Hi Folks
Can anyone tell me if using fine grain sandpaper for cleaning track will eventually cause problems? I find it to be the best way to guarantee my engines run flawlussly. But, I worry about leaving trace particals of metal behind for them to pick up. Any thoughts or suggestions from all would be greatly appreciated.
it will create small holes in the top of the rails, try some 71% Isopropyl alchohol and a paper towel.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
Gidday, here's a link to a recent thread regarding track cleaning...........
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/213039/2334992.aspx#2334992
............ as you can see the are a variety of methods, hopefully you will find one, or a combination that will suit you.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
You don't need to use sandpaper, and it will cause problems. I use a bright boy track cleaning eraser only when I need to. I also have about six to eight cars similar to what JaBear is running circulating on my layout all the time.
If you use a liquid track cleaner like alcohol, it also tends to dry the metal too much which can hinder good electrical contact. I apply a little WD-40 to my finger and wipe a six-inch section of track with it, then just run my trains through it and around the layout. That and using the sliding cleaner cars works wonders. Since doing that, I haven't had to do a complete track cleaning with a bright boy in over two years. Sometimes I do have to clean some isolated spots, but that is not very often.
The above is the method that works for me. You will get many other opinions. Experiment and you will find something that works for you.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Gandydancer, What sort of car would you recommend for an N scaler to do the WD40 thing with.
On a regular basis, NO. As part of an initial track cleaning/Gleaming process, YES. Some folks recommend using a progressively finer grit starting with 600 and going up to 1200 or finer. I use 1200 to begin with and it seems to work just fine without using anything coarser. Follow this with burnishing with a stainless steel fender washer which smoothes out the microscopic ridges the sandpaper leaves on the rails and finally polishing with a high quality auto polish. A more detailed description of the Gleaming process can be found by Googling "Model Railroader Gleaming."
I read once that the best way to keep your track clean was to run trains. The example was of a rail railroad and the shiny rails of the main line.
That said I (and I may incure the wrath of the purists) use a piece of 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper when needed which is not very often. I also use an occasional drop of Labelle #108 (I think it is 108) on the rails to promote electrical conductivity.
These days i do not experience the problems with dirty track that I did when I was a kid. Not sure if it was the house Ii modeled in or the location in the house. My layouts were in the basement when I was a kid. Today I model in a second floor bedroom.
If it has been a month or so since I last ran a train it may hesitate some on the first lap but it usually gets better after that. The other big difference in my modeling is the use of a DCC system. I suspect that the constant power level in the rails may have something to do with the better performance now-a-days.
I aquired a couple of N-Scale Roco track cleaning cars. Talk about ugly. They have a big chunk of a coarse griding stone attached with a floating mechanism on the bottom of the car. I do not ever intend to put those cars on the layout. I would not even use the stone to sharpen a knife. That is how coarse the stone is. I could see my rails disappearing if I were to run those.
Modeling a railroad hypothetically set in time.
I cleaned my track last night with a bright boy (In the past I used paper towel and 90% Alcohol). Wow was I suprised at how muck black came off !
Joe Staten Island West
I tried something different this past weekend. I looked at my rails and I noticed the little black spots in some places. I took a piece of 1/2" thick blue styrofoam board and ran the edges down the rails. I was amazed that the little black spots dissappeared and the rail became shiny. It was very easy to control especially around the switch points. With a delicate hand I was even able to clean the switch points. It was a small piece of foam. And it had straight edges. I was kind of surprised how handy this was. I model in N-Scale in case size matters for this method. I see no reason why it could not work in HO Scale.
Burlington Northern #24 Gandydancer, What sort of car would you recommend for an N scaler to do the WD40 thing with.
What I use is 99% Isopropyl alcohol to clean my track. But since this leaves the track too "dry" I use some wahl clipper oil and apply it to a small length of track afterwards and run a loco around the layout to leave a very fine film on the rails. If you can feel it though you have used too much. I only clean my track whenever I start to experience any conductivity problems.