I saw a recent post about what to use for gluing down ballast. What about a recommendation for cleaning ballast from old track? I picked up some turnouts on Ebay and they're in great condition, just need to clean out some old ballast from between the ties. Could I dunk them in something to dissolve the glue and not harm the rails?
ThanksBarry
New Orleans, LA
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
I just knocked out the ballast with a screw driver and hit the bottom with some 150 grit sand paper. DON'T USE LACQUER THINNER! It will make the ties soft if not melt them. Well the thinner I use for painting 1:1 cars will.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Thanks for the tips, folks.
>>If the track is brass, it's a collector's item... good one. Actually it's all NS so I'll give Jeffrey's plain water tip a try. Hey Jeffery, great to meet another LA modeler here. I'm in the burbs just outside New Orleans.
Barry
I have used ScotchBrite with soap and water on old brass track. (30 to 40 year old stuff). It seem to clean just about everything. The rails look like new.
- cheapskate Rich