Any problem with fumes?
Lacquer thinner is smelly stuff, and it's not good for you. I fill my CMX car in the garage, preferably with the doors open. When I run it to clean track, I like to open the windows, pollen or no pollen. However, if you set the needle valve which controls the drip rate of the solvent properly, just enough to keep the pad damp, then you will probably not even notice the fumes.
Wait for a nice day when you can ventilate your trainroom, though. You make a very good point.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I use a CMX tanker with Denatured Alcohol and pull a couple box cars with masonite pads. The Denatured cuts all junk on the track and hasen't hurt anything. Also sometimes a track eraser on the inside rail edges and turnouts. Doug
I clean my track with 91% alcohol and bright boy as needed..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Mr. B.
My layout is in the basement, near the gas furnace and gas water heater with open pilot lights on each.
Rich
Alton Junction
It's a CMX machine for me. When I notice my subways starting to stall, generally 2 or 3 times a year, then it's time to clean the tracks. I use lacquer thinner. I've tried IPA (isopropyl alcohol) but the lacquer thinner does a better job, and doesn't de-paint my grade crossings the way the alcohol does. So, I have more time to enjoy an IPA (India Pale Ale.)
I've learned one lesson which will become important in the next few months, for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Keep your windows closed when the pollen pops. 2 years ago, my tracks became a mess as green, sticky pollen from the trees outside came in through the screens. I'm more careful about my windows now.
I must praise all for the cleaning techniques. I did notice however that nobody suggested vacuuming the track first to remove most of the dirt and dust. This will make a big difference! I agree about NOT using a Brite Boy as it is too abrasive for track. Peco makes an excellent cleaning block that does not scratch the track. Another item that works well is the old ink eraser block or the old typewrite eraser that looks like a pencil for small spots of crud, if you can find them. I have had success locating them at garage sales. 91% or higher alcohol does a great job as well, but it needs to be applied with a paper towel or clean rag and some elbow grease. Atlas used to have a great track cleaning car with a vacuum in it. Don't know if it still out there or not. Anyway, everybody keep using the method that best works for them! Happy rails!
Keep in mind there are two different things that can mess with the conductivity of your track. One is 'dirt', which usually manifests itself as a gunky combination of excess grease from gearboxes and dry particles such as dust or tiny bits of plastic from worn/degrading wheels. You clean this with something wet, ideally with degreasing properties, such as alcolhol or another solvent that will evaporate without leaving a film behind. You prevent it by doing whatever you can to keep dust off the layout, switching to steel wheelsets on your rolling stock, and not overlubricating your locos.
The other problem is oxidation of the track. This is best removed with a very light abrasive, such as a Bright Boy or pencil eraser. The best way to prevent it is to run your trains as frequently as you can.
Good luck!
The other thing that I use is a plain old pink pencil eraser. It does take a little bit of work but it does seem to clean off a lot of gunk.
Like some have already said, everyone has one way or the other for cleaning track. I found in my personal experience, that a CMX track cleaning car, with Lacquer thinner works the best. You pay attention to the recommended drip rate on the pad and will have no problem's and the smell that everyone seem's so worried about, goes away in less time than cigar smoke smell. They even recommend the use of Lacquer thinner. I am a disabled vet, more so now, because of my age adding to it. At one time my large layout sat for 4yrs, with nothing running. One day I spent about three hours running two track cleaning cars around the double track main line with two each Athearn BB SD40-2's, CMX, Centerline and drag car. One was pushed rather than pulled, other pulled. Two complete passes and it was clean. That was six months ago and it is still clean.
I run strictly DC though, some times I will run the six sound engines I have and still don't have a problem. Works for Me! I put a new pad on each car once.
Frank
Chad
Sometimes a sponge with, wait for it, Water cleans pretty good. Some things are water soaluble and some are not. But dust is. May take more than one wipe. Then maybe a consist of locos will behave well enough to pull a CMX track cleaning car with denatured alcohol for 50 laps or so changing cleaning pad every other lap. That'll take care of the main. The rest is a labor of love. Also, the masonite cars work super good at keeping tracks clean. I use one always behind the loco if I'm pulling boxcars.
Ron
Opinions on track cleaning are a dime a dozen. Everyone swears by their method. You just have to experiment and decide what works best for you depending on what type of track you have, the environment your layout is housed in, whether DC or DCC and the environment in the part of the country you live in. I go with the gleaming advocates which involves using increasingly finer sandpaper. You can go as fine as 1500 or even 2000 for the final sanding. Yes, there are microscopic scratches left but the burnishing and polishing eliminates the grime catching problem in this method. I then run my masonite pad, homemade track cleanng car before each operating session.
LIONS do not clean tracks.
LION runs trains with 48 wheel pickup, ain't nothing going to stop them, not even that double crossover which is isolated and electrically dead. No need to figure out how to wire the darn thing!
LION recommends 48 wheel pickup.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Don't know your exact circumstances, due to the two year layoff, but if your track is dirty the wheels on your rolling stock are most likely dirtier. I rarely have issues with dirty track, but I regularly find wheels with a crud buildup that need cleaning.
I use nothing more agreesive than a Bright Boy, usually just 91% or denatured alcohol, then apply a very light coat of CRC 2-26 contact cleaner and lube with the end of a cork wetted in it. This is only required about once a year.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Using a bright boy on my gleamed track is a hanging offense. Do use 91% alcohol on my little used sidings though
Nooooo! Use nothing coarser than a Bright Boy or other track cleaning bar - and then only as a last resort.
The simplest way is a cloth dipped in a bit of alcohol and rubbing the track with your forefinger. Anything that won't come up with that will with the track bar.
Using sandpaper takes off everything, but leaves minute scratches that will catch even more dirt later on.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
As others have said,and with good reason, never use sand paper.
Rubbing alcohol works well, but I use denatured alcohol, and I think that works even better.
Occasionally, I will rub a Bright Boy over a spot on the rails.
I use denatured alcohol. Need fewer passes over a length of track when compared to 91% rubbing alcohol.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
If you sanded youdr track with anything less than 600 grit paper, I'd suggest you get some 600 or finer and smooth the tops of your rails. As mentioned above coarse sandpaper can leave scratches which will collect any and all types of dirt.
I have a smal layout and can easily reach all track. My primary cleaning is done with a Brite Boy and 70% alchol on a soft, lint free cloth. I do have a Bachmann track cleaning tank car, which is much like a masonite drag.
Good luck,
Richard
I'm a "gleam" believer. "Gleamed" some recently laid and ballasted track last night. First, light sanding with 600 grit wet/dry paper, followed by 1000 grit, both papers attached to a small block of wood. Then the fun part, burnishing to a mirror finish with some select pieces of 316 SS. Topped it off with some metal polish and a hand buffing. Inbetween each sanding operation and both before and after burnishing I wipe the track down with a cloth wetted with electrical contact cleaner.
"Gleaming" is labor intensive, but not too much different than enjoying a good hand waxing and buffing of my truck while listening to Howlin' Wolf and Stevie Ray Vaughan. "Gleaming" track is a one time thing, not so waxing the truck.
regards, Peter
Chad,
You should not use sandpaper, all you are doing is scratching the surface of the rail, causing more crud to stick to it easier. Best to use 91% Alcohol. I personally use a CMX tank car with Lacquer thinner in the tank, followed by a Centerline track cleaning car, sometimes a masonite drag car behind that. I run them maybe once a year. Here are some other tips, if you would like to read them:
http://www.rjftrains.com/sales/centerline/dirtytrack.htm
Have Fun!
Gentlemen,
Well after my layout has set idle for about two years, I finally got it about 75% wired. AS I was testing tracks today I noticed some issues with the track. Keep it mind it hasnt been cleaned in about two years.
What's the best way to clean it? I took some sand paper to the rails of one section that had been painted before and that seemed to help alot, no more spitting or sputtering in that strech. My question is should I run the sand paper around the whole layout or go with 70% isopropyl and some dust monkeys on a train and run it around? Any input would be great!
HO Scale modeler of Union Pacific and Iowa Chicago and Eastern Railroads.