Track Cleaners

[insfil]

Any thoughts out there for cleaning tracks?

[Rob412]

I have tubular track and wipe with Goof-off followed by denatured alcohol to remove any residue. I do this about every 6 months and in between use a centerline track cleaning car with the roller soaked in the alcohol.

[ADCX Rob]

The track on my O-27 layout built in 1971 has never been cleaned. I was running it last night - no problems.

[phillyreading]

Denatured alcohol and a cleaning rag would work better then any track cleaning car will ever do. I have a track cleaning car and don't like it at all, would sell it except that I won't get back even half of what I paid for it.

[Firelock76]

ADCX Rob

The track on my O-27 layout built in 1971 has never been cleaned. I was running it last night - no problems.

Interesting.  Are you running traditional post-war Lionel?  It's my experience that what REALLY messes track up is traction tires, they can really goob the track.  I've been running a recently aquired 2018 and not only does it not mind any residue on the tracks but I'd swear it's actually polishing them the more I run it!

This keeps up and I just may forget the new stuff and go post-war entirely.

[Rob412]

I never worried about the track much until I started running legacy engines. My post war, MPC, and even TMCC engines seem to never give me a problem. I find the legacy engines to be much more finicky. Mostly the electro couplers open spontaneously which I find the most annoying.

[ADCX Rob]

Firelock76

ADCX Rob

The track on my O-27 layout built in 1971 has never been cleaned. I was running it last night - no problems.

Interesting.  Are you running traditional post-war Lionel?

Last night was 2056, 2338, 8566 A-B-A, and 8250/8255. A 50-50 mix!

[sir james I]

I have used rubbing alcohol for years. It has always worked for me.

[Firelock76]

ADCX Rob

Firelock76

ADCX Rob

The track on my O-27 layout built in 1971 has never been cleaned. I was running it last night - no problems.

Interesting.  Are you running traditional post-war Lionel?

Last night was 2056, 2338, 8566 A-B-A, and 8250/8255. A 50-50 mix!

Thanks for the response!  When I was a kid back in the late '60s we had an 027 layout and never cleaned the tracks either.  In fact, just running the trains seemed to have a cleaning effect on the tracks, the railheads were always shiny.

I don't have that old track anymore.  After several decades of non-use it got old, nasty and rusty.  The layout I've got now uses MTH RealTrax which works very well, at least until that aforementioned traction tire goob fouls it. 

Quite honestly, my new die-cast steamers are so heavy I don't know why they bother with traction tires anyway.