This could possibly be put in the electronics forum, because it deals with the electrical operations of locomotives, but I was at a NMRA event recently and I was told about a product for use on track to increase conductivity and reduce the amount of cleaning and maintenance. It is called "No-Ox A Special". The gentleman I spoke with swears by it and he has been in the hobby longer than I have been alive. Any other comments or reviews about this product? I would love to know... thanks.
For anyone interested in reading about No-Ox-Id here is a data sheet:
https://www.northtowncompany.com/pdfs/NO-OX-ID%20A-SPECIAL.pdf
Personally, I've never been a fan of applying any kind of elixirs on the rails. Various fads have come along and the proponents swear by their virtues. Transmission fluid, Flitz paste, WD-40, Whal Clipper Oil, Gleaming, etc.
I guess I'm fortunate that I have a fairly clean layout room and rail contaminantion and power distribution has never been a problem.
I will use either CRC 2-26, or better yet, Deoxit on contact points in locomotives, battery holders, plug and socket pins, or needlepoint axle ends where electrical contact is important.
https://tinyurl.com/y6xkzj8a
On the rails? No, haven't been a follower of that logic. It works for some but YMMV.
Been around a while...
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/211924.aspx
Cheers, Ed
I've never "bought into" putting anything on my track, but trains.
Through the many threads that have come and gone on track cleaning, and putting different products on the rails, I still run a track cleaner car, on an as needed basis, only a couple of times per year, the first being when I start the railroad up in the Fall, and somewhere in between when I pretty much abandon the lay out for out side, and Summer building projects, some time in May.
Some seem to, or claim to, have perpetual track cleaning problems. I've never experienced that, and my lay out is in a basement, ceiling is not finished, walls are, but only around the lay out.
Mike.
My You Tube
yes, i used no-ox maybe five years ago, and have reduced the cleanings greatly ...
i put in on very lighty, and then let it dry for a day, then wiped the excess off with a dry rag ...
current cleaning is vacuming maybe twice a year, and wiping with a rag with a little bit of alcohol applied , that's it ..
RR_MelI used NO-OX-ID back in the 80s on connectors and it worked very good. I worked in two-way radio communications and the Motorola MCX Motorcycle radio had all kinds of connector problems and NO-OX cured them. The problem was the vibration from the Harley Davidson was shaking the connectors until they fell apart. The NO-OX is an anti-corrosive grease lubricant that remains as a film when applied.
I'd refrain from using anything that leaves an oily or greasy film on my track.It only attracts more dust. I swear by the CMX track cleaning car. It's pricey, but I have a rather sizeable layout and it makes cleaning the track a lot easier. One word of warning, it's a rather heavy car, requiring two locomotives to move it around the layout.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
contrary to popular opinion, while no-ox is applied as a grease, once it it 'sets' and is buffed, the surface is dry, thus no 'greasy' residue to attract dust ..
for those that have a 'greasy' residue, well, you are applying it way too heavy, lol
A year ago I was really gun-hoe on the idea of applying this product moderately to my rails. It does have very good reviews.
The subject of No-Ox ID has been a topic of debate many times here on the Forum. After hearing what other Forum members had to say about it. I have a lot of respect for the decision of using it on the rails or not. I do know there is a specific system for application of this product (very important to follow).
I will set up two demo tracks of the same grade and carefully follow the direction of very moderate amount of use on one set of tracks. This experiment will determine whether I use it for this purpose.
I do know a low voltage CAT5 guy. He stated he has been using this product in splice connections for years. He also said he completely swears by this product. He hasn't had a call back for anything failing in his work in all those years.
I'm not a big fan of soldering track connectors. I know it is said track connectors are only for holding the rails together and not for continuity. I also believe in expansion and contraction even in a controlled environment. Not so much necessarily the rails themselves but the materials underneath.
It is when ballast is applied to track, the seepage into track connectors causes corrosion and adds to lack of continuity. No Ox ID is conductive and also a Superior corrosion-resistant product.
I will use this product applied with a toothpick in all my wire feed track connectors. I have heard of many doing this and never having a problem.
TF
I do not use it,so can't say anything . I do use ATF, works well "for me".
Every time I see a track cleaning thread,I remember Grandpa saying some thing about skinning a cat.
UNCLEBUTCH I do not use it,so can't say anything . I do use ATF, works well "for me". Every time I see a track cleaning thread,I remember Grandpa saying some thing about skinning a cat.
I Getcha.... definitely more than one way to do anyting and achieve the same result.
You may have a better solution than over-analytical anal-retentiveness I remember my Grandpa saying just use something that works n-call-her quits.
Track fiddler than over-analytical anal-retentiveness
You have just went past my intelligence comfort zone
You're a funny guy UncleButch. I know that's not true but funny. My Grandpa used to tell me, don't overthink things. Sometimes I wonder to this day if I listened well
Really though. Humor aside, always an interesting thread
Hi,
Back when ('80s ?) No-Ox was "THE THING" to keep your tracks alive and well. I bought a jar, and found it did work as advertised.
One word of caution.......make sure you seal it up good and tight. Apparently mine wasn't as airtight as I thought, and I lost most of the contents to evaporation. I still have the bottle although its empty.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I used No-Ox-Id as others have described above (it is not greasy & has not evaporated). I, too, put it on my rail ends when joining the flex pieces. The only joints I soldered are on the curves. After over 6 years, I have never cleaned the track except with a duster ("Swiffer") and experienced no problems. Admittedly, the room has a controlled environment; therefore, movement is minimized.
Dante
I use Penetrox A for electrical connections and graphite on the rails. Works fine for me, even on my 3.5%-4% grades.
This is an interesting forum for this question since it was Linn H. Westcott, then editor of Model Railroader magazine, who introduced NO-OX-ID "A SPECIAL" to the model railroading community in 1965.
And yes, I have used NO-OX-ID "A SPECIAL" on my track 3 years ago. I went from cleaning the ugly black crud off my track 2 or 3 times a week to occasional vacuuming dust off the track.
I started using No-Ox about three years ago and can't speak to the many other cleaning option but it is far superior to the old isopropyl alcohol and bright boy method. I can go much, much longer without dead spots popping up using Code 55 track. Pre clean with low odor mineral spirits then apply a very, very thin film of No-Ox using index finger. Barely a film on finger. Run trains then wipe the rails one final time. Ron's Trains N Things (RTNT) YouTube channel gives a great cleaning overview and use and application of No-Ox and a good follow up assessment a while after using it. Nothing is full proof but I give it a thumbs up.
There was some reseach done and published on another site which shall not be mentioned, but essentially oderless mineral spirits were found to be the best agent for cleaning track, followed up with a light application of graphite applied to the inside edges of the rails.
Apparently the main ingredient of No-Ox ID is minteral spirits.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983