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I've noticed a few postings regarding track cleaning lately and although this topic has been covered a lot over the years, it may be worth a few comments, especially for anyone getting started. There seem to be three main methods for clening track. The first is a form of abrasive pad, and there have been many of those over the years. Then, there are various chemical cleaners, which I admit I haven't tried. The other is metal polish, which I'll discuss further down. I'll say now that I'm no fan of any abrasive pad, disk or other method to clean track unless you have something on the railhead that won't come off any other way. Yes, I've had to use them myself over the years, but I always follow that up with metal polish. The problem is simple. Abrasives scratch the rails, leaving lines that collect dirt, grease and oxidation faster than would otherwise be the case. The rails may look great when you're done, but if you don't take steps to polish those scratches out, you'll be back to the same problem faster than you got there in the first place. For normal maintenance, or after I've had to use an abrasive, I put a small amout of metal polish on a cloth, wrap that around a block of some sort and use that to polish the rails. This does two things. It reduces the scratches left by the abrasive, and it seems to leave a coating on the rails that helps inhibit oxidation. Obviously, the conditions any layout is located in will vary and that will play a large part in determinig how often it'll be necessary to clean the rails. But all rails are subject to oxidation, and if it gets to be heavy enough it will interrupt the flow of current to the wheels of your locomotives. I've found that the occassional cleaning with polish, even in areas seldom used, helps to inhibit that oxidation. I know from reading the forums that a number of modelers have tried this method. If you haven't tried it, please do. I think you'll be pleased with how well it works.
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