Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

No-ox question

4710 views
11 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Clearlake, California. USA
  • 869 posts
Posted by Lake on Friday, November 23, 2012 10:59 PM

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.Smile, Wink & Grin

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.

  • Member since
    November 2011
  • 40 posts
Posted by chorister on Friday, November 23, 2012 9:21 PM

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.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Chamberlain, ME
  • 5,084 posts
Posted by G Paine on Thursday, November 22, 2012 9:17 AM

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 

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Ontario Canada
  • 3,574 posts
Posted by Mark R. on Thursday, November 22, 2012 12:47 AM

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

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Thursday, November 22, 2012 12:28 AM

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!

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Mile 7.5 Laggan Sub., Great White North
  • 4,201 posts
Posted by trainboyH16-44 on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 11:49 PM

Yup, the bar mills variant. I think I used too much, as well.

Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296

Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Colorful Colorado
  • 8,639 posts
Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 11:01 PM

You are using NO-OX "A-Special" type correct?  That is the electrically conductive variant. 

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Mile 7.5 Laggan Sub., Great White North
  • 4,201 posts
Posted by trainboyH16-44 on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 10:27 PM

Guess the loop's coming out Smile

Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296

Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
  • 13,757 posts
Posted by cacole on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 7:55 PM

Most likely the crud is coming off of your locomotive and rolling stock wheels.

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 7,500 posts
Posted by 7j43k on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 3:58 PM

void

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Clearlake, California. USA
  • 869 posts
Posted by Lake on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 3:55 PM

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.

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Mile 7.5 Laggan Sub., Great White North
  • 4,201 posts
No-ox question
Posted by trainboyH16-44 on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 2:27 PM

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?

Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296

Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!