I use this small 12 volt auto vacuum cleaner to pick up dust from the layout. It was not very good for cleaning the car, but it does NOT have enough vacuum to pick up small details or the plastic people on the layout, just the dust. I cut the plug off that is used for the auto cig lighter and use a heavy duty 12 volt DC power supply like a small charger.
Well I have started a cleaning/maintenance plan that seems to work for me on my basement layout.
First, if I not going to run trains for a considerable period of time (read, over a month) or I am going to be doing to work in the basement I buy some very light weight, cheap (emphasis on cheap) plastic drop cloths and I cover everything. This keeps dust and dirt off everything and I recycle the plastic when it’s removed.
Second, once a year, I remove the car bodies and rinse them in warm water. So far this hasn’t cause any issues. At the same time, I check wheel gauges and coupler heights, replace anything if needed and clean the wheels use using cotton swabs and alcohol. For the locos, I use a damp cotton cloth and clean wheels.
For the track, it is mainly a Bright Boy and alcohol. I have tried using the edge of a piece of Masonite and it seems to work without scratching the track. When I am doing scenery work, every car, loco and structure is removed from the area and once I am done, everything gets cleaned.
That’s about it and so far, it has helped. I am of the opinion that regardless of how diligent I might be, there are still gremlins that take great delight in gumming something up somewhere and it is usually in the least accessible part of the layout.
I have N-Scale in a non-climate controlled building. So dust is always present. I purposely model an area that gets little rain and has lots of dust and dirt on every thing. So it looks natural. I do some cleaning every month so it does not look like a dust storm just came through
I only wipe down all of the track every couple of months and use a Bright-Boy or rubbing alcohol only on areas of track where needed.
I have come to the conclusion that cleaning track all the time is not needed for reliable running. Cleaning the wheels that pick up power from the track is what you need to worry about. The lights on the engines should be steady when running. No flickering. If the light flickers while running on any area of the track this lets me know that it not the track that needs cleaning. Then I stop what I am doing and clean the wheels. Only takes a minute or two and then back to smooth steady running.
A while back I cleaned the wheels of all my engines so now each one only needs to be done if lights flicker or the engine stalls at many places on the layout.
So cleaning the wheels is a must. I, like most new people to the hobby always thought stalling and jerky running was a dirty track problem. Of course if a problem only shows at one place then I check the track. It only took me five years to figure this out.[:$]
I’ll second several good ideas:
nickel-silver track
all metal wheels
keep all dustmaking activities out of train room or minimize and clean afterwards
Yep, finished room is best. In my case, almost there, in a basement with suspended ceiling. However, I finished just the first 4 feet down from the ceiling for insulation and a backdrop. That puts the bottom of the finished area about 2 feet below the outdoor soil level – and completely underneath the layout itself.
The floor was unfinished concrete, but I used a concrete stain/sealer to get it slick versus leaving the dusty concrete effect.
I would caution on use of the GooGone, as it leaves a sticky deposit. Just saying…
I use CRC 2-26 contact cleaner and lube, applied sparingly by a cork moistened with it, then wiped on the top of the rails a couple of times a year or after having dirtied up the track with ballast or scenery work. I dip the end of a popsicle stick in CRC 2-26 and wipe between the point and stock rails on all turnouts, as well as applying a drop on the rivet that the point assembly pivots on. CRC 2-26 has the additional advantage of dulling the overly bright rails to a more realistic “steely” color. You should let it sit overnight for best results. And it seems to improve traction after the wait, despite being a lube.
I have HO and HOn3 Centerline track cleaning cars, in part because I have extensive hidden trackage on the standard gauge side of things and some on the NG, too. I haven’t run them since I started using CRC 2-26 about 2 years ago following the advice of one of my NG buddies, Laurie McLean MMR, although now that I think of it I should probably take a pass through with 91% alcohol, followed by a CRC 2-26 swab.
My old layout was in an unfinished basement although the wals and floor were painted. Open joists above and the usual basement appliances. Even so it didn’t get dirty very fast. Tracks were cleaned about 2 or 3 times a year and the whole thing got a general cleaning once a year. my new layout room is under construction now. Dedicated room, no windows, took them out, finished ceiling, sheetrock walls, and painted floors, makes it easier to find them coupler springs, a door to shut it off from the other rooms. Central heat but will be filtered a second time at the registers. A/C will be for the train room only. The only smoking will be from the steam engines and Rule"G" is strictly enforced. I am going to put a door sweep to keep out even more crud with tracoff mates on the outside of the door. Clean the track with alcohol, might even put some on the cleaning pad, just kidding see Rule “G”. Of course a good shop vac should clean up around the work bench. I’m thinking of putting the vac in the next room and just run the hose. Sort of a poor man’s centeral vac. Until all that sheetrock and such gets done it’s going to be a mess.
But then that’s all part of the fun and will make better operating conditions when done. OBTW, I got clearance from the property supervisor that I can use the adjoining room for a staging area. Hmmm…More clean room to think about. Video to oversee it. To the drawing board!