Hi,
In building a new HO layout, I'm using brand new in the box Atlas code 100 flex track, and combining it with recovered track from the previous layout. The lower level trackage is laid, and yesterday I cleaned up all the used track - with a final swipe of an alcohol dampened cloth. To me, its clean when no dirt appears on the cloth.....
At first I ignored the new trackage as it was just recently pulled from the box. However, just for grins, I ran a clean alcohol dampened rag over the rails and surprise, surprise, surprise!!! The cloth had a nice dark streak on it - telling me that the new track was in fact, "dirty".
Frankly, I should not have been surprised. Given that the rails are extruded and may have been sitting around for a long time before packaging, there is probably lube residue (from the extruder) and/or some silver oxide (from being exposed to air).
Ha, I may be the last MR to realize that "new track is not clean track", but in case I am not the Lone Ranger, I thought I would pass this along.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
PS: I don't recall this being mentioned in any layout building or track laying articles.
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Just some days ago I laid some test track - it was all brand new. When I wired it up, my locos would not run properly until I cleaned it! I never noticed before, since I usually paint my track before running any trains... Now I know!
The same holds true for those brand new, shiny loco wheels. I've had a few Master series Atlas engines that would barely run until those wheels were run on the alcohol soaked paper towel.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Well, much of what you got off the track is oxidation, which is caused by exposure to air, and not "dirt", but that doesn't make what you say untrue.
Unless the factory is certified to handle food or medicine and some electronics, factories are very dirty places. Unfortunately, not all of the former are as clean as they should be. either.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Could the factory put some sort of protective coating on the track,and thats what your wiping off?
Ibeamlicker Could the factory put some sort of protective coating on the track,and thats what your wiping off?
That might be what it is/was. A lot of things that get shipped could be sitting for a LLLOOOOONNG time in warehouses hence protecting the items may involve oils and such-----
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Hi!
Like I said, it was probably oxidation and/or oily residue from the excrusion (spell?) process. Let's just call whatever it was that came up on my alcohol dampened rag as a "foreign substance".