track cleaning car

[steam618lover1]

Hi Everyone,

   I have three different typs of track cleaning cars, i have three revell cleaning cars that have what looks like two stones, you need a big boy to pull them, i have a hopper that has two valves on top to control the fluid and a pickup pad underneeth that does very well, and a caboose with a bright boy under it, which does very well also, also i use a rag to wipe the tracks down it seems that house spiders like to hook there webs to the track, guys i do have a question, WHAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF METAL POLISH DO YOU USE TO KEEP YOUR TRACKS CLEAN FOR SUCH A LONG TIME?????? i have all brass, except a few places that i had to use nickel track,

                                      Thank You Earl

                    Lover of BIG STEAM ENGINES

[camarokid]

I use a very fine sanding pad that floats underneath an SW1500 switcher.  Made by Stewart ( I think).  Picked it up at a shop in Wisconsin so many years ago I don't remember when.  My oldest is 30 and it was before that.  Works great for me.

Archie

[trainwomen]

 I just use the old masonite pad fixed to the underside of a freight car. They are nothing flash, usually one of the old athearn boxcars with a couple of holes drilled through the bottom and two short flathead nails glued to the surface of the masonite so the pad can slide easily over the track. I colour the edges of the masonite pad with a black texta to try and hide them from the rivet counters. I have a lot of these cars and run them constantly in most of the freight operations. Hardly ever have any problems with dirty track.

Regards from Downunder

[railratz]

I have been using the centerline car (frame)  for years. But i have cut a bright boy to fit in it,  under  the roller, dragging it as we roll down the rails. i some times use a caboose as a wiping car (not sure the make) this works fair. Someday like to try that MAAS stuff.

[JimValle]

I believe AHM made it, lettered for the Virginia & Truckee RR.  It's from the 'seventies and that felt pad had a habit of snagging on switch points!

[PAPA]

I use a CMX tank car with Goo-Gone.  It's safe and easy to use, and does a reasonably good job.

[MontRailLink]

I have several:

1.  Aztec boxcar with Cratex roller - best track cleaner I've used.

2.  Walther's boxcar with Bright-Boy-type sliding pad - next best track cleaner (need to get a replacement pad because it now has grooves in it)

3.  Center-Line track cleaning car - slightly behind Walther's car above.  I originally started using Goo-Gone but found that it left an undesireable residue.  Now I use it dry as I haven't found a solvent that works and doesn't want to hurt me.  (Solvent recommendations encouraged.)

4.  MNP track cleaning boxcar (has a pair of little motors in the which spin fuzzy pads) - doesn't clean the track even if you let it sit in-place overnight. 

John H.

4. 

[Packer]

I used to have one that was a half caboose and half tanker. (Kind of a work train caboose) It had a felt pad on the bottom and you filled the tanker with fluid.
I wish I could find another one. I think it was a Roundhouse kit. (does this ring a bell with anyone?)

It's a Life Like model. I have the same one. Actually have a couple of them, one I use, and a NIB one that is stashed away somewhere.  I don't fill the tank. I just wet the felt pad with rubbing alcohol, and let it run.

Rotor

 

Never seen one of those before. LLT may have done something useful for once. Wish I had one in BN, my track is filthy, and I have no cars that I'd use for cleaning track.

[SilverSpike]

I recommend the CMX Track Cleaning Car, does a great job of removing gunk from the rail and keeping it clean for a long time! Walther's has it on sale for $114.98. Worth every penny!

I also have a John Allen slider car too that I run behind it!

Cheers,

Ryan

[Rotorranch]

I used to have one that was a half caboose and half tanker. (Kind of a work train caboose) It had a felt pad on the bottom and you filled the tanker with fluid.
I wish I could find another one. I think it was a Roundhouse kit. (does this ring a bell with anyone?)

It's a Life Like model. I have the same one. Actually have a couple of them, one I use, and a NIB one that is stashed away somewhere.  I don't fill the tank. I just wet the felt pad with rubbing alcohol, and let it run.

Rotor

 

[Packer]

I got some velcro that was about to be thrown away from my work, amybe I can use that and some other stuff to make one.

I do like the Track cleaning transfer caboose. Wish I had one in BN.

[Bapou]

I use Tony's CMX car also. Acetone is my cleaner of choice, evaporates fast, leaves no residue. Passes the white glove test also.

Joel

Acetone causes cancer, your track may be clean but you could be dead before it is dirty again

[Bapou]

CMX is the way to go. You can put a different chemical in it as I was told, but I don't remember what it was.

[MisterBeasley]

CMX for me, too.  I use isopropyl alcohol, to avoid the solvent smell in the family room.  It seems to do the job pretty well.  I have a lot of plastic-wheeled cars, too.

[tradupj]

I use Tony's CMX car also. Acetone is my cleaner of choice, evaporates fast, leaves no residue. Passes the white glove test also.

Joel

[wedudler]

The centerline car was too expensive for me. So I've built my own Track Cleaning Transfer Caboose.

The other point for clean track:

                        Running your trains.

Wolfgang 

[rolleiman]

A piece of Homasote (or masonite, whatever on hand), some Blue Magic wheel polish, and some 0-5-0 power.. Wasted a lot of time and money on 'cleaning cars' found most of them worthless or at best, lacking..

[Packer]

Nothing. I haven't cleaned my track since I got it(2-3 years), and it's in a dusty garage.

I need to clean the track up though, because there is so much gunk that just touching the rail will make one's hands dirty. Although my locos work fine on it.

I have a bunch of old cars, so I may be able to come up with something.

[railroadnut675]

CSX 40' Boxcar

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I used to use a slider car. It's in a box somewhere under the layout. I haven't used it or any other track cleaning tool since I cleaned my track with metal polish back in 06. All I have to do now is a quick wipe down once in a while with a dry cloth.

[New Haven I-5]

Here is the one I have used for a long time. It uses a bright boy under it and works real well.
 http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/931-751
 Jim

[radio2]

Jeff. the centerline track cleaning car is not realy a car, its just a frame with the brass cleaning roll in the center covered by cloth and soaked in goo gone .As to if it works, i have no complaints, it kept my previous layout track free of gunk and dust, it also cleans the wheels of the cars as you use it. You can check out their web site at centerlineproducts.com and get more info..

Rm2

[Anonymous]

are the centerline cars any good?

[Anonymous]

Loathar, the track cleaning car you had, maybe a Ulrich? I have 2 and you can find them on ebay every-now and again. Good luck

[Anonymous]

I use one of the HO Walthers Trainline 40' track cleaning boxcars. Works well enough for my oval of track.

[cmrproducts]

That is the reason that I use a piece of HO cork roadbed (preferably older stiff type). I spread a very thin coating of polish on the cork and then just rub the track. This way I get very little if any polish on the sides of the rail. I then use a clean piece of cork roadbed to poli***he rails.

Yes it takes a little extra work but not having to clean the track anymore is great.

As for the dust on the tracks. Is your room dusty? I must be an exception to the rule as I get very little dust on my equipment. I probably make more dust when I am working on the layout than any other time.

Although I have a drop ceiling in my train room I still have a cement floor that is not all covered yet.

BOB H – Clarion, PA

[Anonymous]

I tried to use MAAS and found that the little pink piles of goo in the ties didn't look all that realistic, though the rails sure looked sharp. I'm sure I used too much, but the surface area of a rail on Atlas Snap track sure is little.

I actually have some alcohol-based cleaner that I got about 20 years ago. At the time, I was an early teen and made do with what I had. I took an old caboose. I took the wheels out of an extra truck and screwed it to the center of the caboose. I ground the truck so that it was flat and then glued a felt pad to it. It wasn't quite thick enough so I put a self-adhesive felt pad on the other felt pad and that gave me the thickness I needed. I just wet the pad with the cleaner I mentioned, couple it alone to a locomotive and run that on the track. I like to use light-colored felt so that I can see how much junk it is taking off the rails.

Not real glamorous, but it seems to work okay. What I like about it is that I couple it to the front of the power and that way I'm not running over the gunk before the cleaner gets to it.

Darrin

[RoyalOaker]

Bob,

I also have used the polish, But I still have to dust my track. Some of my loco's just run better when the track is perfectly clean.


Would these track cleaning cars also do the simple job of dusting?

[Anonymous]

Once you polish it with MAAS or similar polish you will no longer need a track cleaning car it really does work great and lasts a long time.