I was showing off the layout to a friend last night who is a mechanic, and he suggested WD-40 to clean the rails with a cloth. It sounded logical, but I was wondering what everyone thought about using it.
Bad Idea.
David B
I thought WD40 was, among other things, a lubricant. After cleaning the track, wouldn’t it leave a fine coat of lubricant on the rail head? Sounds like trouble to me. But I don’t know for sure.
No so bad…It works…I know a guy that tried it and won’t use anything else…
Frankly,I agree with you…I just don’t like using anything other then alcohol,a clean rag and bright boy as needed…I no longer use TV Channel Turner Cleaner even though it works great.
I know a person who swears by WD-40 as a track cleaner, but he has to clean track weekly whereas at our club we clean only every six months with a CMX Clean Machine filled with lacquer thinner. WD-40 is a solvent, but I think it leaves a sticky film on the rail that just attracts mroe dirt.
Exactly right. I tried it some years ago and was disappointed with it.
I’ve never tried WD 40 but agree it is not the best idea because it will attract dirt. I have used Zip, Tuner cleaner, bright boys, 2-60, gleaming and alcohol. So far the quickest and easiest is 91% alcohol in a CMX with a thin (read light, read wipe with an impregnated cloth) of 2-60.
Of course anything or system that gets the track clean is good, some are easier.
Tilden
I have used WD40 on my HO locos to clean the wheels, the motor pick-up and the track as well. In any application a small amount works better.
WD40 has been known to act to conduct electricity and lubricate, applied in a light coat it will clean most any metal surface and yes, leaves a slight coating. Another cleaner I’ve noted in various sources is hair clipper oil, this too leaves a fine coating when applied sparingly.
Best of railroading to all,
johncpo
No! Oil+rail heads= Bad idea…
I’d check for the posts on gleaming the rails. Those who have tried this swear by it claiming they cab go for a year or longer without having to do anything else. Not to the point I can try it but will be soon.
Folks:
I wonder how much has to do with dust. In a dust-free location, a light film of some oils on a railhead could help conductivity and impede oxidation, if that’s a major problem. In other locations, where dust buildup is the main source of track dirt, the oil will probably hold on to it and make the problem worse. Most of my track buildup seems to be dust, perhaps with some oil.
When I need to do some quick hand cleaning, I always use the spray contact cleaner. One day, I wasn’t paying attention and grabbed the WD-40 by mistake ( this was during an operating session ). Suddenly, we had wheel slipping problems on the grades something terrible. It wasn’t until then I realized my mistake. Went back over the area with contact cleaner and traction was restored.
Mark.
Well, rest assured, I don’t use it personally. Bright Boy and a clean cloth are the only things I use to clean rails with.
The residue is what concerned me as well, and you folks have confirmed that.
Water Displacement formula 40 eventually evaporates and leaves a sticky film that attracts dust. So unless it is completely wiped off after the cleaning (don’t forget the sides of the rails), it could result in dirtier track in the long run. The other option is to continually clean the track to keep the WD-40 fresh.
This topic comes up regularly, which is ok, since many start new layouts for the first time. I definitely endorse the GLEEM method which has been described many times in these forums. It doesn’t require cleaning very often after doing it to the rails. Search on it, and I’m sure it will turn up, or search for on track cleaning.
Have fun, Hal
WD-40 is a petroleum-based penetrant and dessicant (it displaces water where water is not meant to be). That is its intended purpose. As such, it should be a marvelous cleaner for gunk on the rails. As for it’s lubricating properties, I would give them a solid and generous D grade. People mistakenly think that its solvent base and penetration properties mean that it provides lubrication. They are correct, but only insofar as the solvent is present to provide the rather poor grade of lubrication that it can afford to provide…it evaporates, you see, and renders itself a no show in the long run. Even so, its lubricating qualities while present should not be over estimated.
If I elected to use WD-40 for cleaning rails, I would certainly follow up with a wipe using isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any residue that might be left behind when the solvent evaporates. Also, I wouldn’t want to hazzard a guess about what would happen to my rail weathering if I did use WD-40. I tend to be reasonably careful with that cleaning process, and when I use Goof-Off to get stubborn residue off some sections, I only use a slightly dampened rag wrapped tightly around an index finger to ensure that only the rail head gets the treatment.