Track Cleaning

[georgeT]

Hi Guys, Just finished ballasting all the track on Grundy Street where PVA has dried, l have scraped off all l can but stock keeps stalling, does anyone know of a way to clean the track ?

[RedgateModels]

Track Magic worked wonders on Fourgig East after I ballasted and weathered the track. Took the worst off with a track rubber then went over with Track Magic, the difference was noticeable.

[Pete the Elaner]

Warm water should soften PVA but you ideally need to soak it, which is not practical because you would soak the ballast too.

Can you feel the lumps of remaining PVA when you run your fingers along the rails? If so, then you could try rubbing some plasticard along it like you would a knife.

After this, a track rubber as suggested above.

[JeremyC]

A lot of the pickup seems to be done on the inside face of the railhead so make sure you clean there as well as the top.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

If you have an old soldering iron bit for an iron 30W+ you can (sacrificially) use it as a 'hot chisel'. Not just the top surface, give equal attention to the inside corner of the rail.

 

Brought to you by the school of improvisational bodgery.

[rue_d_etropal]

Assuming you ar not intending to run long(heavy) trains , ie mainly short ru and shunting, the once you get it clean, get a graphite stick(artists), or pencil(DIY carpeter) and rub that on the top and inside edge. Far more efective than cleaning. Have it handy, so if any problems just rub a bit more on. Ihave used it for scale/gauges from N up to G.

[Harlequin]

Don't use anything that might scratch or abrade the rail surface because scratches attract more dirt. I.e. use something hard-ish but which is softer than the rail material.

 

A good material is a scrap of wood or an old lolly stick. Hold it diagonally so that it's pressing on both the top and the inside edge of the rail and scrape along the rail while applying some pressure.

 

It should quickly develop a little V in the end which will cover both the rail surface and the inside face as you move along and you should see little flakes of PVA popping off in a very satisfying fashion (if that was the problem).

 

When the V gets too big, find a new clean corner on the wood and carry on.

 

That's my two-pen'orth.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Harlequin

[Campaman]

I use the rough side of Harboard for cleaning track, and then treat with graphite (6B pencil)

[trustytrev]

Hello,

       Graphite acts as a lubricant so will probably cause traction issues.

trustytrev.

[Michael Edge]

Hello,

       Graphite acts as a lubricant so will probably cause traction issues.

trustytrev.

In theory yes but extensive use on my own layout and Carlisle (with gradients and very heavy trains) has not given any problems. The improvement in reliable running has been amazing.

[spikey]

Does anybody know what they use at Pendon nowdays?

[robert17649]

lolly stick Slaters track cleaning solution(no connection) or track magic all work well

 

Relco's help but upset the telly she says,

 

graphite is however magically good if rubbed onto clean rail it keeps stuff running for ages (of course its not magic its science said Rincewind)

[Il Grifone]

I read an enthusiastic article from the States, where the author seemed to be under the impression that we all use graphite on our track over here and how good it is. Since I use graphite as a lubricant (as do Kadee), I'm not so sure myself and am loathe to try it as getting it off again would be a problem. It probably depends on how much adhesion one can afford to lose!

 

For track cleaning I use an ink eraser (hard to find these days!) which is a bit less abrasive than Peco's and Hornby's track cleaners. Hardboard (the rough side is also good. Alcohol (meths or IPA) will shift most deposits, but i'm not sure about PVA glue.

[RexAshton]

lolly stick Slaters track cleaning solution(no connection) or track magic all work well

 

Relco's help but upset the telly she says,

 

graphite is however magically good if rubbed onto clean rail it keeps stuff running for ages (of course its not magic its science said Rincewind)

 

Gaugemaster is better than Relco IMHO but bear in mind that neither will work with DCC.

[Brit70053]

I've found the Double O Gauge Association (DOGA) track rubber to be the most effective of this type of track cleaner. It doesn't leave much, if any residue when used.

(No association other than as a satisfied customer)

 

Regards,

 

John

[spikey]

I'm still curious about what Pendon use, but meanwhile a question for hardboard fans - dry or with IPA on it?

[Mick Bonwick]

I'm still curious about what Pendon use, but meanwhile a question for hardboard fans - dry or with IPA on it?

 

Track at Pendon is cleaned by a Heineken. It reaches parts that other cleaners can't.

 

Oblongs of dry hardboard, rough side downwards, are propelled around the track by a lead-loaded (lots of lead!) 0-6-0 chassis. The hardboard is replaced frequently and cleaned for re-use.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Mick Bonwick

[spikey]

Thanks Mick.  Is there perhaps a photo of this arrangement in existence anywhere? 

 

I'm intrigued by this whole hardboard thing.  Is it used dry, or wetted with isopropyl alcohol or somesuch?  And how on earth is is cleaned when it gets mucky?

[hucknall byron]

Reading this thread with interest. Hucknall Byron aka Evesham Midland is a very simple layout with only I point on the scenic section. It is dcc with droppers from prewired joiners on pretty much every section down to a bus. Quite randomly when starting a running session locos will sometimes not run until I have wiped the ( spotless to my eyes) rail tops. I either use a piece of hardboard or a peco track rubber then a paper towel. There are always some marks showing on the towel after this treatment so daft question just how clean do tracks need to be? Dcc seems very unforgiving I am afraid. Another theory? The layout is in a dry but unheated room so when the heater goes on to make life comfortable would just enough condensation form to cause problems? I would be interested to hear other peoples theories on this. Oh and happy Christmas to everyone.

[Barry O]

Dry hardboard, no cleaning liquid added can work well (fit it into a van or wagon and keep running it as part of running sessions) But, you need to clean the track first. Various cleaning "rubbers" have been used to do this.

 

Graphite pencil works (also helps with dcc pick up issues).

Baz

[Ray Von]

I've just won this HF2 on eBay, was actually only after the controller. Are they any good, and do they do away with all the track cleaning? I currently use old Emery-board type things, only suitable when worn almost completely smooth.

[royaloak]

Are you sure the wheel flanges are not touching high spots of ballast lifting the wheels off the track?

[Il Grifone]

Thanks Mick.  Is there perhaps a photo of this arrangement in existence anywhere? 

 

I'm intrigued by this whole hardboard thing.  Is it used dry, or wetted with isopropyl alcohol or somesuch?  And how on earth is is cleaned when it gets mucky?

 

Dry and chuck it away when dirty. (it's cheap enough!)

[Butler Henderson]

I've just won this HF2 on eBay, was actually only after the controller. Are they any good, and do they do away with all the track cleaning? I currently use old Emery-board type things, only suitable when worn almost completely smooth.

General view is that they cause pitting of wheels - personally never noticed that to any significant extent but I would not rely on it to clean track that is known to be dirty as I suspect the resulting arcing is the cause of pitted wheels. My approach with them is to firstly clean all track, all wheels (locos, coaches and wagons) and loco pick ups such that when you switch the thing on it has no work to do. Position the unit where you can readily see its indicator and when it activates note where the train was and investigate the cause, so using more as a fault indicator.

[Ray Von]

Cheers BH,

That's a really good suggestion. I've one or two other questions, but don't want to hijack this thread and take it off topic. :-) I might start a new thread if I can't find out the answers.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Ray Von