GUARD RAILS?
I found judicious edge use of a 'Brite Boy' does the job Cleaning of langeways can be a business card to a saw blade..,
Avoid a soldering.iron..
...which is why I fold a piece of 600 grit or higher sandpaper around a small object with a sharp edge and rub it lightly back and forth over the powered rails on frogs to keep them clean. I don't wish to have to go back and repaint my guard rail tops all the time.
-Crandell
jeffrey-wimberly One way would be for the tops of the guard rails to be slightly lower than the tops of the main rails.
One way would be for the tops of the guard rails to be slightly lower than the tops of the main rails.
The prototype frequently uses older/lighter rail for guard rails. In an HO model, this translates as code 83 or 70 for code 100 running rails, code 70 or 55 for code 83 running rails and code 55 (or even code 40) for code 70 running rails.
With .13 or more clearance, you would have to wear the railheads off the running rails before an abrasive pad or John Allen slider would touch the tops of the guardrails.
The only exception to this is the guardrails opposite turnout frogs, and the wing rails of the frogs themselves. Here, operation trumps appearance. You can always go back with one of those sharpie-type paint pens and re-color the guardrail heads after cleaning - but that will NOT survive contact with the slider pad of a John Allen car.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with bridges with guard rails)
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
This thread will tell you how to keep your tracks clean with little additional work http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/53843/681444.aspx#681444 . Once properly cleaned, you should be able to have to clean only once or twice a year! I'd rather run the trains than clean the track!!
I have an HO layout with a truss bridge 80 scale feet long. The track on the bridge has guard rails. I would like to have the guard rails looking rusty like the sides of the main rails.
My question is are there any of the track cleaning cars that will clean the top of the main rails without removing the rust on the guard rails? I am afraid that the track cleaning cars with rotating drums or disks will clean the guard rail and then the drum or disk would get real dirty real fast. It is difficult to clean manually because the track is inside the bridge structure.
Any ideas would be appreciated.