DIRTY WHEELS

[mswjr]

Hi All, why are some of my wheels, on wagons and coaches so dirty, A thick black gunge, I  keep everything quite clean,  The layout is not run as often as i would like, But is run every week, So what makes them as dirty as they are, It takes an age cleaning them , and it is a pain as most have 3 link couplings, any advise , Thankyou Garry

[RexAshton]

Do you have a mix of plastic and metal wheels? If so, is it the plastic ones that are getting dirty?

 

[mswjr]

O.K never knew that, Yes i have a few in the rake with plastic wheels, I shall replace them , Thankyou 

[Il Grifone]

It's a vicious circle. The track colects dust etc. which then attaches itself to the wheels and then gets spread  around the layout. Steel rail, plastic wheels and traction tyres all seem to worsen the effect. 

[Fat Controller]

25 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

It's a vicious circle. The track colects dust etc. which then attaches itself to the wheels and then gets spread  around the layout. Steel rail, plastic wheels and traction tyres all seem to worsen the effect. 

Then factor in the temptation to use the 'wrong sort of track-cleaner' , be it abrasive pad or petrochemical-based solvent.

It's something that 'real' railways suffer from as well; our daily train plan is arranged so that every bit of the main tracks, associated crossovers, etc has at least one working over it per day. If this isn't done, then the first train over that track is treated as a 'bad shunt', and the driver must be advised that there may be intermittent problems with the cab signalling whilst traversing the section.

[The Johnster]

If you can, eliminate plastic wheels and rubber traction tyres.  Ensure that your track is laid smoothly, especially over baseboard joins which must be dead level, as arcing occurs when your  pickup wheels break contact with the railhead, and carbon deposits build up.  

 

My layout out is used on most days, and there is no doubt in my mind that this assists cleanliness considerably, unintuitive though that seems (surely, the more you use something the dirtier it gets, right?).  My running is pretty good, but I pounce on any problem as it occurs; track cleaning is done with the shiny side of a hardboard soaked in aerosol switch cleaner, and wheels/pickups with switch cleaner on a cotton bud, take care not to get cotton in the mech.  Stubborn dirt like carbon buildup is dealt with using a fibreglass pen, gently so as not to roughen the surface. 

 

I find that my Hornby locos are more sensitive to dirt problems than Bachmanns, which I think is probably down to the particular alloy used for the wheel pickup surfaces.  Such Lima locos as I’ve had back in the day were very poor performers in this respect.   

 

Don’t use abrasive track cleaners as they will roughen the railhead surface, making it more susceptible to picking up dirt in the first place. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by The Johnster

[spikey]

2 hours ago, The Johnster said:

... track cleaning is done with the shiny side of a hardboard soaked in aerosol switch cleaner ...

 

Sorry but, never having tried hardboard, I would have assumed that one used the textured side.  What's the theory behind using the plain side - or have you simply found that it works better?

[DCB]

My experience is that traction Tyres are by far the biggest culprit for making track dirty.  The vast majority of my traction tyred locos have been retired for this reason.  Plastic wheels do seem to collect dirt but to be honest most of mine are lucky if they get cleaned once a year.   

I clean the track occasionally with something abrasive, mainly the frog areas of points which seem to get really dirty. However I do use Relcos.

I sometimes run trains outside in the rain, as long as locos are heavy and draw plenty of current they are fine, coreless types are hopeless.

I have tried solvents but they reduce traction and I like to haul heavy loads.

 There is no good wheel cleaner available as far as I know. 

I have two planned.  One has a pair of rollers arranged to run on the wheel treads and geared 2:1 So one revolves twice the speed of the other. Both bear on the same wheel, one on each wheel on the same axle would loosen wheels.

Other plan a wheel dip like a sheep dip.  trough of cleaner with rails through and then a bit of rail made up of Hacksaw blades followed by more rails with a hair dryer blowing upwards on high heat to dry the wheels. Just drive the train through with a loco you don't need anymore without traction tyres. I haven't tried it.  It might work but might set the shed on fire or melt the wheels but might be worth a try.

[The Johnster]

The textured side of hardboard is too soft for the job, and will leave debris which will be picked up and cause a nuisance elsewhere, such as mechs and flangeways.  The smooth side will absorb the fluid more slowly, and hence release it more slowly; it is finely textured and will pick up dirt from the railhead, at the same time being soft enough to shape itself to the railhead profile.  IMHO it’s the only thing hardboard is any good for, because it’s useless for any of the other purposes one sees it put to...

 

You will see how well it works from the amount of crud on it after a wipe over the track.  It’s a tip from a magazine long, long ago, no idea which one but probably ‘Constructor’. CTC is a viable alternative to switch cleaner. 

 

Another area to to keep an eye on is pointwork, with carbon building up where the switch rails, the ‘blades’, close on to the stock rails.  This is quite awkward to get at. and fairly vigorous rubbing is needed in a delicate area.  I use a rat tail file with the end wrapped in soaked cotton cloth (old sock).  

 

I have a set of pound shop children’s paint brushes, for pound shop children of course, which have stiff nylon bristles and are useless for painting with.  One of the jobs they are perfect for, however, is sweeping debris out of the flangeways on points or anywhere you have a check rail. 

 

 

[melmerby]

6 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

Then factor in the temptation to use the 'wrong sort of track-cleaner' , be it abrasive pad or petrochemical-based solvent.

 

Most track cleaning chemicals are petrochemicals.

IPA is the one that appears to be most recommended.

[spikey]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

The textured side of hardboard is too soft for the job, and will leave debris which will be picked up and cause a nuisance elsewhere, such as mechs and flangeways.

 

Thank you, sir.  I'll give it a go once I'm back up and running after the current major alterations, but with IPA rather than carbon tet on the grounds that I've got the best part of a litre in stock plus it's less evil.  I'm too tight to buy aerosol switch cleaner ...

[The Johnster]

IPA will be fine, Spikey.  If you want to make a posh job of it, a piece of batten cut at an angle with the hardboard glued to the angle will make a handle.  I usually cut mine in a triangular shape, about 2 and a half inches wide, which can be manipulated to get into most crooks and nannies.

 

I use the aerosol for other things besides track cleaning, and, like your IPA, have it handy.  A £5.30 can will last me about 2 years; I used to use Maplin's but my latest can is from an electrical supplier in Cardiff's indoor market.