic wheels do seem to get dirtier than others. I am now 3 years into the NO track cleaning thing since I first used the metal polish!
jecorbet
And as for the application of the polish using cork or a piece of Homasote and putting a little of the polish on that and then rubbing it on the railheads makes the process go much faster. I can clean 6 to 8 feet of track in less than 15 seconds. And cleaning 2700 feet of track is not something I look forward to!
The main thing to remember is that you only need to do this ONCE. I am going on my third year now with out having to reclean the track. So taking a little more care in the application of the poli***ime one time, instead of having to keep doing the track cleaning over and over. Unless you like to clean track as I certainly don’t !
BOB H – Clarion, PA
My understanding of plastic wheels is that they create and deposit dirt, not that they pick it up. In fact, if they pick it up it would be great, because they’re not going to conduct any current anyway.
But, you’ve certainly answered my question. I think I’ll hit the auto supply store for some Mother’s, because I can’t find MAAS at my local Wal-Mart. (I’m lucky to find someone there who can take me to someone who speaks a language I understand.)
Another wheel question, though. I’ve got a Bowser PCC Trolley that has bright brass wheels. It seems to pick up dirt very quickly. I usually can’t run it for more than 10 minutes without cleaning it again. The other train on that track is a metal-wheeled Life-Like subway, so I know it’s not picking up crud from plastic wheels, and the subway has no problems at all. Is this a problem with these bright-brass wheels?
MisterBeasley
Everyone claims that the plastic wheels cause problems but I had not seen this. Now back before I began using the metal poli***he plastic wheels did get much dirtier and I would have to scrape them off.
Now as for the copper or brass wheels, Yes they are a problem. I have several of the early Walthers Trainline GP9M and GP15 with the copper wheels. Before using the metal poli***hey would have to have the wheels cleaned 3 and 4 times a night of Ops. I was just about ready to stop using them.
Now that I have used the metal poli***he copper wheels stay much cleaner. We are thing that the polish/wax is getting deposited on the copper wheels and keeping them from picking up any dirt.
It seems what the polish is doing is filling in the minute scratches and pits in both the rails and the engine wheels. This also would then lead one to believe that the wax is also being transferred to the plastic car wheels and keeping them from picking up the dirt as it may be filling in the imperfections in the plastic!
Just some thoughts but what ever is happening it works for me and I am happy!
BOB H – Clarion, PA
I have no objection to alcohol if you follow it with a coating of oil (wiped off until coating is VERY thin). Using alcohol by itself, by the time you get to the other side of the layout the part you cleaned has already started to oxidize. The “too clean” syndrome.
If you have no grades or complicated switchwork, Flitz is fine. On a 1.5% grade it cut the
pulling capacity of my brass steamers by 50%! And it is a bear to apply without “picking” points. Works well on the flats though. In general I prefer a few drops of Tuner Cleaner (Railzip looks suspiciously similar). Works especially well sprayed into switch points. Tuner cleaner cleans and leaves a thin moisture-displacement coating of oil to protect against oxidation.
I abhor the more abrasive Bright Boys because to me they symbolize failure. If your track is that bad, unless you just weathered it with paint, you are really doing something wrong. On the other hand, club I recently joined uses fine-grain softer bright boys on yard tracks lightly and it works well. They only have to do this a couple times a year, though. It is a preferred alternative to running a wet or roller type track cleaner back and forth—that is used on the mains.
I use a Bright Boy on the end of a metal yard stick.
ICMR
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]