Track cleaning for beginners and the experienced

[dano99a]

Ok, so it's spring here in ohio and needless to say, MRR drops on the priority list. After golfing, gardening and the occational vacation, I finally made it down here to really do some work aside from experiments I've been doing over the past weeks time in and out between "other" things that need done around the house during the spring and summer.

Turned on the power, got a train running and WHOA!! DIRTY TRACK! Unfortunatly I like most folks here on this forum don't have a basement with a finished ceiling so I have to contend with dust (no spiders [:)] ) and I use DCC so it is 5 times more fussy about clean track. So, I realized this would make a great topic for discussion on this forum for the beginners who are getting into DCC or DC and for the experienced to share thier experiences with them.

1 - How often do you clean your track?
2 - What do you use to clean it with and why?
3 - How many times do you run the cleaner around the layout?
4 - What are some good track cleaners?

To answer my own questions to start the topic:

1 - I clean it every time I come down here even if I was just down here last night.
It's the first thing I do.

2 - I use 91% rubbing alcohol, It seems to do a nice job better than Goo Gone.
sometimes I'll attack the yards with a piece of sand paper or if I'm really pissed at
the yards then I'll take a dremmel tool with a sanding disc and run over it
"QUICKLY"

3 - Depends on how badly things are running, sometimes I'll let it run the christmas
tree (continous running) loop for about an hour changing the pad multiple times.
Then I go into the yards with my hand pushing the cleaner or read the above.

4 - I use a Tony's CMX Clean machine and once and a while I'll add a centerline
roller to mop up after it (not that it really needs it but help is always welcome)

Anyone care to add to this??

[cacole]

Magic Wadding Polish, sold at automotive supply houses, works very well, but requires a lot of elbow grease. Many people also recommend Flitz or Maas, but those both require twice as much work because you have to put it on and then rub it off, whereas Magic Wadding Polish just requires application. We use it on the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club's 20 x 40 foot HO-scale layout and only need to clean track every six months. Previously, we had to run a track cleaning car one or two times every week.

[Anonymous]

I clean my track about once a week. All I use is a track erasor. I found out something very interesting. It seems that not only dust, etc. gets on the track, but it also depends on what make of locomotive you run also. Did you know that Athern locomotives will dirty a track in a hurry? Much faster than what an Atlas or a Kato will. Not only that, but in addition to cleaning the track, I had to (what seemed to be always) take the shell off the Athern engine and clean the inside of it , plus clean the engine wheels as well.

The only thing I've ever had to do with my Kato and Atlas engines is clean the wheels about once a week, and I've had them for two years. I clean the wheels with a Kadee electric wheel cleaner. What used to be a real chore, is now a snap.

[Anonymous]

I use one of those rubber/foam sanding blocks with superfine grit. You can fine these at the local home depot or Lowe's. I don't press down to hard, I let the grit do the work. I follow this up with a dry clean cloth to remove any grit or gunk.

Works finr for me.[:D]

[MAbruce]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dano99a


1 - How often do you clean your track?
2 - What do you use to clean it with and why?
3 - How many times do you run the cleaner around the layout?
4 - What are some good track cleaners?

1. I clean the tracks about every three to four months.

2. I use MAAS polish, mainly because it's a great cleaner and it lasts so long. I've tried others (91% rubbing alcohol, Goo Gone, and erasers). MAAS just blew them all away.

3. I run my "cleaner" (Finger with cloth) around twice. Once to apply and once to buff off (one section at a time). I found that if I have not run trains in a while, I will have to clean the loco wheels (with 91% rubbing alcohol) after their first time around. After that, it's clear running.

4. I have not looked back since finding MAAS. However, since cacole brought up "Magic Wadding Polish", I might just have to try that out.

[cmrproducts]

1. Once a year

2. Blue magic metal polish or Mothers Mag Wheel polish, actually any metal polish.

3. Spread the liquid metal polish on an old piece of HO cork roadbed and just move it down the rails. Follow it with a clean piece of HO cork roadbed. I threw all (10) my old track cleaner cars away!!!! I tried everyone known to the modeling community and some I had built !

4. I would never ever want to go back to the single biggest waste of a persons time - Cleaning Track - Once you try it you will never want to use the track cleaning cars again - unless you like to do that type of thing !?

Bob H Clarion, PA