Rusty 072 track

[mgmlodi]

Besides buying a new circle, what can be done with rusty lionel 072 track?

[ChiefEagles]

Clean it with emery cloth or a very fine sand paper.  Do not use steel wool.  Not good for gears and especially magntraction.  Running lots of old track I had from the 80's. 

[lionelsoni]

I never have cleaned anything but the tops of the railheads.  Rust elsewhere is prototypical.  I knew a guy years ago who went to the trouble to electroplate nickel-silver rail with iron for HO, just so it would rust.

[willpick]

I'd use emery cloth or 800 grit sandpaper to clean just the tops of the rails. Then remove the pins, clean them up, then use a round needle file to clean the inside of the rails where the pins were. Also, check the paper insulators on the center rail. Replace any that seem damaged. If the rust has gone deep into the rail, discard it. New Lionel tubular should be available at a reasonable price, if you have to replace any sections.

[AKKevinT]

I have had great success at cleaning rust track using my dremel using the 511 Course Finishing Abrasive Buff wheels. If you want to try them you should act fast– they are being retired by Dremel this month and will be getting very hard to find real soon.

They are kind of spendy but they get the work done extremely fast. They work best and last longer if used at slower turning speeds. Avoid running the abrasive buff wheel over sharp edges. This action tends to tear/cut the buffing material prematurely. I would also recommend using your eye protection and a dust mast mask as this thing kicks up a fair amount of dust.

I have cleaned up some old 072 track just like you have described and this worked great. If you go for the prototypical look (just clean the tops of the rails and the pins) you could get one abrasive buffing wheel to last for a lot of track.

Here is a link to Dremel’s website where you can see this product: http://www.dremel.com/en-us/tools/tool-detail.htm?H=188476&G=69816&I=66430

[Sturgeon-Phish]

I use an old furnace blower motor (1/4 hp 1750 rpm) with a fine brass wire wheel mounted on the shaft.  This is mounted on a board that I clamp to a table top or work bench so you can pass the length of track on the wire wheel.  Have the rotation going down (away from you) so if you loose your grip it does not hit you!  I use a momentary on switch which is foot operated to turn the motor on and off.  I've cleaned a LOT of rusty track fairly quickly with it and it still works great.  Always wear eye protection!

Jim