Sand paper to clean track?

[JJ33]

Is it OK to use 200 grit sand paper on LGB track? Was wondering as I am selling some R2's on eBay and got asked that question.

Thanks,

JJ

[Rex in Pinetop]

Most sand paper will leave scratches in the brass which then fill with non-conducting "stuff" so you end up with shiny rails but less surface for the pickups to gather juice.  The finer the polishing agent the better.  I believe LGB sold a big rubber eraser for polishing track.  If sand paper is all you can find then go with 320 or better. 

I've gone to battery power so I don't have to polish track anymore!

Rex 

[ttrigg]

If you must use sandpaper never use anything more coarse than 2,000 to 4,000 automotive wet/dry sandpaper. Better yet, capture a Scotch green scrub pad as it is tossed from the sink to the trash can.

[Great Western]

I can only emphasize what ttrigg said.  In my case I by new ones which are about a quarter of an inch thick.  They are the type used in hotel and restaurant kitchens  The kitchen pads polish rather than scour the railhead.

I have adapted a drill attachment sander which is fitted at 45 degrees to a pole. which makes cleaning very easy as the sander attachment has clips which secure the scourer pad.

However, I don't clean track any where as often now as I run all my Aristo locos with a battery trailing car.  I just have three locos which require track power.

So avoid anything which scours like sandpaper you will just make track cleaning more necessary. 

[JJ33]

Thanks for the good info and will not use sand paper anymore...

JJ

[kstrong]

I'll readily agree with the "don't use sandpaper" sentiment. The widely held belief is that polishing the rails is better than scratching them dirt can't settle into the scratches. However, in response to my recent column on cleaning track where I laid out that argument, Alan Olson of the Denver Garden Railway Society writes that the DGRS has used 250 grit drywall sanding pads on the track at the club's display at the Colorado RR Museum for the past 5 years, having switched from Scotchbrite pads. He writes that the change was necessary due to the tree sap and other stuff which clogged the Scotchbrite, rendering them ineffective. He says he's noticed no degradation in the track performance since switching over to the drywall pads.

I run regularly on that railroad (though most often not using track power), and have only noticed issues with conductivity in the winter months when folks aren't running as often. So while I still think the non-abrasive pads are the better solution, you also can't argue with success, and the DGRS is having success using the drywall sanding pads.

Later,

K

[ttrigg]

Thanks for the reminder, Kevin. For 98% of my line a Scotch green pad on a drywall sanding pole does the job quite well. However there is a 3 foot section under miniature cork elms that I must do by hand. First, a mechanic's hand cloth soaked in alcohol followed by a piece of 400 grit sandpaper wrapped around my little finger. 

[vsmith]

Interesting, I've used a 320# finish sanding sponge on my pizza for years, granted thats only a few times a year when I'm at shows and several hours of gunk get built up. I just run it lightly over the rail heads and it clears all the gunk off. I have now built a cleaning car specifically for the pizza so hopefully that will eliminate the need for the sanding block.

[jnlret]

I use a drywall sander with the finest mesh pad.  I believe it's 220 grit.  I would like to get the green or red abrasive pads that will fit onto my drywall sander.  They have to be about 11 1/4" long.

Any suggestions?

[mgilger]

I agree with Tom. I only use 2000 grit wet/dry automotive sand paper.  You can obtain this at any NAPA automotive parts store. You won't have to worry about leaving scratches using this stuff.  It's used in the automotive repair business to buff out scratches in car paint.

Regards,

Mark

[dmikee]

Try this: go to your local hardware store and buy a Scotch-Brite pad designed to go on a drywall sanding pad and pole. First past, use a bucket 1/3 full of water and *** n Span or similar liquid detergent. It will dissolve most tree sap, bird do-do and insect trails. Then rinse off the rail and dry polish with the same pad. Finally, suspend a pad under a box car (like the original John Allen design for HO) and hitch it behind one of your better running diesels. Go to Home Depot and buy some CR-26 spray electrical cleaner (about $2.75 for a small can). Spray very lightly on track joints and turn-out points. Make several more circuits with the track cleaning car and it will spread an extremely light coat of the cleaner that makes for excellent electrical contact all over your layout.

[wernerjp]

I had issues with severe arching on my G scale brass track a few years ago and finally discovered some online information from a modeler who used Remington gun cleaning wipes to eliminate this arching problem (possibly a posting to Garden Railways, I can't recall).  This method works like a charm and I don't even bother cleaning my rails with any type of abrasive anymore - I just give them a wipe with one of these gun cleaning wipes and I am ready to go.  One wipe over the track is all you need and the best thing is these wipes are sold by Wal Mart in their gun/sporting goods section.  One pack will last years!

[ttrigg]

I have used the "Rem-Wipes" you talk about until I noticed the very fine thin layer of rainbow oil on top of the Koi pond. Even such very small, almost infinitely small, amount of oil can be hazardous if it gets in the wrong place. In my case it was the Koi pond. But it did work as advertised above. I still use it on the smaller scale layout quite well.