I decided to wake my CMX machine from a years long sleep. The CMX always did a fine job on my previous layout and so I set it up as before; lacquer thinner set at a drip rate of about 12 drops per minute.
Next morning I fired up the layout and heard the familiar sound of the Tortoises coming to life, but to my horror found each and every turnout stuck. I was relieved when they snapped free with the help of a finger nudge. The few that continued to act sticky were soon back to normal with some Tortoise exercise.
This time around I’m using Fast Track turnouts with the ties and rails painted with Polly Scale water based. The points have a stiffer throw than what I was used too, but tune them meticulously and carefully lube the throw-bars and point rails with molybdenum dry lubricant. Previous rail wipe downs by hand with lacquer thinner/rag has not fazed them.
I’m only guessing that the CMX flow rate was too high and the point and stock rails were effectively glued together when the paint reacted to the lacquer thinner? The painted surfaces of the rails don’t appear crazed, but maybe I could have avoided this bugaboo by using a solvent based paint?
This post is in no way meant to discredit any of the products mentioned as I find them all to be of good quality and performance.
regards, Peter
I think you’re right about the flow rate being too high. Solvent-based paint might be a little more resistant, but remember, laquer thinner is itself a strong solvent and it’s going to react with any paint if the drip rate is high enough.
I think 12 drops per minute is double what it should be unless you’re running the CMX around the layout at full throttle.
While I would agree that the flow rate was too high, I suspect that the lacquer (which is mostly acetone) softened the plastic tie strip slightly, which then stuck to the bottom of the rails.
Gentlemen,
Thanks to all for the input, I’ll try reducing the drip rate next time the rails need cleaning and see what happens.
Not sure what material the Fast Tracks tie strips are made of, appears to be wood, but might be a composite.
Thanks and regards, Peter
I experienced sticking problems on some turnouts after I painted my track (throwbar areas were masked with tape) with rattlecan camo brown paint. I had not occurred to me that the moving point rails might stick to the ties. I should have painted more lightly there. It got solved by using thinner in the area and exercising the points back and forth manually, including between thinning and overcoming the remaining stickiness. I’ll want to be sensitive to this stickiness potential when I get around to ballasting.