Has anyone tried this product? I know about Gleaming, but I must be doing somthing wrong, because my rails do not have that mirror shine that I have seen in some photos of Gleamed track. So I was wondering if this stuff works and is worth while trying.
Paul
Living in Fernley Nevada, about 30 miles east of Reno, also lived in Oregon and California, but born In Brooklyn NY and raised on Long Island NY
I've never heard of it. Most products of this type are more hype than real benefit. From its description on their web site, it may just be a re-packaged electronics contact cleaner.
What's really bizarre about it is their shipping charge comment: Web site shipping charges are listed as $8.55 but they will 'refund' $6 of that? Very strange.
I'd like to hear from someone who has actually used it other than their on-line testimonials before I'd buy.
I bought it at my LHS and it came in the form of a pen. It was able to eliminate the (typical Athearn) rumbling noise problem in my Athearn RTR P42 unit with a generous application inside the trucks. It was expensive ($20?) but I have not tried it on tracks. Is this product recommended for tracks as well? It is a lubricant so it will be opposite of sand.
Neeraj.
We have had very good luck with No-Ox on the Boothbay Railway Village display layout. We run every day for 6 to 8 hours from Memorial Day to Columbus Day when the museum is open. Before No-Ox we had to clean track almost every day with Centerline track cleaner cars which took about 1/2 hour or more. After we applied No-OX, we ran for a month or more with only spot cleaning in trouble spots.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
No experience with it, either.
Not to totally hijack the thread and knowing that the Partisans of the Gleaming are pretty fanatical...
I use CRC 2-26 myself. It's cheap and readily available (~$5/can, found mine at Home Depot, but also many other places.) I apply it sparingly by shooting a little in the bottom of a shallow container, then rubbing the end of a cork in it. Swipe your rails with the juiced cork and let dry. It not only helps with electrical contact, but also seems to help with traction, odd as that sounds.
Best of all, it leaves your rails with the duller, but still metallic looking appearance of real rail. Here's what it looks like:
Application is something like once or twice a year once the tracks have been wiped a couple of times initially. Just an alternative to consider. It's worked well for me in the humid Midwest. I'd heard about 2-26 before, but it was my buddy, Laurie McLean, who convinced me of its value, in large part because of the appearance issue. I believe he's retired from some sort of naval engineering career, where he probably learned a thing or two about maintaining electrical contact, I presume.
Application is something like once or twice a year once the tracks have been wiped a couple of times initially. Just an alternative to consider. It's worked well for me in the humid Midwest.
I'd heard about 2-26 before, but it was my buddy, Laurie McLean, who convinced me of its value, in large part because of the appearance issue. I believe he's retired from some sort of naval engineering career, where he probably learned a thing or two about maintaining electrical contact, I presume.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
If you're mail ordering it Litchfield seems to have a better price.
The ad in September NMRA Magazine says it is used by Real Railroads I wonder how many pens it takes to do one axle
If you try it, give us a report back.
Good luck
I think I will try the CRC 2-26 first. It is cheaper and I can probably get some today or tomorrow and not have to wait for shipping. Next time I have an order going to Litchfield, I may add the Never Stall to it, just to see how it works.
Last year I purchased two box cars that had been modified with remote operation of the nuckle couplers.
With them I received a bottle of Conducta Lube and Cleaner with the instruction to put a drop on each axle at the wheels before operating the cars to enhance the remote operation.
After reading this thread I googled Conducta Lube and Cleaner and got this link.
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/atl/atl192.htm
This seem to be the same or similar to Never Stall.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
pascaff* I think I will try the CRC 2-26 first. It is cheaper and I can probably get some today or tomorrow and not have to wait for shipping. Next time I have an order going to Litchfield, I may add the Never Stall to it, just to see how it works. Paul
I've been using CRC 2-26 for about 5 years now with great results. After an initial good cleaning of the track, I have since only needed to give it a quick wipe down with the CRC 2-26 once or twice a year. The more you run the less you have to clean. I use a lint-free cloth (T-shirt) wrapped around two fingers, give it a little spritz and wipe the rails, giving the cloth another spritz about every 15-20 feet, (less is better). Don't forget to put a little on a cotton swab and wipe in between your point and stock rails on your turnouts.
When you first start using CRC 2-26, it's a good idea to clean your loco wheels as well, just spray some on a paper towel, lay it on a section of track and run one truck on the towel until the wheels are clean, flip the loco around and repeat. The track and wheels should stay clean for almost a year before you have to do it again. One caveat, If you're running BB locos with their original sintered iron wheels you may have to repeat the process more often. The old Athean iron wheels spark a lot and creat more carbon than nicklesilver wheels do. Or you can change the wheels out with nicklesilver ones from Northwest Shortline (NWSL) JayBee or Reboxx, they'll run cleaner and smoother.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
To add to Jay's great response, Yes good idea to clean the wheels, but don't forget to check the rolling stock also. Those wheels always seem to get neglegted and any crud there will get tracked all over those clean rails. Run them over a wetted paper towel laid on the rails- switch to a dry one. Sometimes the crud is so thick you need to scrap it off the treads.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
How well your train room is climate controlled will have a lot to do how any of these products work.
Ken G Price My N-Scale Layout
Digitrax Super Empire Builder Radio System. South Valley Texas Railroad. SVTRR
N-Scale out west. 1996-1998 or so! UP, SP, Missouri Pacific, C&NW.
I don't worry about rails. I run my locomotives over a dry paper towel about two minutes each between sessions. I do this while I am resetting the rail cars for the next session...I never have stalls. Hope this works
pascaff* Has anyone tried this product? I know about Gleaming, but I must be doing somthing wrong, because my rails do not have that mirror shine that I have seen in some photos of Gleamed track. So I was wondering if this stuff works and is worth while trying. Paul I have a tube of it in my tool box and use it on wheel wipers on my DCC locos Atlas and Kato types and it works, so not over do it just a drop on the tip coming up from the truck to the wiper is plenty, on occassion I have used it on axle cones and again just a drop on the end of a needle is all that is required and it seems to last a long time months not weeks or days. I picked it up at a national train show 2 years ago now tube is the size of ball point pen. regards Garth Hamilton
Paul I have a tube of it in my tool box and use it on wheel wipers on my DCC locos Atlas and Kato types and it works, so not over do it just a drop on the tip coming up from the truck to the wiper is plenty, on occassion I have used it on axle cones and again just a drop on the end of a needle is all that is required and it seems to last a long time months not weeks or days. I picked it up at a national train show 2 years ago now tube is the size of ball point pen.
regards Garth Hamilton
It is available from Daylight sales in californai and ships via usps or ups your choice pay with paypal or credit card
pascaff*I know about Gleaming, but I must be doing somthing wrong, because my rails do not have that mirror shine that I have seen in some photos of Gleamed track
I'm a big fan of gleaming, and after using it over some years, I've refined my process as follows:
1) using a small sanding block, go over both new and old rails with 400 grit waterproof paper, it only takes a few passes with moderate pressure, then wipe with a damp cloth.
2) as above using 600 grit.
3) burnish the rails with a stainless steel washer large enough to bridge both rails, an auto fender washer, sold at the big box stores is perfect. If you hear or feel a grinding, stop and wipe the rails and the washer with an alcohol rag. The burnishing takes a little more effort and time, maybe a minute per 3 feet of track. When done, the mirror shine appears. Some add a car wax to coat the rails, but I have not found that to be necessary.
I attach a plastic or stripwood handle to one side of the washer with Goo. Its important that the washer is stainless steel as it is a very hard metal which will "smear" the grain of the relatively soft nickel silver into... literally... a mirror finish.
Once that is done, the only track cleaning I need is an alcohol wipe from time to time; and that is probably because my layout is still in a construction phase (lots of dust) and I still have many cars with plastic wheels... but regardless, that mirror shine in the rails is still there.
Jim
A stainless steel spoon works well for burnishing because it catches the inside edge of the railhead. Size according to gauge.