I've applied no-ox-id to all the rails on my layout, (all 200' of them) after vacuuming them, cleaning them with a track eraser, and using straight metal polish thoroughly cleaned off with rubbing alcohol. I also made sure all locos got a run over a section covered with no-ox-id, but then I got bored and left it overnight. Now, in the morning I cleaned it off by wiping 2/3 times until there was only a faint trace of black left on the paper towel. Fast forward a couple days and things aren't running as smoothly as I'd hoped, and if I run a paper towel over sections that have been run on, I get a lot of black stuff off. Is this due to improper cleaning? Perhaps not getting the metal polish off thoroughly? Or is it due to the locomotives having dirty wheels? Should I no-ox up my test track and give my locos a good run on it, since I don't have continuous running on my layout?
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After doing Gleaming and NO-OX as all the other track cleaning things, I have figured out that it is almost never the track that is now the problem after all of these.
It is the engine power pick up wheels. The engine lights should be steady with almost no flickering. When any of mine start to flicker on a regular bases, I stop what I am doing and clean the wheels. This gets things back to operational standards until the next engine will need it.
Wiping the track makes no difference if the wheels are dirty and can not pick up the track power. As has been stated many times, the oxidation on the rails cause very little power interfeance.
I have a very poorly sealed building for my layout and dust, pollens and other pollutants do get in. So until I started to do regular wheel cleaning I always had problems even with lots of track cleaning.
Now I can run for many hours with no electrical contact problems. So again, any flickering of engine lights in more then one spot (if only in one spot, track may need a wiping) means, at least for me, clean the wheels.
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.
void
Most likely the crud is coming off of your locomotive and rolling stock wheels.
Guess the loop's coming out
You are using NO-OX "A-Special" type correct? That is the electrically conductive variant.
Yup, the bar mills variant. I think I used too much, as well.
Ken:
Could you perhaps give us a run down on exactly what methods you use to clean your locomotive wheels?
It would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Two things ....
First, when you clean your rails, make sure you get the inside edge as well. This is especially important on curves where the wheel tread lifts ever so slightly due to the contour of the wheel making contact with the inside edge of the rail even more important. I'd be willing to bet very few people actually clean the inside edge of the railhead .... it's important too folks.
Second, after extensive cleaning of your track, you don't want to run dirty wheels on it. Take the time to clean your engines and cars as well. If you have blackened metal wheels, get that blackening off the wheel treads, as it wears off, guess where it goes ?
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
We have used No-OX on the Boothbay RR Village layout for the past couple of summers. We run trains 6-8 hours a day, 7 days a week from late May to early October. Once the No-Ox is on we run with few track problems, but still have to clean locomotive wheels a couple times a week.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I have mentioned before that all you have to do after insuring the track is clean is to run the locomotive wheels over a clean paper towel for a couple of minutes..no fluids needed. After doing that my locomotives run without stalling.
I will also let the first set of wheels go a few inches on to the towel, then pull it back so as the wheels rub across the paper towel. Doing this at a different point on the towel along the track underneath so different sections of the wheels get cleaned.
When there is no more streaks of black showing I do the other set of wheels. This assures that I will get lots of fun time and not !#^%@* time.