Hello I am back in the train room have not been running or working the layout . Now I am getting things cleaned up and running. I did some work in the room put in a new window over the layout. So I had a mess to clean. I did have the layout covered so it was not to bad. The frist train I ran would not go at all. I gave the rails a wipe down with 90% alcohol it would run but not very well.
Some of my track was gleamed and some is new and not gleamed its all nickel silver with some brass in the yards. I have been thinking of gleaming all of the track . But with over 100 feet of track main line's and siding's that's a lot time.
When I gleamed the last time it was job to do less then half the track I have now. So I was not sure if I wanted do it agian. Then a friend of mine told me about some polishing papers he used on his guitar frets. And gave me a set. Wow what a nice job they did.
The track on the right was gleamd the one on the left was not. I used 2000 grit first then started with the polishing paper. I did about 40 feet of track with turnouts in about 1 3/4 hours. I like the shine and the trains run great down that rail thats why I did so much. There was no metal polish paste witch made a mess for me. So before I do the rest Is this a good idea? Thanks and have a nice day Frank
The track on the right was gleamd the one on the left was not. I used 2000 grit first then started with the polishing paper. I did about 40 feet of track with turnouts in about 1 3/4 hours. I like the shine and the trains run great down that rail thats why I did so much. There was no metal polish paste witch made a mess for me.
So before I do the rest Is this a good idea? Thanks and have a nice day Frank
I think a fine grit is okay on rails, especially if you take the time to burnish them with a steel washer afterwards. I use 600 grit to clean between my points and stock rails' inner faces, but only for light swipes. I would use finer stuff, say emery cloth, on the running surfaces...which I think is what you are describing.
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The "traditional" advice is to avoid abrasive cleaners/polishers on track because even tiny grooves in the metal can accumulate dirt or oils over time. That is the theory. But even the popular Bright Boy has an abrasive aspect to it, as those who use its first cousin, the typewriter eraser, will recall. I think the secret is very fine grit, not pressing into the rail as you clean, a final polish with very very very fine grit, and avoiding also a regular up and down or side ways motion. Most guys make a sort of circular motion with Bright Boys for example, so you aren't likely to be reinforcing a particular groove into the railhead.
It is hard to argue with success. But it will be interesting to see if over time the polished rail does tend to accumulate minute streaks of dirt in the miniscule grooves if any.
Dave Nelson
Hello
Selector I think what I am asking is it to smooth? Or should there some roughness.?
Graffen I ask my freind and he said yes they are also called fret papers. Can get at any good music shop.
Dave I was thinking the same thing how long will it last?
I thought there were one or two guys on here that had really shiney rail. I am not sure who they are off hand but I am sure I have seen some in the wpf now and again. If your rail is this smooth and shiney I would like to know how you like it and how long it lasted . Thanks and have a nice day Frank
It's like honing chisels. The finer the grit the shinier the finish. My chisels on a 6000 grit stone have a mirror finish. The downside is the finer grit the longer it takes. Don't start with the finest, but work your way up through the grits. Some folks go to 8000 or 10000 grit. Some autmotive stores stock grit papaers finer than 2000. Since chisels are steel and track is nickel silver, I'm not sure just what grits you should use, but experimentation should answer that question.
BTW in S scale there's no problem - I never clean track.
Enjoy
Paul
Hello my friend sent me some info on the fret papers this is were he got them.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Sanding_Tools_and_Supplies/3M_Flexible_Polishing_Papers.html
these start at 400 grit and goes up to 8000. So the 2000 I started with was a waste of time as soon as the 400 grit hit the rail. It did not take long at all to get the shine even with the finer grit. Remember there is not much rail to shine. Do not push real hard and no ss washer need eather.
Pual what are you chiseling that you need a mirror finish on your chisel's ? and why dont you clean track in s scale ? sorry I do not know anything about s scale. Have ane day Frank
Wow! I've run for years with no real shine. Just using a soft cloth with liquid rail cleaner. Truly modern, all wheel pickup, has sort of killed the flawlessly gleaming rail cleaning effort. If you are running a lot of older stuff or a fleet of 0-4-0s or Athern Hustlers through a gautlet of yard slip switches, then that is a different animal.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
Hello Richerd Thats about what I have. I am still DC and have a lot of old locos that I run and have a mix of wheels on my rolling stock . A lot of small steam 0-4-0, 0-6-0, 0-8-0 and some small diseal's also. They do most of the yard work. They don't run though slip switches but they do run though a yard full of switches. I am not real sure I know what a slip switch is exactly. So these maybe them? I don't think so.
I did all the one's leading into the yard and it was a big inprovment . I think I am going to do all my track by this weekend and see how long it last. So far what I have seems fine and the trains run great over it. I have not noticed any wheel slip on what has been done. Thanks and Have a nice day Frank
0-6-0 Pual what are you chiseling that you need a mirror finish on your chisel's ? and why dont you clean track in s scale ? sorry I do not know anything about s scale. Have ane day Frank
The mirror finish is when it gets really sharp - makes chopping, slicing wood much easier and gives a cleaner cut. I only hone the edge with the 6000 grit.
S scale is larger and heavier than HO and so doesn't seem to have the electrical pick up problems that HO and N have.
New post from Semafore, Gleam Promoter
Wow. I never thought that this topic would survive so many years. Apparently some folks are interested in the best method available. To date the Gleam method has been altered from the original by modellers who also seek the best technique. I will re-iterate the original method I developed, not the concept itself.
1) Contour the railhead;
400 grit wet/dry sandpaper on small wooden block
600 grit wet/dry sandpaper on small wooden block
Wipe spoil from railhead and rail web between grits
2) Burnish railhead with Stainless Steel tool; a 1/2 inch Cut washer works for me; also a utensil, such as a table spoon
3) Wipe spoil and buff, buff, buff
4) Dry wipe as needed with cotton rag.
That's it. One time. it will not deystroy the track. If anything, it saves the track and scenery from continueous assault on the rails. Understadibaly, product vendors are upset because it eliminates all other methods and products. Magazine publishers rely on the vendor advertizers for revenue.
If the mundane chore is significantly reduced, then the modeller's enjoyment is increased, which can lead to more worthwile purchases. I rather enjoy buying more rolling stock than say, another bottle of track cleaner. As to scale, the heavier guages still benefit from the reduced drag. In example: At the SFRM.ORG layout, a single BLI NYC 4-8-4 loco hauled 52 car around the level grade with no wheel slip, the cars were a mix of NMRA and not,. The limitation was the couplers. Beyond 52 cars, the couplers were failing to hold. I suspect another 16 - 20 cars could have been added. That's only 8 drivers, but with tender and caboose, that was 234 non-powered wheels, with the caboose, tender, and pilot/trailing trucks. Now THAT'S prototypical. The video is on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Isj5D2SJhY
This works on guitars also. Who knew? ( Bass Guiter player) I can bend s
trings much easier and farther.
Thank you for the continued controversy. It helps to refine the topic.
Semafore
IRONROOSTER 0-6-0 Pual what are you chiseling that you need a mirror finish on your chisel's ? and why dont you clean track in s scale ? sorry I do not know anything about s scale. Have ane day Frank The mirror finish is when it gets really sharp - makes chopping, slicing wood much easier and gives a cleaner cut. I only hone the edge with the 6000 grit. S scale is larger and heavier than HO and so doesn't seem to have the electrical pick up problems that HO and N have. Enjoy Paul
dup
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
If getting track mirror shiney makes you happy, then I don't see anything wrong with it. I'm taking some track stored about 15 years and just trying to get the layer of dark dirt and corrosion off - basically the track is unused but just stored so I think mirror shiny is going to be more work than I care to put into it, but getting it clean so the trains run reliably, thats my goal. Or is the first post just to "show off". Enjoy yourself!
Well, the application goes way beyond the shiny. When a round object such as the railroad wheel rolls on a domed railhead, the amount of adhesion remains fairly consistent, no matter what imperfection the railroad has, as far as level and perpendicular rails. The domed railhead maintains a fairly steady drag as well. And because the surface is so smooth, the wheels are much quieter at higher speeds. One can hear the whine if the drive gears and clean click-clack of wheels. And the dome leaves a fall-out zone for surface dust and particles.
Since the tractive effort is so smooth, yet the drag is so reduced, the loco wheels slip without chatter. One can slide the loco so effortlessly, you would think it was a dummy. But if a simple Bachman Daylight Pacific 4-6-2 lightweight (DC) as mine can haul an NMRA weighted 10-piece Budd trainset around level grade with little slip here and there, I would think that it approaches prototype loads on the loco. And since the wheelslip is so smooth, it reduces the wear on the drive train in all locos.
To reduce drag and help electrical continuity, I also do the inner sides of the rails. The wheel flages contribute a lot in drag. The shiny also represents a more seamless electrical connection, so the torque output of the motor is very steady on the gear drive, and possibly helps from breaking the plastic axles.
BTW, always lash up locos like dog teams the fastest is first, and so on. The pull will be checked by the progressive forces on the couplers. If a trailing loco is faster, it will bump the leadig loco(s), and be erratic in speed. Too bad if the loco s are not what you desire.
The final plus it the hard shell skin of burnished metal. No polish is required, and no polish will ever do that to metal. It greatly outlasts any other method, hands down.
Thanks Paul I should of new that my grandpa is a Master woodworker.
Semafore I did the gleam on my last layout it work fine I just did not like the mess from the polish.
Riogrand5761 I agree track should be clean it works better that way. But how clean ? Well it depeands on were your layout is. Some may need it more then others. I have about 8 hours in to this and it was not that hard to do and all my track is done. My trains run so much better now it's still new so time will tell. I was not trying to show off I was thinking maybe this might help somebody.
Have a nice day Frank
Hello well its been about 3 years sence I polished my rail. I will say I did not run my trains a lot over that time. To be honest I was hardly in the train room at all. But I am getting back in there and piking up were I left off. I was not sure how anything would run if at all. So far everthing runs great just like I left it. The only thing I see different is it dulled down. I think it was worth the time. Have nice day Frank
I don't mind the top of the rail being shiny but,not like a mirror because it loses all believability.Heavy used mainline track is a dull shiny.
My track cleaning now consist using a bright boy. I'm not worried about those microscopic scratches supposedly caused by a bright boy..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
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