track cleaning cars- do they work?

Save your money. The only track cleaning car that works is the CMX Clean Machine filled with lacquer thinner. We have tried just about every gimmick track cleaning car made on our HO scale club layout, and the CMX is the only one that really cleans.

This track-cleaning question comes up all the time. And there are so many ways to do track CLEANING.

But I just got tired of cleaning my track. IS cleaning track more fun that running trains? It seems so as everyone has his or her own method.

But why do we have to keep cleaning the track? It obviously doesn’t work, as YOU keep having to do it over and over. WHY?

Wouldn’t it be better if you eliminated the problem and NOT have to clean track again!

Why are there so many different ways of cleaning track? Because they don’t work!

The trains won’t stay running smooth for long and you are back to CLEANING the track again, Right?

I finally got tired of cleaning 2600 feet of track as it took the better part of a day to do. I am a model railroader not a cleaning fanatic. If I want to do cleaning I can go upstairs and dust the house (the wife would love it!) and I do, so going down to the basement is the last place I want to be and have to clean track. I just want to run trains!

So I finally tried the metal polish on my rails. It STOPPED having to clean the rails period!

Yes all of your other ways work but you keep doing them over and over. I DON’T!

I just had OPTUD 6 (OP Till U Drop) 2 weeks ago and had 50 operators in for three 4-hour sessions! That’s 12 hours of running trains. And Spacemouse was there. And I did not clean the track before the session. In fact I hadn’t cleaned the track since the last OPTUD back in July of 2004. And I really don’t remember if I cleaned it then! It has been so long since I cleaned anything other than the loco wheels.

So what am I trying to say is! Use the metal polish any type and it stops the track cleaning - period!

Unless that is the only reason you have for running your trains (to use that expensive track cleaning car)!

BOB H – Clarion, PA

I allready posted this in another topic but I might as well post it here as well. I use the Roco track cleaning car. It works real well for continuous running. This car has been sold by Roco in the past and is currently sold under the Walthers Trainline brand. Here is a link: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/931-751 or http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/931-752 Here is the replacement pad: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-1066 Hope this helps.

Jim

My "John Allen" style track cleaning car works very well. And it was real cheap, too!

I know of John Allen, but not too much of his operations. What kind of track cleaner did he use?

Jim

As a previous owner of the Centerline & CMX Clean Machine if you insist on parting with $90.00 + then I agree with Cacole.
But then being a cheapo , I agree with Bob H.
I invested the total sum of $3.50 (within budget) and bot the www.MAAS.com 2 oz cleaner/polisher paste over at Wal-Mart.
There are other paste cleaner/polishers that will also do the job as Bob H has previously pointed out.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Soo Line fan I know of John Allen, but not too much of his operations. What kind of track cleaner did he use? Jim

John Allen took a box car and drilled two holes in the bottom on either side of the car midway from front to back, then attached a couple of small nails to a rectangular piece of masinite by the heads of the nails, spaced the same distance apart as the holes in the box car. The ends of the masonite were tapered on the side opposite the protriuding nails. The masonite pad is installed on the box car by simply fitting the nails through the holes (the holes allow the nails to slide easily in and out), and holding the masonite pad in place against the bottom of the car as the car is placed on the track. The pad rests on the railhead and the car drags it along. The tapers keep the pad from catching on turnout points, gouard rails, frogs and other such track components. No cleaning fluid or pads of any type are used - the masonite is simply dragged around dry.

The cars are just run in regular trains, and the weight of the pad is all that keeps it in contact with the rails. I made mine years ago, and it works great at removing dust and not-too-strongly-adhered dirt from the rails. Other than after some particularly dusty work sessions, I never have to clean my track with anything other than that car.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of mine on the web, so I can't link to it. But it's an old Athearn PFM Reefer. I drilled the holes as described above, and that was the extent of the car modifications. I glued some small flathead brads onto the masonite pad using epoxy. All in all it probably took about and hour to build, and that includes the time needed to cut the masonite and add the tapers.

Allen counted his track cleaning cars as two cars each for tonnage. I haven't bothered to figure it out, but the car does have somewhat more drag than other freight cars.

Maas is awesome...makes your rails shine like the real thing too!
You only THINK your track is "clean".

http://www.maasinc.com/images/maas_2oz.gif