longterm track cleaning

[jfcrail]

hi i would like some advice i have a 15' x 4' tailchaser layout with 3 tunnels and i was just wondering what is the best method people can advise for electrical conductivity i have thought of wiping the railheads with WD40 as i have heard this is good for the track, i have rail-zip but it seems not to be much good and short of cleaning miles of track all the time i am wondering if this is and good for the rails??

 

any ideas for this would be of great help

 

cheers jim coates

[Guest jim s-w]

Hi jim

 

For long term you need to get the rail very highly polished and hardened. The polishing can be done with metal polish and then kept polished by running trains which also helps with the hardening. The trick with keeping rail clean is to ensure that the things you run along it are clean too! No point cleaning the track if you don't keep the wheels clean. By that I don't mean just locos I mean every single wheel. Once you have a high polish then a lap or 2 with something like a CMX loaded with IPA before every session will be all you need.

 

Avoid anything abrasive like the plague as scratches in the surface are what makes it dirty.

 

Hth

 

Jim

[stewartingram]

Best use for WD40 is filling space in the rubbish bin. It's a bodger's tool that supposedly cures everything! In my experience, causes more trouble in every situation I've seen it used in, if one takes the trouble to use the proper method (whatever is relevant to the job in hand) a better result is obtained.

In this case, putting it on the track may well result in better electrical pickup in the short term. However, longer term you are introducing an oily substance to the railhead, which encourages dirt to stick to it, thus worse electrical pickup ensues. Far better to clean the railhead, and the curved inner top of the rail too, by hand. We all have opinions on how to clean though, and I'm going to sit on the fence on this one! Some say abrasive rubbers (ie Peco) do more harm than good; some swear by wiping clean with something that evaporates quickly. I'm sure you'll get opinions posted on this! For the record, I use a much softer rubber, from CPC-Farnell or RS. Something like this one - there are a number of grades available.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=0692788

The effect of oil on track also can damage traction tyres. The obvious effect though is to cause wheelslip, obvious when you think about it.

In short, don't just use something like WD40 on face value, there is no "magic substance" on earth that cures all ills! I guess it must have a use somewhere, but I've yet to find it.

[Captain Kernow]

I find a clean square of old cotton handkerchief fixed to a small block of wood, dampened with cellulose thinners and drawn across the surface of the rails, is very effective at eliminating all dirt and detritus.

[Kenton]

Another is the plastic wheels used on many rtr models very difficult to clean and once clean pick up dirt again very rapidly only to spread it around the track.

 

If you are going to start using those infernal track rubbers to remove and scratch the hardened surface of your rail then you are going to end up using it more and more (good sales ploy: convince beginners that they should clean the track using one and then keep selling them) Of course those that use them will swear by them - their track surface is already damaged

 

On new track, just use IPA and lint free cloth - or spend more money on a wagon with a weighted lint free cloth in it to drag around.

 

The things that cause dirty track are your finger prints, smoke, humid atmosphere, dust - basically anything organic.

[Etched Pixels]

WD40 is designed for one thing specifically - water repelling.

 

So it'll help stop steel track rusting but it's not going to be much good for anything else.

 

 

I try and avoid having plastic wheels on any stock at all. That seems to make it stay cleaner for longer.

[naugytrax]

And Rail-Zip us almost as bad as WD-40, for the same reason. It leaves behind a slippery residue which you have to clean off completely before running any trains. Stick with pure solvents such as IPA, denatured alcohol (meths) or lighter fluid.

[Gene]

Get rid of any plastic wheels. I use a piece of cotton with alchol or lighter fluid.

[R.Langley]

What about white spirit, what is that likely to do to my track?

[Gene]

The other thing that I've had great success with is rubbing the track, after its had a good cleaning, with a graphite stick, NOT POWDER!. Yes its counter-intuitive but it works and really does improve the electrical contact and seems to inhibit the formation of dirt n the track.

[Campaman]

I read about the graphite coating on an American site, I gave it a try on a 6 foot test track I keep in the shed made from old set track pieces, it usually lasts about a week before I have to clean it again. I gave it a good clean up with meths and then coated the rail top using a 6B artists stick (like a pencil but no wood around it).

 

Its been about 4 weeks now and trains still run as good as the day I coated it, it also seems to make some of the bad runners run slower without stalling.

[R.Langley]

What about white spirit, what is that likely to do to my track?

 

Anyone?

[loickebros]

Many american "model railroders" coat track & wheels with graphite & swear by it to me it does make sense to make track and wheels conductive although never tried it myself yet!

Dave

[Phil Traxson]

Many american "model railroders" coat track & wheels with graphite & swear by it to me it does make sense to make track and wheels conductive although never tried it myself yet!

Dave

 

I've tried it and it seems to work, just clean the rails and wheels (prefer IPA to a track rubber here) and then coat the rails, the wheels will pick graphite up off the rails. The cheapest and probably the easiest way to coat the rails is with a joiners pencil, the ones with the oval 'lead'. I think mine were 10 in a pack at a pound shop. Artists graphite sticks tend to overdo it a little and act as a lubricant for a little while after coating, plus you pay artists/craft shop prices. (Yorkshire ancestry showing through!)

 

Phil T.

[panniertank]

If you have a large layout [by that I mean lot's of actual running rail] you won't do better than a CMX tank wagon cleaner. They are not cheap, but you get what you pay for - old adage, but true!. Whatever, I would NOT clean any track with white spirit, it will leave a residue and is oily in constitution. Medical grade surgical spirit will do the job, but I warn you now - if you have a cut or scratch and this stuff get's into it, you will jump, and not with joy either!!!

[Coombe Barton]

What about white spirit, what is that likely to do to my track?

White spirit comprises longer carbon chains - a heavier type of petrol, almost an oil. I haven't used it but having seen the formula I'd avoid it - http://en.wikipedia....ki/White_spirit - you need something that's going to evaporate quickly (lighter fluid, surgical spitit and IPA do just that), not something that's going to stick around. And smell.

[Mattmaz]

Hi,

 

I use a CMX track cleaner for my layout with 3 tunnels with Isopropanol as the cleaning agent. Every once in a while I'll run the Dapol track cleaner around for a bit too with a polishing head attached. Seems to work for my layout.

 

Regards,

 

Matt

[bike2steam]

Avoid any thing abrasive, and oil based like fine wet & dry (emery cloth, or sandpaper is 'suicidal' ), track rubbers (muck spreaders), plastic wheels, and above all traction tyres. I clean my rails using white vinegar, and after wards go over with 'Electrofix'. If muck does rarely build up I use a small piece of soft wood (about 6mm x 19mm x 25mm) rubbed over the rail tops, cleaning the piece of wood by rubbing over with course sandpaper after each use. Keep the rail tops polished as smooth as possible, never use a file, no matter how fine, on rail tops.

[Coombe Barton]

... small piece of soft wood (about 6mm x 19mm x 25mm) rubbed over the rail tops, cleaning the piece of wood ...

Like that idea. Cheap, too, so you replace the cleaner and don't spread old muck around. And you can see when it gets dirty and needs cleaning. As the cellulose fibure is much softer than the rail you won't get abrasion.

 

And for a fluid, llighter fluid is likely to do less damage to any scenic colouring than either surgical spirit or isopropanol (IPA). I use lighter fluid to get glue off the face of mounted prints.

[drewn]

Speaking as a less than average modeller, I would make two points :-

 

1. Yes - Avoid WD40 like the plague, it causes no end of slippage!.

2. I have found that some makes of loco are very forgiving of dirty track - eg Bachmann & Heljan, whilst others are prone to erratic performance eg Lima & Vitrains. What's the main difference ?, Bahmann and Heljan don't have traction tyres, the others do! I rest my case!

[Kenton]

2. I have found that some makes of loco are very forgiving of dirty track - eg Bachmann & Heljan, whilst others are prone to erratic performance eg Lima & Vitrains. What's the main difference ?, Bahmann and Heljan don't have traction tyres, the others do! I rest my case!

Also number of pickups - most "modern" RTR have pickups on more than one set of wheels "older" rtr generally have less - sometimes only on one axle.

 

Quite often when folk complain about poor running and the need to clean track they forget about the wheels (as mentioned above) but they also often forget that the weakest link in the power circuit are those flimsy pickup wires/strips. The type of pickup, where and how it contacts with the wheel are important. They also have the ability to collect dirt especially if there is oily residue.

[Campaman]

I've tried it and it seems to work, just clean the rails and wheels (prefer IPA to a track rubber here) and then coat the rails, the wheels will pick graphite up off the rails. The cheapest and probably the easiest way to coat the rails is with a joiners pencil, the ones with the oval 'lead'. I think mine were 10 in a pack at a pound shop. Artists graphite sticks tend to overdo it a little and act as a lubricant for a little while after coating, plus you pay artists/craft shop prices. (Yorkshire ancestry showing through!)

 

Phil T.

 

The artists graphite sticks I got were from poundland, 10 for a pound in 4B & 6B,I may not be from Yorkshire but I like to keep my Cider vouchers in my pocket.

[bike2steam]

1. Yes - Avoid WD40 like the plague, it causes no end of slippage!.

 

Unless of course your layout is desperately short of Omega 3 http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/wd-40.asp

But it dont list model railways.

.

[CullingworthGNR]

From the posts above (all full of good advice) you might think that keeping track clean enough to run trains on is fairly difficult. However, unless you're working outside or in a dusty environment like a shed, then your track will stay reasonable clean simply with the running of metal-wheeled trains. The odd wipe with a cloth dipped in meths and you should be all set.

[marc smith]

Other posters have mentioned keeping wagon and coach wheels clean....

Has anyone used one of those wagon wheel cleaners?

They have a couple of capstan rollers, to rotate the wheels,

and 2 sponges - one to apply a cleaning agent,

and the other to dry the wheels.

 

The capstans rotate the wheels, while wheels are held against each sponge in turn.

Appologies for not remembering who markets this bit of kit....

 

(Anyone know who it is?)

They're rather pricey, but it could be a time-saver....

 

Marc