cleaning track

[daniel1967]

Brass and Nickel track- Does damage occur to track ie. ( micro scratching that actually causes increased build-up) if you use 420 sand paper to buff the top of rail?
Gonna use that ole' stuff one way or another.... Dan

[Jetrock]

Indeed, it does--anything that scratches the surface of the track increases the total surface area and invites faster buildup of trouble-causing goo on the track.

[jwar]

Hi Dan.

I would suggest using crocus cloth and not any type of sanpaper. Crocus (spelling ?) can be purchased at a good auto parts store, either is sheets or a three inch wide rool, 3 or so feet shoul do it. It is used to polish parts using a lathe. Its as smooth as paper and will not scrach the rail. Tack it on a small block of wood works great and doesnt take a lot of elbow grease (pressure) to use.

There are two types of abraisive type of track cleaners. One is like a piece of rubber and the other has a sandy feel to it, I forget the name of the more abrasive one as I trashed it when I noticed how harsh it was, scrached the rails.

Hope this helps...Take care...John

[daniel1967]

thanks you two- I'm gonna back off the 420... but boy,it sure does make those ole' rails shine!![8D]

[KenK]

I've read that Brasso brass polish cleans track very well without being abrasive.

[mgruber]

I use the Centerline Products car with Goo Gone as the cleaning agent. Works well and if you use DCC you can really notice a difference. Also use a brite boy for those stubborn areas. Also using metal wheels on your rolling stock helps.

[clif_nmra]

Is there a problem in filing down* code 100 to match code 83 rail?
* using either dremel or a file.

[jwar]

Hi Clif.

They make a special rail joiner from code 83 to 100. This is the best bet and I have heard of some using a code 100 joiner, crimping one half of the 83 side, dont sound like a way to go, but have never tried it.

When I soder track I file the top side with a fine jewlers file, The inside with a riffler file as it is curved, then use a magnifying glass to make sure of how sanitarty the joint looks. I also drag a penny over the joint of which sounds weird, but magnifys the feel of a rough edge. ...Take care...John

[samgolden]

I cleaned my BRASS track (hadn't used it for about 30 years) with Flitz and Maas metal polishes. Before that I had tried just about anything and everything I could think of. The eraser, Goo Gone, sand paper (various grades) and they all were a lot of work. I don't have to weather the sides of the rail because the whole layout had a black (coroded brass) color. After the metal polishes the tops of the rail are still shiney. By the way the Flitz worked a little bit easier/quicker. I am not sure how the trains run yet because I am still rewiring it.

Sam

[Anonymous]

*warning*
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use WD-40 as a cleaning agent for rails. It works great for about 2 days, but then starts to attract huge quantities of dust and goo. Also, the overspay can damage scenary.