For those who attend or run clubs, what do you use to clean tracks? This is important since my trains don't get used often while I spend precious time on other parts of the layout--scenery, fixing track, doing research, etc. After awhile, I run the trains and find that I have to clean wheels and track with rubbing alcohol on a rag.
Cheers!
"John Allen" track cleaning cars.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I rarely run anything at my club. With the number of members we have it's hard to get run time and i'm always working on the layouts we have. Even at shows it's hard to get any run time. When I do get to run a train I usually run with a masonite slider car in each train and try to run it over each main track for several minutes on each. They do pickup quite a bit of schmutz. I clean the pads (I made several) with a light sanding.
This is what my club uses at shows. http://tonystrains.com/product/cmx-clean-machine-ho/
We also use track cleaning blocks from various manufacturers (for after construction or balasting projects). Metal wheels go a long way towards reducing wear products (cheap plastic from certain types of cars) on the track.
Here's a video by my friend Scoop, who showed me how well this CRC 2-26 method works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReSUSruSVVY
It's what I use, with great success. Awhile back, I started operating on another friend's layout, rather larger than mine, who runs a full crew, CTC, signals the whole thing. He asked what I was using and I showed him. Now I bump into folks around town who ask if I've heard what my friend's using on his layout now, because it's really great stuff. I just smile and modestly explain that I know about it and I'm just spreading what Scoop showed me
It's very important to get the rails cleaned up first, otherwise this stuff, even in tiny quantities, tends to mobilize gunk. I doubt it's unique to 2-26, probably most solevnts will do it to some degree, something general to keep in mind about assessing whether any of the various methods people may suggest to help.
I have several Centerline cars, but rarely use them anymore despite having extensive hidden track. It couldn't hurt to run a slider car a la John Allen, but I don't, just clean the occassional riding high wheel during regular maintenence that tends to pick up stuff.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
With track painting and ballasting underway on the FVR 2.0, cleaning has become a frustrating activity. I feel like post ballast, one just has to clean over and over ... Stubborn spots remain. Kids get frustrated ... Dad gets mad (let me just finish this tortoise alignment!) ... Life goes on.
mlehman Here's a video by my friend Scoop, who showed me how well this CRC 2-26 method works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReSUSruSVVY It's what I use, with great success. Awhile back, I started operating on another friend's layout, rather larger than mine, who runs a full crew, CTC, signals the whole thing. He asked what I was using and I showed him. Now I bump into folks around town who ask if I've heard what my friend's using on his layout now, because it's really great stuff. I just smile and modestly explain that I know about it and I'm just spreading what Scoop showed me It's very important to get the rails cleaned up first, otherwise this stuff, even in tiny quantities, tends to mobilize gunk. I doubt it's unique to 2-26, probably most solevnts will do it to some degree, something general to keep in mind about assessing whether any of the various methods people may suggest to help. I have several Centerline cars, but rarely use them anymore despite having extensive hidden track. It couldn't hurt to run a slider car a la John Allen, but I don't, just clean the occassional riding high wheel during regular maintenence that tends to pick up stuff.
Thanks for mentioning about the 2-26. Great to see that HD has that and the first reviewer mentioned using the product on trains! There's nothing better than finding a cheap, reliable and readily available product.
Can I use this product and rubbing alcohol? How long does this product last before I have to clean the tracks?
NP01 With track painting and ballasting underway on the FVR 2.0, cleaning has become a frustrating activity. I feel like post ballast, one just has to clean over and over ... Stubborn spots remain. Kids get frustrated ... Dad gets mad (let me just finish this tortoise alignment!) ... Life goes on.
What you need is alcohol...
?
No, not that kind, although it may help with the frustration.
I'm guessing you've used matte medium? If so, it can be frustrating if you didn't get the rails wiped clean before it dried.
I use a short section of 2x4 on edge (for HO), wrapped in a paper towel and misted with 91% alcohol. I typically use a spray bottle to apply my matte medium, which scares some folks (for good reason, see a recent discussion here on ballasting where most folks warned against my, err, practice). But it works well in most cases.
However, you can still miss a spot here and there. Fortunately, the 91% works to take off dried matte medium, too. It can be hard to even see it's there, but it is. Even a vigorous scrubbing with the Bright Boy often doesn't do the trick. Just do the 2x4 trick with a 91%-wetted paper towel and you'll find great improvement after a couple of passes over the problem area.
kasskabooseCan I use this product and rubbing alcohol? How long does this product last before I have to clean the tracks?
Yes, I still use 91% alcohol for spot cleaning. Unless it's a long stretch of track, I usually don't reapply the 2-26, because the wheels will spread it from adjacent areas. Keep in mind that less is more with 2-26, it takes very little, so it minimizes any tendency to be picked up by the wheels vs staying on the rail. If you do reapply the 2-26, be sure to use the cork end slightly wetted with it, not mass quantities.
I made my first application of it to the entire layout shortly after the video was made. Except for a few instances where I did some spot reapplication for some reason (a few areas where I releveled track or spiffed-up the ballast), that's been generally what's done it for me. It's effectiveness lasts a long, long time, so a single can of 2-26 is essentially a lifetime supply for your layout.
I do have to give a little scrub with the Bright Boy here and there at certain spots, and I've run my Centerlines over everything maybe twice in that time. When I do that, I use Aero-Locomotive Works ACT-6006 track cleaner to wet the roller wiper on one Centerline and follow it with a dry wiper on another Centerline. Not much maintenance for a basement layout in 5 years since the CRC 2-26 first went down, though.
BTW, Scoop is a retired naval engineer from what I understand, so he knows a thing or two about keeping electrical contact going in harsh and unforgiving environments. Backing his expertise and advice on this is the fact that it just works so darn well. When you're in HOn3 like I am (Scoop is currently working mostly in On3 these days after doing some amazing things in HOn3 -- see his other videos), you need all the help you can get -- and CRC 2-26 is a whole lotta help, in a can.
I'll add my recommendation for the CRC 2-26. I apply it with a scrap piece of balsa or basswood to the tracks. For locomotives, a small dab with a cotton swab on the wheels. Works great.Scott
Scott,
Haven't tried that with balsa or basswood, but have heard of it. That may well work better than the funky plastic "corks" that so often substitute for the real thing these day, maybe even as well as cork does from your results.
In San Diego they use track cleaning cars which they made themselves which use masonite blocks (I believe). There is just too much track to clean any other way. There is a high volume of traffic on the rails so they stay clean just by use.
I use Woodland Scenic Dust Monkeys which are cleaning pads which you can attach to any car. I put them on snowplows and push them in front of locomotives. If it has been a long time since I've ran trains, or if I've worked on scenery I ran the snowplows before operating the railroad.
I use a handy wipe with rubbing alcohol laid on the track to clean locomotive wheels. I run them one truck at a time and hold them in place while lifting up enough to let the wheels spin.
j.....
Thanks for the responses. Can I use a rag to spread the 2-26? I though to spray that on the rag and lightly rub that on the track. I bought it recently and plan to use that soonest! Nice that a can lasts forever.