That's my thought every time someone comes up with some 'new' way to clean track. I don't understand why I don't have these problems - if I did, I probably could be at least semi-rich, given the number of commercial track cleaning options that exist and how there still are so many people with issues.
It's GOT to be more than simply the fact that I don't smoke, never have.
And indeed, once I learned about nickel-silver tracka nd stopped using brass - problems were over. It could be that people are trying so many things that the track is literally damaged - for example, I don't even own a brite-boy so all that track I take out of the box and install NEVER gets scratched int he first place.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Not a chemist or scientist, I first read about it in a post on another forum, from a guy named Joe F.
My first thought was "Good grief, what's next". I just don't have track cleaning issues, at all. Never had, except when I had all brass, long time ago.
Mike.
My You Tube
Can someone synopsize the MR argument why "molecular polarity" per se has anything to do with residue formation? There are some peripheral issues with hydrocarbon composition, relative evaporation, and perhaps 'adhesion' to metal surfaces, but these are not easily addressed by the chemical difference between 'polar' and 'nonpolar', so I suspect there is some metal reactivity thing (perhaps similar to why there is a 'metallic' smell to some alloys) involved, perhaps with the nickel as catalyst.
Think of the 'dielectric constant' thing as being a layer of insulator between two conductors. At a certain voltage difference this insulator will break down and conduct electricity, but the adjacent rail and contact wheel or shoe will act to an extent as 'plates in a capacitor' so when the breakdown occurs there's a small rush of current and this creates the microarcing effect. So if you want a 'protective layer' of some kind, you'll be interested in its 'net' dielectric strength independent of layer thickness in practice ... which involves a little more tinker than just using a compound dielectric constant out of a handbook or something, but is precisely the sort of thing that an organization like MR could work out and publish.
Obviously the lower the vapor pressure of something wiped on the rails, the longer its film will last. The idea of WD40 is that its solvents clean and remove the contaminants, then the light-oil fraction forms the 'barrier layer' that (due significantly to its polarity, now in a meaningful chemical context) gives the water-repelling action that was the original point of the WD40 product.
It might be fun for someone to instrument a Dapol or other car to measure the practical dielectric constant of TOR film over a range of track, perhaps at frequent intervals using a controlled voltage ramp to a clean wheel or contact means of applied or rolling (not sliding) type. Such a thing might be rented to clubs or even individuals with large layouts, as a kind of itinerant Sperry car service.
(Incidentally the 'high dielectric strength' cited for water is only for distilled water, with the practical resistance to 'electron flow' dropping dramatically when even small amounts of common contaminants, many of which are widely available as soon as track cleaning starts, get into it...)
I didn't know anything about the Dapol cleaning car. I just watched (skimmed through) a couple of videos.
So that's how they work! First pass, a vacum or hoover, as the Brits call it, then the abrasive cleaning wheel, then the rail buffing pad. I was actually somewhat impressed when the author of the video compared hand cleaned rails, next to the Dapol cleaned rails.
OK, back to topic, sorry.
I use the CRC 2-26 on switch (turnouts) pivots (where the point rail pivots), if you understand what I'm talking about, and on locomotives with the brass pick up strip that the axles go into, on Kato, Genesis, Atlas, Scale Trains, etc., etc., and on each end of the armature, all applied with the tip of a very fine paint brush.
I use WD-40 and PB Blaster out in the garage.
And the recommendation to avoid petroleum products is because many plastics are reactive with them. Wouldn't do to fill your new track cleaning car with a solvent only to have the whole thing melt down and spill.
Alcohol is also flammable, as are many of the solutions/fluids tested in the article referenced above. We aren't talking about leaving pools of the stuff, or even HO/N scale puddles of it, around the layout. We're talking about an exceedingly thin layer of it spread along the rails. If perchance it did go "POOF" due to, say, arcing, it would last a millisecond and leave the rails somewhat darker than when they had first been powered moments earlier. That's it.
Hello All,
tstageYou already have 91% alcohol in your arsenal. Why not use that to clean your track?
Sigh...
Yes, I know- -another track cleaning discussion!!!
In the May, 2019, issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist, under the "Publisher's Musings" is the topic track of cleaning.
One of the points brought up in this article is the molecular polarity of cleaning solvents and how that relates to the gray residue found on Nickel-silver track.
The article has a chart of non-polar, semi-polar, and polar solvents.
Non-polar solvents apparently being the most effective in inhibiting this build-up.
Isopropyl alcohol (unknown %) is listed on this chart as a polar solvent with a Dielectric Constant of 18.0.
Apparently, the lower the Dielectric Constant of the cleaner the less chance there is of microarcing; which is the cause of this oxidation, or "dirty track".
Kerosene is listed with the lowest Dielectric Constant at 1.8, while water is listed as the highest at 80.4.
I don't know the Dielectric Constants of ACT-6006, dapol Track Cleaning Fluid or Bachmann E-Z Lube.
The instructions for the dapol Cleaning Car says to not use "petroleum-based cleaning solutions".
Kerosene is definitely a petroleum-based product, despite it's low Dielectric Constant index.
I don't feel confident using kerosene on my pike- -because of flammability.
That leaves the cleaning solutions with unknown Dielectric Constants.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
WD-40 is a spray, and gets places you don't want it. That's OK on a squeeky door hinge it desk chair wheel, but locomotives need mostly clean, dry surfaces with lubrication only in the right places.
LaBelle oil is much more precise to apply and is made for the materials of which model trains are made. Get their grease, too, because if you're lubricating engines you'll need gear grease, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Ed A many thanks to all for the inputs....I guess I'll stay away curious that the description, at least on Amazon, includes this line Lubricates moving parts such as hinges, wheels, pulleys, rollers, chains, and gears Ed
many thanks to all for the inputs....I guess I'll stay away
curious that the description, at least on Amazon, includes this line
Ed
Rich
Alton Junction
jjdamnitFor track cleaning I have in my arsenal Aero-Car Hobby Lubricant's "ACT-6006 Track & Rail Cleaner" along with dapol brand "Track Cleaning Fluid" for use in my dapol brand track cleaning car.
Just curious, jj. You already have 91% alcohol in your arsenal. Why not use that to clean your track?
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
jjdamnitIf I need an aerosol cleaner I too use CRC "QD Electronic Cleaner". This is great for flushing out contaminants and is plastic safe.
This is great stuff for cleaning locomotive parts. I have not had it ever attack any plastic, but I still test it to be sure.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I retired back in 2006 and forgot I was using Simple Green a bio degradable citrus based product rather than the usual solvent products for mechanical cleaners. I still use it at home.
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Ed AIs WD40 suitable for lubricating/cleaning HO loco parts and mechanisms?
"Water Dispersment Formula Number 40" (WD-40) was never intended as a lubricant.
As said before it is a form of penetrant and was designed to dry out the contact points in wet ignition systems.
What are you cleaning?
What are you lubricating?
For cleaning my go-to has been 91% isopropyl alcohol. Unfortunately, it has become more difficult to find due to current health concerns.
You can substitute 70% isopropyl alcohol. It works too but might take several passes or soakings, and has also been difficult to find in these times.
Denatured alcohol is another degreaser I use.
If I need an aerosol cleaner I too use CRC "QD Electronic Cleaner". This is great for flushing out contaminants and is plastic safe.
For track cleaning I have in my arsenal Aero-Car Hobby Lubricant's "ACT-6006 Track & Rail Cleaner" along with dapol brand "Track Cleaning Fluid" for use in my dapol brand track cleaning car.
Once the items are clean, depending on the component(s), I use White Lithium grease (available at hardware, big-box and auto parts stores) for gears.
Good old "3-In-One" is on hand for light lubrication applications, applied sparingly.
Recently, a technician at Bachmann suggested their proprietary "E-Z Lube".
This is a plastic compatible, "conductive contact lube". I was advised to periodically, sparingly, apply to the contact/wiper sides of the wheels on locomotives to promote electrical pickup.
Labelle manufacturers specialty lubricants for hobby applications from greases to oils. I have not had a chance to use their products but they do come highly recommended.
For dry lubrication applications; coupler boxes, I use Graphite Powder.
This can be bought from hobby manufacturers under various re-branded names.
You can also find this product in big-box and hardware stores. Ask for "Powdered Graphite Lubricant". It is used by locksmiths to free up stick components.
mbinsewiI use CRC 2-26. It lubricates and cleans electrical connections.
Ditto on the CRC 2-26.
For places where electrical contact are important I use De-Oxit.
DeOxit D100L
I never used WD-40 on models for fear that it would attack certain plastics.
Good Luck, Ed
richg1998Never WD40. A retired mechanic.
Supposedly it gets sticky rather than lubricating. It can also remove paint, not the side effect I was expecting on a craftsman tool chest.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Never WD40. A retired mechanic.
CRC2-26 sometimes but mostly LaBelle products for final lubrication.
I use CRC 2-26. It lubricates and cleans electrical connections.
Ed A Is WD40 suitable for lubricating/cleaning HO loco parts and mechanisms? I'm more interested in lubricatiing at the moment.
Is WD40 suitable for lubricating/cleaning HO loco parts and mechanisms? I'm more interested in lubricatiing at the moment.
WD-40 is not a lubricant
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
NO... WD-40 is wonderful stuff for around the garage, but not suitable for our electric model trains.
Hi folks
Is WD40 suitable for lubricating/cleaning HO loco parts and mechanisms? I'm more interested in lubricatiing at the moment. I have a couple of Atlas units that are a little squeeky. With 40+ years as an electrical engineer WD40 would seem perfect to me for some of these needs unless I'm missing something.
thanks