Earl Mountbatten of Burma

[Sun Street]

A friend bought this off Ebay and found that it did not go.

 

 

I wonder why?

 

After analysing the material, I can only think that someone had cleaned their track using a Brillo Pad. ____ Seriously!!

After a thorough cleaning, with a magnet alongside to avoid pollution of the workbench,  the motor ran beautifully  once the brushes had been filed to get clean carbon.

 

 

Moral of the story.?

Keep Brillo Pads away from your models, even a load as steel scrap can shed the odd fibre. Track short anyone??

[DCB]

I have a magnet wagon for recovering bits of ferrous material.  Maybe I should have used a Lima 33 instead.

[Sun Street]

I have a Hornby 4wheel coach that weighs 140 grammes. I reckon that that could be called a heavy-weight track cleaner.   

As it has a fair bit of drag, I will use a Hornby 0-4-0 flailing away when just cleaning the track with it to loosen any stubbon deposits, and not hauling it behind a repaired loco.

Between the axles are a cut-down Peco track rubber and a magnet. I also have a wodge of cloth between the 2 that I can soak in meths [or lighter fuel on odd occasions] to wipe up after the Relco does its magic.

As I have a dedicated figure-8 2nd radius test track to run stock in on both left and right-hand sides per lap, and occasionally use a Relco on non-DCC locos, the detritus that is generated off various stock is surprising.

I find that locos run in in this way are smoother, as the flanges are equally cleaned and prepared.

So often, locos are only run on an oval in one direction, and, like preserved locos, only use the one flange, its opposite then oxidises and causes issues.

Also, many people only clean the top of the rail, forgetting that the flanges in a corner have a greater conducting area than the tread. It is often worth cleaning the inside face of the rails, it has been found to improve the running of our exhibition layouts.