Best track cleaner

[RRTrainman]

I use Wahl's clipper oil and I use my loco cleaner track with it and it has kept my loco's hickup free for years.  I use a track cleaning car with the pad dabled with it for the rails.

[mokenarr]

For years i used railzip ,but just stopped   is sure did clean thetrack, but had some problems i did not like    for one it was slippery and my hidden storage yard is under the layout, and long trains sometime stopped , wheels spinning, on the way up.  also it seems like the black stuff on the rail and wheels would build up baddly.   i have one of those boxcars that has a wheel to clean  the track ,but am only sorta happy with it    the main cleaner i use is  LifeLike track cleaner.   i cut a peice of 3/4" wood dowell rod to a bit over the width of the track.  i then attached some 1/4" dowell to make a handle. the thing is   T shaped   i wrap some thin cloth around the 3/4 " peice  add the track cleaner and away i go.   with the handle i can get into tight spaces along the track and into hidden tracks   works great and is cheap

[doctorwayne]

So a protective finish is good, but not a residue? 

I may just be lucky, but my method is easy - I don't clean track unless I've been doing scenery work in the vicinity.  I'm still using DC, though, so maybe DCC is a little more demanding of clean track.

Wayne 

[donhalshanks]

Jeffery's GLEAM method (described earlier) really works, and I will continue to use it as the method of choice.  You might give it a try.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Hal 

 

[loathar]

DO NOT USE Goo-Gone it leaves a film that attracts dirt and make the situation worse.

Dito^. Take any of those gum remover type cleaners and wipe some on a piece of glass and see the residue they leave behind if you don't believe it.

[Mr. SP]

Mineral spirits (not lacquer thinner) on a rag works for me. I also have the Bachmann EC-2 geometry car and it had a felt pad that  I dampen with mineral spirits and run around the layout. DO NOT USE Goo-Gone it leaves a film that attracts dirt and make the situation worse.

[sfrailfan]

I very much agree with the protective coating idea, being in an area that promotes quit track dirtification. (basement of an apt building)

Anyway I used rail zip and one of our members that doesn't favor it complained it conflicted with the wahl oil another member was using. Which of course it did. The funny part is how he later told me it errodes plastic rr ties! -ya sure!

RAIL ZIP works great because you can apply a small amount in an area with a paper towel ect. and then run a train (best to use metal wheels here) back and forth and clean a wider area.

I use CRC 2-26 with the same method now, but it doesn't stretch as far. It does however leave a good protective coating that lasts for quite a while, even in our basement.

[PaulWhitt20]

Hi,

So far no one has mentioned WD-40. After reading some other posts on this forum, I decided to try WD-40 on my Unitrack last night. Before the locos would stall and the headlights flicker and I would end up cleaning the track every week with Isopropanol wipes. After running for 10 minutes one of the locos in a consist would stop running.

I put a small amount of WD-40 on a cloth and wiped half the rails (the front where I can reach easily) then ran some trains. After a few minutes the loco's ran perfectly with no headlight flickering and the consisted loco's worked fine.

So WD-40 works for me. Thanks to the people on this forum who suggested it.

PaulWhitt20

[easyaces]

Seems like everyone uses what ever they like to keep the track clean. I prefer to use lighter fluid(either Ronson or Zippo) on a small lintless rag, as it is Naptha, and it cleans well, it degreases, and dissipates rapidly leaving no residue.  Caution should be used  because it is flammable, and you need adequite ventillation.  Gets the job done though, and I don't need to clean the track very often. Some of you other old timers out there might do the same thing.

[Autobus Prime]

Folks:

I am willing to bet that if somebody was to sort it all out, we would find that the existence of so many answers comes of the existence of widely different conditions. The thing to do is not get lost in analysis or think there's one perfect solution, but to try a bunch and pick what works. Remember that you're trying the method, not a particular tool, so don't buy in too far too soon. For instance, if you want to try a wet cleaner with solvent, try it with a rag first.

There is corrosion, which I don't find to be a problem, even on my brass and steel, except with long-stored track (where it is equally a problem with NS). Maybe it gets rubbed away in normal operations and masonite-slider-polishing.

There is dirt, which varies in particle size and makeup. I recall reading in MR that an electron microscope revealed it to be mainly fibers, dust, and oil. Our local dust is slightly sticky, and I find alcohol on a paper towel or felt slide pad cleans it off very well. Other places have drier dust, and some people have almost no dust. I would imagine the dust conditions have a lot to do with the success of oiled rail.

Dirt can collect in various ways. It can settle on to clean track, or be held by rough oxides. It can collect in grooves left by abrasives. This doesn't necessarily mean all abrasives are bad. Every metal surface looks like the Grand Canyon at some magnification, but the canyons should be small enough not to trap dirt. I use crocus cloth occasionally in spots. It's about as abrasive as the metal polishes some use.

[Rotorranch]

I have read to use denatured alcohol instead of rubbing alcohol. You could find it in the paint dept. Of home depot or lowes.

Some "rubbing" alcohol has other ingredients that may leave a residue. If buying drug store alky, make sure it's labeled "isopropyl" and not "rubbing".

Denatured alky works just fine too.

Rotor

[robert sylvester]

Great question: 

 I will take pictures tonight and in the morning and set it up. I forgot to say that I also have the special car with the rollers that you soak with the Goo Gone and can pull or push around the layout with a good engine.

I have used this product for over 15 years and I can tell you that it has not hurt any thing. In fact someone mentioned Rail Zip during this post and all I had was trouble. It would gum up the works, so I abdoned Rail Zip years ago. I have used Goo Gone to clean engines, contacts and various parts without a problem.  Some of my engines are 25 years old, and they still run, even the brass.

Robert Sylvester, WTRR

[n1vets333]

How does the engine run over the paper towel? I could have sworn that i heard goog gone was not good for model trains?

[robert sylvester]

I have several ways that I clean my track as well as the wheels on engines and rolling stock. For a short while I used the Kadee brush cleaner but found out I was wearing off the nickle plating on my engine wheels. Then I tried Q-Tips with alcohol, but that was tedious.  Then, one day I saw an add in Micro-Mark where you could run engines on cleanig pads.  I thought to my self I could make one, so I fixed a piece of track on a 1x4, wired it, then took paper towels soaked in Goo Gone and placed them across the track.  When I run the engines, the wheels running over the soaked paper towels are really cleaned.

As far my track, I use a large pink eraser or a Walthers/Life Like track cleaning bar. A clean piece of cloth soaked in the Goo Gone and with my finger tip run that over the track. I also follow Chuck Hitchcock's suggestion and place a foot of Labelle 101 oil in various places on the track around the layout and run trains.  It leaves a thin residual on the rail heads and improves conductivity.  I can go for months and never clean a piece of track.

Hope that helps,

Robert Sylvester, WTRR 

[n1vets333]

I have read to use denatured alcohol instead of rubbing alcohol. You could find it in the paint dept. Of home depot or lowes.

[steamfreightboy]

I looked at the Annihiliator. Does it work?

[tstage]

I use 91% Rubbing alcohol.  But for me, whatever removes the dirt and grime without abrading the smooth finish of the track is best.

Tom

[twhite]

It boils down to what works best for YOU.  For instance, I have an uninsulated garage layout ("California Basement"), and though I don't have a terrible problem with dust, I have a terrible problem with POLLEN here in the Central Valley.  Any kind of 'wet' or liquid track-cleaner only makes the situation worse, as after I run a liquid track-cleaner, the rails are gunkier than they were before.  My solution?  Run trains frequently and use a 'dry' non-abrasive track cleaner whenever possible.  I have a powered track-cleaning car with two spinning pads on it that I run before each operating session which collects the pollen rather well.  After that, it's just running the trains to keep the rails as clean as possible under the circumstances. 

I actually don't have much of a problem with poor electrical contact, as I run feeders every 3 or 4 feet to my track, which helps a lot.  Especially during spring and summer here in the Valley, when the grass and trees are dropping pollen like there's no tomorrow. 

Tom

[loathar]

Has anyone tried that Rail Zip cleaning fluid? I never hear it mentioned on this forum.

CRC 2-26 contact cleaner has worked wonders on my track. I think Joe Fugate was correct when he said you need something that leaves a bit of a protective coating behind or your track will get dirty faster.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

When it comes to having clean track that stays clean, you might want to try this. It worked for me. It's called 'GLEAM'.

(Originally posted by Semafore)

I'm talking GLEAM!: ULTRA_SHINY and Smooth rails can now be had with my 'WHAT box?" approach to this conductivity problem. An HO modeller since 1970, I know the problem WELL!
THIS IS A ONE-TIME PROCESS. DO ALL TRACK!!
1] On an appropiate-sized block, use 400 wet/dry paper to remove the extrusion milling left on the railheads. The block must span both rails.
2] Now use 600 or finer, repeat process.
3] Using an appropiate-sized STAINLESS-STEEL piece, apply moderate pressure and BURNISH the rails! The more you slide back and forth, the smoother and shinier the rails become! [ the GLEAM part ]. This is because you have removed the ridges, bumps, and pits. Burnishing helps seal pores with metal, eliminating traps for dirt and tarnish; almost like a MIRROR!
4] [For Bob H.] Use BLUE MAGIC or equivalent metal polish to deep-clean the remaining contaminates.
5] Last, buff the rails to your eye's content!
The shine is 5x more lusterous than just polish alone. The wax left behind is minimal, is not insulating, and virtually eliminates rail cleaning.
This is a process HOT OFF THE PRESSES! [Of my brain] I've only been at it 6 weeks with amazing results! {I just added the wax step today.} prior to that, though, the NS HO rails I'm guinea-pigging (300') sans wax STILL gleams today, with slight tarnishing, so I'm gonna wax 'em next!
I will also try some classic brass rail to see how that stands up.

AND REMEMBER; NO MORE ABRASIVES...EVER!!!!!!
Or you'll just ruin your mirror finish, and will have to gleam and wax AGAIN!
Dry-wipe with paper towel or cotton. You can always polish anytime; wipe away excess.

I've had DCC and DC locos/lash-ups creep at a scale 3-5MPH around the staging level loop 100' with NO STALL or FAULTER. gotta love it

[Autobus Prime]

Folks:

When somebody does a thorough study and cost-analysis under carefully controlled conditions, comparing everything used and available, I'll say we can give an answer. In the meantime, I can only say what works for me.

I start by using the "Gleam" method, and after that I use homemade masonite and wet felt-pad slider cars, with an occasional rubbing in problem spots with a rag and 90% alcohol. It works without undue effort, and keeps my brass track nice and clean.

[D&HRR]

CMX car filled with 90% alcohol followed by a centerline car run dry. Very effective.

[cacole]

The best track cleaner is whatever works for you.  This question has been asked a hundred times here over the past few years, and always results in a long argument among users as to what is best.  What does "best" really mean?  This is a question with no answer.

 

[steamfreightboy]

I'm sure you all have seen this before, but what is the best track cleaner?