If you have some, and are careful, you can use any of the following: acetone, naptha, paint thinner, lacquer thinner, Goof Off, automobile metal wheel cleaner (MAAG's, Mother's, Blue Magic). Any compound, liquid, that can be safely applied to just the tires, and then effectively wiped completely away so that they bring with them to the buffing cloth all the unwanted contaminants....that is the way to go.
Just don't use abrasives. In fact, all I use for my trains are scrap bits of stripwood, or the scale dimensional lumber. The edges on one end, pressed against the metal tires, do a good job of getting any crud off the tires.
-Crandell
Go to the drug store buy a small bottle of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol shouldn't cost more then two or three bucks. Keep it in with the rest of your train supplies as it's used for cleaning wheels on your rolling stock, painting, wetting agent for ballasting just to name a few. Consider it an operating expense incurred by your railroad MOW department.
Allegheny2-6-6-691% Isopropyl Alcohol
If it were me and I wanted to use alcohol, I'd use the less potent alcohol, not the 91% stuff. The 91% can be used as a remover for some brands of model paint. Me being clumsy, I'd start out cleaning wheels and get the 91% all over the locomotive body.
I've been told you can use WD-40, but I wouldn't advise it. It can attack plastics. I have been using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol for years and it has worked fine for me.
Will
maxmanAllegheny2-6-6-691% Isopropyl Alcohol If it were me and I wanted to use alcohol, I'd use the less potent alcohol, not the 91% stuff. The 91% can be used as a remover for some brands of model paint. Me being clumsy, I'd start out cleaning wheels and get the 91% all over the locomotive body.
Do you mean somebody besides ME has done that?
I have used denatured alcohol, with the same warnings as above, with success. I saturate a paper towel with it, place the towel on the rail, then put the loco on with half the wheels on the towel and the other half on the rail. I then ease up the power, and let the wheels on the paper towel spin. Then I reverse the loco. It's amazing how much crud comes off.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Thank You to all who posted their replies. My loco runs much smoother than before. I guess the cleaning really helped.