Track cleaning cars? (ie. Trains Canada)

[jbinkley60]

I am a big fan of the CMX... I LOVE it! As Lillen said though, you need a BIG engine to pull that sucker up grades... I use my E7 or FA&B to pull it no problem up my 3% grade!  I does a great job cleaning!

Brian

 I too am a CMX fan.  I put a couple of Dash 8's to pull mine around.  That way if one loc hits a dirty spot, I have another to get it past until the CMX cleans the rails.

 

[ShadowNix]

I am a big fan of the CMX... I LOVE it! As Lillen said though, you need a BIG engine to pull that sucker up grades... I use my E7 or FA&B to pull it no problem up my 3% grade!  I does a great job cleaning!

Brian

[wedudler]

I would go with centerline cars. I've scratch build such a car, a Track Cleaning Transfer Caboose. This cleaning car runs with any train in operation.

 

Wolfgang 

[Lillen]

I have a CMX Clean Machine and I truly believe it is the best track cleaning car you can buy.   Sure it is a little pricey BUT if you really want performance out of your track cleaning car then this one is really the one you want to invest in. 

 

I bought one of those after the recommendations of this forum. it is the single best buy I have ever made for this hobby. You need a strong loco to pull it, my bachmann 2-10-2 can't shift up a 2% rise even an inch. I use a IORE that I only use for track cleaning. It can push it everywhere. Anyways, after I had put in all my track I used the CMX to do the rough and boring job of cleaning of all the stuff that got on the rails. A few laps and it was so clean I couldn't find any dirt anywhere. Even the locos wheels got clean after running in the solvents after the CMX.

 

Magnus

[gpharo]

Does anyone know the quality of Trains Canada track cleaners?

 

http://www.trainscanada.ca/track_cleaners.htm

[D&HRR]

  I would say CMX or Centerline, they are both worth the money. CMX is a better car IMHO.

[jeffshultz]

I definitely recommend a track cleaning car, but you sould know that there is a wide spectrum in capabilities and cost there.

 I'm not sure I'd recommend the 600 grit version, as it's going to be putting microscopic scratches in the rail. 

 However, you can build a similar one with a chunck of masonite. Or you can go high end with a CMX Clean Machine, which uses the dripping liquid method. 

[LD357]

 I have an IHC track cleaning caboose that works pretty well, it has a small tank inside the carbody that you fill with cleaner and a adjust a valve to regulate the flow onto a pad mounted under the car.  It works ok for general cleaning, but the bottle of cleaner it came with is very small,  I usually use 70% isopropyl alcohol in it.

  I made a track cleaning car out of an old boxcar chassis....I saw instructions in an issue of MR and thought I'd try it. I drilled two holes in the chassis and made a track cleaning pad from a flat metal weight out of an old Life-Like diesel. I drilled two holes in the metal weight and epoxied two nails in them,  the nails fit in the holes and the boxcar pulls it along.....I also drilled out two of the other weights so I could add them to the one with nails in it for more cleaning power. I use 600 grit sandpaper as a track cleaner and add a few drops of alcohol and it works great!   nice shiny rails and no hesitation spots anywhere.  

[gpharo]

I have been contemplating track cleaning cars for a while now.  In a nutshell, do you recommend them? I have been eyeing the cleaners from Trains Canada

http://www.trainscanada.ca/track_cleaners.htm

Thanks for your input