Cleaning paint and ballast off Kato Unitrack

[SNCF stephen]

Evening all.

 

I have recently acquired a number of pieces of heavily painted and ballasted Kato Unitrack. While I’ll proba weather it down eventually I think there is too much paint and ballast glued on.

 

I was wondering what would be the best way of cleaning the track? Would bathing it in white spirit work? Or would it damage the plastic? I thought if I brushed it with an old toothbrush while bathing it then it may clean up ok.

 

Any thoughts would be welcomed. Thanks

[davetheroad]

I have a lot of N scale Kato track that I ballasted. Soaking in warm water got the ballast off but the original colour of the plastic could not be achieved. My ballast was stuck with PVA.

[MikeTrice]

If N try a bath of Isopropal Alcohol and leave for a couple of hours then scrub off under cold water.

[Kris]

It would be worth trying hot water to see if that will dissolve the glue. 

[Butler Henderson]

Modelstrip should safely work on the paint - certainly do not use white spirit.

[frobisher]

Modelstrip should safely work on the paint - certainly do not use white spirit.

Though it should be remembered that the sleepers are painted on Kato track, so you'll lose the colour on those as well.

[daftbovine]

Try the various cleaning methods out on a single piece of track or it could end in tears.

[SNCF stephen]

Try the various cleaning methods out on a single piece of track or it could end in tears.

Do you think tears might be the best cleaning solution then? Lol! Sorry I couldn’t resist!

 

Thanks for your help. I shall experiment with a few pieces and see how they come out.

[Jim Martin]

I've just acquired an oval of second-hand unitrack to use as a test track and I want to clean the rails (the plastic bases are fine as they are). Would white spirit be okay for this, if carefully applied? I'm thinking of something a lot less drastic than "bathing" it, as per the OP: more along the lines of "damp kitchen towel run along the top of the rails".

 

Jim

[steviesparx]

I've just acquired an oval of second-hand unitrack to use as a test track and I want to clean the rails (the plastic bases are fine as they are). Would white spirit be okay for this, if carefully applied? I'm thinking of something a lot less drastic than "bathing" it, as per the OP: more along the lines of "damp kitchen towel run along the top of the rails".

 

Jim

Track cleaning rubber would probably take off the grime and leave a nice, clean and conductible rail surface...

[Karhedron]

I use IPA (iso propyl alcohol) for rail cleaning as it shifts most dirt without leaving any residues. Unlike track rubbers, it is not abrasive so won't scratch the rails and doesn't shed rubber dust.

 

Wet a piece of scrap card or MDF with IPA and rub the rail tops with it. It is amazing how much black gunk it removes, even if the rails look fairly clean to the eye.