Can anybody recommend a good product and technique for cleaning the rails on an HO layout? My 4X8 lives in the garage and the rails can get grime on them frequently. I can buy something at the LHS, but I’d prefer something around the house. I thought about rubbing alcohol, but I thought it may dry out the plastic ties and roadbed between the track (I use EZ Track)
This topic comes up at least monthly and has been discussed hundreds of times. Search for a topic called Gleaming, for example, and you’ll find all manner of recommendations and techniques for cleaning track.
Here’s one thread about Gleaming: http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/805702/ShowPost.aspx
Forget about dry track cleaning cars because many of them can scratch the rail and cause it to attract more dirt.
I also have a 4x8 layout. I bought a Life-Like Track Maintnence Kit. Don’t make the mistake of using sand paper! It messes up the electrical connection. In the kit I got a bottle of blue “cleaning Liquid”, but I think Windex will work just fine. There’s also several track cleaner attachments for Athearn 40’ boxcars (HO or N, I forgot which one).
I use 600 grit sandpaper. I seldom have to use it at all because I use metal tires on all my rolling stock, but even then I still get a stuttery section, so I just kiss the rail tops lightly with a small square of the sandpaper and my continuity is restored.
Don’t overlook good old newspaper and isopropyl alcohol…it works well, too. The wood fibers scrub, and the alcohol lifts the black residue.
I use MAAS metal polish applied with a scrap piece of t-shirt material. The product comes in a silver-colored toothpaste looking tube. I got mine at a military exchange store, but I imagine you could get it at most hardware stores. I’ve heard of people using various other types of metal polish, including Mother’s mag wheel polish that you get in the car care section of Wal-Mart or wherever. I haven’t personally used the mag wheel polish, though so I can’t say how well it works.
I have heard that it’s not good to use Brasso, though. Not exactly sure why not. Maybe somebody else can comment on that.
Rubbing alcohol and a paper towel.
David B
I got the CMX “Clean Machine” track cleaning car a few weeks ago. This is definitely the Cadillac of these things, and priced accordingly. Normally, I don’t go for high-end stuff like this, but I’ve got a lot of tunnels that are hard to clean.
The car has a tank which holds your choice of cleaning fluid, and an absorbent pad on the bottom. There’s a drip-valve that slowly passes fluid out of the tank on to the pad. You pull the whole thing around with a pair of engines. (One’s not enough. The pad-to-track friction is high, and the car itself is solid brass and quite heavy.)
I used 91% isopropyl alcohol, and it did a great job. They also recommend using lacquer thinner, as a more “aggressive” cleaner. It’s also smelly, so I didn’t want to use that indoors in the late fall when the house is mostly buttoned up.
They’re on sale at Walthers right now, by the way.
David B,
Just when I thought I might agree with you on something, you go and make a statement like that!
EVERYBODY (don’t you just love that?) knows you use 91% isopropyl alcohol and a piece of old dress shirt (tougher fabric) folded into three layers(absolute must), to properly clean track.
Honestly, I just don’t know how some people get by in this hobby… 
Mister Beasley, et al
The CMX dribbles the lacquer thinner out in such small quantities that you can’t smell it unless you have your nose right up to the car, so the fumes are no problem even in a closed up area except during the filling process.
the late, great, John Allen had a simple method for cleaning track that worked great!
Just take a square of masonite, mount two nails on the smooth side (mount them on the heads), drill two matching holes in the bottom of a “house” car (box car or reefer) and run it along the track. It won’t cause any excess drag in the train, and you can easily remove it to clean it. Just go over it with sandpaper.
I saw an article in MR a while ago that said it helps to bevel (angle) the ends up. And if you paint the sides flat black, it’s virtually invisible in the shadow under a car.
But how do you clean the inside of the rails. The tops are easy. Do you just grip a rail with your pointer finger and thumb. Is that the best way.
Why do you want to clean the inside? They’re supposed to be dirty! We paint them on purpose!
I thought there was some connectivity on the inside to.
Very little, really. Ideally the flange isn’t really touching the rail. The shape of the wheel and the rail in theory cause the truck to ride centered between the rails, with neither flange touching.
MisterB,
Thanks for the tip on the CMX machines being onsale. I ordered one. The bad news is they are out of stock and the delivery time went from 8 November to TBA.
Tilden
I use Goo-Gone, it was recommended to me by a train shop owner a number of years ago. There was an article recently in Model RR that mentioned it, but cautioned not to leave any residue on the rails. Apparently when it dries it tends to be an insulator.
It’s also handy for cleaning the wheels on locomotives.
Charles
Hillsburgh, Ont.
When I use the fine sandpaper, or when I use alcohol, or even Goof Off, I pay most of my attention to the inside shoulder of the rail. You absolutely do want to address your efforts to the flange face top where it meets the tire surface of the rails, that edge. You can bet your bottom dollar that the flanges are tight against that on at least one axle on a truck or at least one axle in the drivers on a steamer when the engine is negotiating a curve.
Also, when you have electrical power loss along a turnout, you might find that cleaning the inside face of your point rail that lies tight against the stock rail will correct the problem. Otherwise you will have to solder jumper wires to restore connectivity if the points won’t pass power along their lengths.
Alcohol and an old T-shirt (not while I’m wearing it)[(-D] works for me. I have 2 or 3 track cleaning cars (under donstructions for about 10 years). I hope to run them some day and see how they work.[^]
| I have trtied just about all the above ways to clean track. A few months ago in an MR article, they cleaned freshley painted track with Windex applied on a rag, rubbing with one finger. It worked so great, extreamly quick, no dangerious vapors, and doubt if I there is a better quicker way. Its rumored to be great for windows too…LOL…John |
|---|
Windex of course. If anyone has ever seen My Greek Wedding the Father used it for everything. Why not track cleaning.