What track cleaning car does the best job

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a layout that has some hard to reach areas for track cleaning purposes…Any suggestions out there… as to what track cleaning car does the best job???

2

What scale?

3

I have had very good results with the centerline track cleaner.

4

Do all track cleaning cars work in basically the same way?

5

Only in the sense that you have mechanical connectivity between the cleaning car and the track. Beyond that there are dry and wet cleaners. There are motorized vs. non-motorized units. There are roller, multiple roller, flat pad and round pad units. You’ll get opinions on all of these, including the pros and cons.

6

I’d like to get non-motorized one. Something to blend in with my regular stock. Which ones have the least conspicous cleaning system ?

7

I have a CMX Clean Machine. I’ve tried half a dozen cheap track cleaning cars and have had no success with them. The CMX Clean Machine in my opinion is the best track cleaning car available, you won’t be disappointed with it. Its expensive but worth it in the long run, I plan on painting mine to match some MOW equipment I have.

8

I have the Walthers Trainline track cleaning box car (UP). It has a block like a brite boy under the bottom. I’m sure it’s not the best, but it is inconspicous (SPELL CHECK BERGIE!!!) Cleaning with silver polish by hand is probably the best - if done right it should last a year or more - mine did![8D]

9

Light buildup like graphite lube and thin layers of grease and grim can be picked up with my IHC caboose cleaning car, and its avalible in many roadnames and doesn’t cost too much. I am looking at getting a MOW motorized until after I get my RR half running with DCC (which means that might never happen), so if you are going to be in this for the long haul and have some extra money, the MOW unit is probably the way to go.

-beegle55

10

What solvent do you use in your CMX Clean Machine?

11

Since the original poster never mentioned a scale, and neither has anyone else for that matter, are we all talking HO, O, S, N, Z? How do you know?

I’m curious how we can offer advice on a good track cleaning car and we don’t even know the scale.

Is it just me, or does that seem kind of funny to you too?

12

I’ve had an HO Clean Machine since they were only available in HO. Now I see they’re available from N to G: http://tonystrains.com/gallery/cmx_section.htm

If good in one scale, surely they’re good in all?

I’ve had good performance from mine, using acetone. It’s a super solvent, so great on dirt, paint, etc., and leaves no residue (some cleaning solutions do), but bad on lungs, so be sure you’ve got good ventilation. Rubbing alcohol would be a good second choice.

I clean all my track about evern 18 months – takes a couple of hours at most. I think the main things are, first, environment (dust, extreme humidity, corrosive air, etc); second, only metal wheels on all rolling stock; third, clean all track and wheels at once, otherwise they’ll pass the crud around.

13

There’s nothing wrong with making a negative chore easier - whether it’s reaching a difficult location, or hiring someone else to do it.

Be advised that if you are serious, it take two track cleaning cars to do the job. Just like applying any solvent on a rag -the residue needs to be mopped up - removed.

With ‘track cleaning cars’, it’s a WET DRY combination - A SOLVENT to loosen & a PICKUP - otherwise, the loosened dirt stays on the track.

NOW the question becomes ‘How difficult to reach is the area in question’’ vs. price?

A larger question is WHO can offer accurate comparisons without having tried more than one machine?

14

On our 20 x 40 foot HO scale club layout we have tried many different brands of track cleaning cars, and the best is the CMX Clean Machine filled with lacquer thinner followed by a Centerline roller running dry to mop up any residue.

Avoid any track cleaning car that uses a dry stone pad such as the Ribbonrail or Walthers – they scratch your track and do more damage than good. They gunk up quickly and then just spread it around.

But even better than the CMX is good old elbow grease and a metal polish such as Flitz, Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding Polish, Mother’s Mag Wheel Cleaner, etc.

15

i use both an ho car and an n scale car that i have mounted a masonite pad undernieth with the rough side down with a couple of nails glued to the smooth side to go up through the floor. i run one in each train i run and don’t have any trouble with dirty track. occasionaly i will wipe the track with a cloth with lifelikes blue liquid track cleaner. i also run my cars on my clubs n and ho layouts each week and we don’t clean the track too often. the pads clean up with sandpaper and are easy to make.

16

I was going to ask the same question. Does anyone have any experience with the Miniatronics Electrak Clean II?

17

I have one too but I wouldn’t characterize it as inconspicuous.

18

I posted this question earlier today and have been out since then. I really appreciate all the replies and the interest this has generated. I think I will look into the car that uses a solvent type of cleaner. By the way the scale I model in is HO…Thanks again for all the great replies…

Michael

19

Good point. I will keep that in mind when I shop around.(HO)

20

Actually my signature says I model HO scale so my advice is for a HO scale Clean Machine.[;)]