Your track cleaning and Trainroom secrets

[TrainsRMe1]

Okay My MRRDING family,

      I want to hear from you, what is your best track cleaning methods what do you use on your tracks that would make your trains glide with perfection, and what do you do to keep dust down to a minimal, in your trainroom, Love to hear from you all, take care and Happy Modelrairoading!!!!!! and Happy Holidays

                                              Trainsrme1   

[mobilman44]

Hi!

Well, I think its no secret that the best way to have a clean train room / track is a combination of factors.

First, be fortunate enough to have a finished room, used exclusively for the layout, and with a door that shuts - and is kept shut when not in use.  That will greatly minimize dirt on or about the layout.

For the track, start out with totally clean track (even new is dirty), wiped down with alcohol or whatever you prefer.   Then, put no car or loco on the track unless the wheels are totally clean.   To add to this, I have found that metal wheel sets are a definite help, and I use them exclusively (Intermountain).

Lastly, clean up whatever dust or debris accumulates from your activities in the train room.

[richhotrain]

TrainsRMe1

what do you use on your tracks that would make your trains glide with perfection, and what do you do to keep dust down to a minimal, in your trainroom,

Nothing.

I have my layout in my basement.

The only time that I clean the rails is after ballasting to get the dried matte medium off.  For that, I use a Bright Boy eraser.

Every once in awhile if I notice dust on my locos or rolling stock or on the roofs of my buildings, I use a small brush that resembles a barber brush to sweep the dust away.

Rich

 

[BroadwayLion]

Nothing!

I have my layout in a former classroom above the library. But my trains are all over weight and have 48 wheel power pickup. They are NOT going to stall at all.

Well, I do have some electric contacts cleaner, the non-lubricating kind, and I can apply some to the tracks in one or two places and let the trains drag the stuff around with them, but mostly metal on metal doe all of the cleaning on my railroad and on 1:1 trains as well. And remember NYCT also runs on electricity through the rails.

ROAR

[caballorr]

I have my layout under a screen in Carport in southwest part of USA so I have to clean the layout about ever two weeks .I clean the Track ever other time I run the train .I use Kaboom  Shower,tub and tile cleaner  for my Track what is BACHMANN  E-Z  nickle silver  track it works good .

[CTValleyRR]

mobilman44

Hi!

Well, I think its no secret that the best way to have a clean train room / track is a combination of factors.

First, be fortunate enough to have a finished room, used exclusively for the layout, and with a door that shuts - and is kept shut when not in use.  That will greatly minimize dirt on or about the layout.

For the track, start out with totally clean track (even new is dirty), wiped down with alcohol or whatever you prefer.   Then, put no car or loco on the track unless the wheels are totally clean.   To add to this, I have found that metal wheel sets are a definite help, and I use them exclusively (Intermountain).

Lastly, clean up whatever dust or debris accumulates from your activities in the train room.

Mobilman is right -- although I'm NOT forturnate enough to have either a dedicated space or a finished one.  Worse, the kitty litter is also in the basement, which both means I have to deal with a lot of dust AND the occasional visitation of Catzilla on my layout.

So I'm pretty good at dealing with dust.  A good old fashioned feather duster helps, as does a soft bristled shaving brush or paint brush for delecate areas.  I have a hand held vaccuum which I use to clean, and use a piece of one of my wife's old stockings under the attachement to catch any parts that I want to keep that I accidentally vacuum up.

I wipe the track monthly with a rag dipped in denatured alcohol, and clean all my locos and rolling stock quarterly.

The operational problems that I have are purely my own doing (sloppy construction and tracklaying), or couplers with incorrect heights.

[BRAKIE]

I have never  overly concern myself with cleaning track so,I use a rag,91% alcohol and a bright boy as needed-maybe 2-3 times a year..

[Mark R.]

I've burnished all my rails (do a search for "gleam") and haven't touched them in over six years.

My layout is also in its own room - drywalled walls and ceiling, climate controlled and a door to keep it that way.

Mark.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Mark R.

I've burnished all my rails (do a search for "gleam")

GLEAM for me as well.

[dstarr]

TrainsRMe1

Okay My MRRDING family,

      I want to hear from you, what is your best track cleaning methods what do you use on your tracks that would make your trains glide with perfection, and what do you do to keep dust down to a minimal, in your trainroom, Love to hear from you all, take care and Happy Modelrairoading!!!!!! and Happy Holidays

                                              Trainsrme1   

  I have all nickel silver code 100 rail flextrack (three foot sections).   I don't solder rail joiners, instead I have a throttle bus under the layout and 22 gauge feeders to every  other piece of flextrack, (every 6 feet).  Once or twice a year I clean the rail, by hand,  with GooGone on a rag.  It is good at disolving crud and stickum, and is somewhat acid and acts as a chemical reducing agent, turning oxide back into bright metal.  At the same time I do a fleet wide wheel cleaning, on the theory that track crud travels from rail to wheel and back again.   Wheel cleaning means soaking a rag or paper towel in GooGone, laying it on the track and running the car to be cleaned back and forth by hand over the rag.  Keep this up until the black streaks on the rag stop happening.   For locomotives, give 'em a bit of juice to make the wheels rotate and they come out clean as a whistle. 

   I keep records.  Every time something bad happens  (derailment, stoppage etc) write it down on a post it note and stick the note to the place it happened.  A buildup of post its and I know where I have a problem. 

[BroadwayLion]

CATZILLA!

Fortunately my cats live out doors (yes all winter) and really do not like coming indoors. The train room being two buildings over and three flights up, said little felines would not squirms still long enough to even be taken up there, and will fight to be let out again.

I have no problems with cat litter: I strain it through a screen, and use the stuff as ballast!

ROAR

[peahrens]

I'm glad to have my DCC HO layout in the house, so not excessively exposed to dust, etc.  I've "gleamed" my code 83 track, run metal wheelsets on my cars, clean the track every 1-2 months with a CMX (pricey, but I like it) track cleaning car, using denatured alcohol, and run the locos over an alcohol wet paper towel, which cleans the traction wheels when I spin them on the towel.  Not so sure that keeps the non-traction pickup wheels clean enough, so I plan to manually clean all the loco wheels on occasion.  My 2 BLI steamers have traction tires and I don't know if they leave rubber(?) deposits on the track as they wear.

Paul

[tomikawaTT]

jeffrey-wimberly

Mark R.

I've burnished all my rails (do a search for "gleam")

GLEAM for me as well.

And another vote for 'gleam,'

Unlike Mark, my Southern Nevada garage is most emphatically NOT climate controlled  The layout shares the repurposed double garage with the gas hot water heater, which means open vents to the outside (code requirement, not negotiable) and an annual temperature swing in excess of 100 degrees F.  Dust isn't too much of a problem, usually cured by running a soft pad under a John Allen type track cleaning car.  Construction debris (foam shavings) calls for the wedge plow in front of a DD13 class diesel-hydraulic...

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

["JaBear"]

Gidday, I've mentioned it before, I'm a fan of running a "John Allen" track cleaning car in the consist.

Cheers, the Bear.

[selector]

I have a history of running trains infrequently.  When I remember to do it, I wipe the rails with a damp cloth to pick up any particulate matter that will come up with a swipe.   Once or twice I'll even remember to use alcohol instead.  The truth is, though, that I most often just enter the train room, power up, and enjoy the trains.  No preparation.

I find that turnouts are the Great Troublespots on my layout, my own being my only experience.  They seem to build up black crud near the frog, probably due to arcing, and otherwise I sometimes find the nether contacts for the points not working so well, nor the pressure contact with the stock rails.  I have yet to have to resort to soldering a tiny filamental jumper because usually a gentle swipe with 600 grit paper between the stock rail and points rails will do the trick.  Even so, I may have to perform that function only three or four times in a year.

So, in summary, I haven't really gotten around to a system of sorts because I never seem to need it.

Crandell

[John Busby]

Hi

First off track cleaning is a job you cannot avoid you can only minimize it.

I have a Relco unit attached to the track this electrically cleans any slight stutters NOTE if you have DCC you cannot use these.

The first and only abrasive clean  my track ever gets is after all the ballast and other near track gluing is done. After that its methylated spirits and a very old Triang track cleaning car with a felt pad.

I also have a loco wheel cleaner its no good having spotless track and gunged up loco wheels

Also on my layout as may wheels as practical are metal and that number is increasing.

I have no real proof but as the number of metal wheels increases so the amount of necessary track cleaning seems to be decreasing.

Other than that its clean up your work mess and normal house keeping type tasks these two not only make for a pleasant room but helps minimize the need for track cleaning.

AND one for the smokers don't smoke in the train room nicotine from the smoke is a pain in the BEEEP!!!! to clean off the track and a very good insulator.

I Smoke and I also enforce the No Smoking in the train room rigidly

regards John

[cudaken]

TrainsRMe1

Okay My MRRDING family,

      I want to hear from you, what is your best track cleaning methods what do you use on your tracks that would make your trains glide with perfection, and what do you do to keep dust down to a minimal, in your trainroom, Love to hear from you all, take care and Happy Modelrairoading!!!!!! and Happy Holidays

                                              Trainsrme1   

[kenkal]

My layout, 300' mainline, DCC, all metal wheels, code 100 nickel silver track, 64 turnouts, in a mid-west basement, quite rarely requires any cleaning.  I may wipe a rag across all the rails maybe once a year. Sometimes a little used yard track gets dusty and slow operation suffers and may require some additional cleaning.

Occasionally a turnout frog will get gummy and I may end up cleaning 5 or 6 of those a year. 

Of course, new scenery is an exception and I do use a bright boy, hobby blade or alcohol on a rag as appropriate when I'm done.

I have no idea why I have to clean so infrequently, but I'm knocking on wood. Maybe I'll pay the price in time, who knows?

Ken

[doctorwayne]

Like Rich and others, I clean track only after ballasting or applying scenery nearby.  Once in a while (years, not weeks) I'll vacuum with the soft brush attachment on my shop vac - locos, rolling stock, track, structures and scenery.  Using a brush without the vacuum only leaves it in the room to appear again later.

The layout is in a finished basement room (drywall and suspended ceiling), but the floor is unfinished concrete - never sweep it!  The shop vac does the job without making more dust or abrading the floor.  Since the room is well-insulated, it needs neither heating or cooling, so no duct work to spread dust from other places.  Nobody smokes in this house, but no food is allowed in the train room and no pets, either.  I use mostly plastic wheels, although some newer stuff which comes with metal wheels is on the layout, too.  Other than as mentioned, I haven't cleaned track in over 20 years.

Wayne

[jrbernier]

  My layout ins in a finished basement(lower level of my house).  I clean the track after major scenery work with a lacquer filled CMX track cleaning car.  All of my rolling stock has metal wheels and I clean the wheels on the locomotives.  This usually lasts for about 6 months.  I think that a finished room with a ceiling is a key aspect here.  The layout was in an unfinished area for some time and cleaning as a every two week chore.  Once I added the drop ceiling. most of the problem was resolved..  The current layout is now in the same area and I finished the layout area before starting layout construction - a big difference!

Jim

[steamage]

I use this small 12 volt auto vacuum cleaner to pick up dust from the layout. It was not very good for cleaning the car, but it does NOT have enough vacuum to pick up small details or the plastic people on the layout, just the dust.  I cut the plug off that is used for the auto cig lighter and use a heavy duty 12 volt DC power supply like a small charger.

 

[HaroldA]

Well I have started a cleaning/maintenance plan that seems to work for me on my basement layout.

First, if I not going to run trains for a considerable period of time (read, over a month) or I am going to be doing to work in the basement I buy some very light weight, cheap (emphasis on cheap) plastic drop cloths and I cover everything.  This keeps dust and dirt off everything and I recycle the plastic when it's removed.

Second, once a year, I remove the car bodies and rinse them in warm water.  So far this hasn't cause any issues.  At the same time, I check wheel gauges and coupler heights, replace anything if needed and clean the wheels use using cotton swabs and alcohol.  For the locos, I use a damp cotton cloth and clean wheels.

For the track, it is  mainly a Bright Boy and alcohol.  I have tried using the edge of a piece of Masonite and it seems to work without scratching the track.  When I am doing scenery work, every car, loco and structure is removed from the area and once I am done, everything gets cleaned. 

That's about it and so far, it has helped.  I am of the opinion that regardless of how diligent I might be, there are still gremlins that take great delight in gumming something up somewhere and it is usually in the least accessible part of the layout.

[Lake]

I have N-Scale in a non-climate controlled building. So dust is always present. I purposely model an area that gets little rain and has lots of dust and dirt on every thing. So it looks natural. I do some cleaning every month so it does not look like a dust storm just came through

I only wipe down all of the track every couple of months and use a Bright-Boy or rubbing alcohol only on areas of track where needed.

I have come to the conclusion that cleaning track all the time is not needed for reliable running. Cleaning the wheels that pick up power from the track is what you need to worry about. The lights on the engines should be steady when running. No flickering. If the light flickers while running on any area of the track this lets me know that it not the track that needs cleaning. Then I stop what I am doing and clean the wheels. Only takes a minute or two and then back to smooth steady running.

A while back I cleaned the wheels of all my engines so now each one only needs to be done if lights flicker or the engine stalls at many places on the layout.

So cleaning the wheels is a must. I, like most new people to the hobby always thought stalling and jerky running was a dirty track problem. Of  course if a problem only shows at one place then I check the track. It only took me five years to figure this out.

[mlehman]

I'll second several good ideas:

nickel-silver track

all metal wheels

keep all dustmaking activities out of train room or minimize and clean afterwards

Yep, finished room is best. In my case, almost there, in a basement with suspended ceiling. However, I finished just the first 4 feet down from the ceiling for insulation and a backdrop. That puts the bottom of the finished area about 2 feet below the outdoor soil level -- and completely underneath the layout itself.

The floor was unfinished concrete, but I used a concrete stain/sealer to get it slick versus leaving the dusty concrete effect.

I would caution on use of the GooGone, as it leaves a sticky deposit. Just saying...

I use CRC 2-26 contact cleaner and lube, applied sparingly by a cork moistened with it, then wiped on the top of the rails a couple of times a year or after having dirtied up the track with ballast or scenery work. I dip the end of a popsicle stick in CRC 2-26 and wipe between the point and stock rails on all turnouts, as well as applying a drop on the rivet that the point assembly pivots on. CRC 2-26 has the additional advantage of dulling the overly bright rails to a more realistic "steely" color. You should let it sit overnight for best results. And it seems to improve traction after the wait, despite being a lube.

I have HO and HOn3 Centerline track cleaning cars, in part because I have extensive hidden trackage on the standard gauge side of things and some on the NG, too. I haven't run them since I started using CRC 2-26 about 2 years ago following the advice of one of my NG buddies, Laurie McLean MMR, although now that I think of it I should probably take a pass through with 91% alcohol, followed by a CRC 2-26 swab.

[bing&kathy]

My old layout was in an unfinished basement although the wals and floor were painted. Open joists above and the usual basement appliances. Even so it didn't get dirty very fast. Tracks were cleaned about 2 or 3 times a year and the whole thing got a general cleaning once a year. my new layout room is under construction now. Dedicated room, no windows, took them out, finished ceiling, sheetrock walls, and painted floors, makes it easier to find them coupler springs, a door to shut it off from the other rooms. Central heat but will be filtered a second time at the registers. A/C will be for the train room only. The only smoking will be from the steam engines and Rule"G" is strictly enforced. I am going to put a door sweep  to keep out even more crud with tracoff mates on the outside of the door. Clean the track with alcohol, might even put some on the cleaning pad, just kidding see Rule "G". Of course a good shop vac should clean up around the work bench. I'm thinking of putting the vac in the next room and just run the hose. Sort of a poor man's centeral vac. Until all that sheetrock and such gets done it's going to be a mess.

But then that's all part of the fun and will make better operating conditions when done. OBTW, I got clearance from the property supervisor that I can use the adjoining room for a staging area. Hmmm....More clean room to think about.  Video to oversee it. To the drawing board!