Hi everyone:
I picked up this RIBBONRAIL track cleaning car a few weeks ago on eBay. Apparently it is quite old. Don't worry, I didn't pay much for it. It needed a new O ring and I changed the wheels and couplers, but I haven't put any fluid in it yet. The manual suggests using kerosene as a cleaning agent!
I'm curious to see if anyone has any experience with one of these. Also, the little round cork was in the tank. It has a small nail in it and it looks like it was glued to something at some point. Any ideas as to what the cork is for, or if it even belongs to the car? Was it the original stopper for the tank? The filler hole came with a chrome plug rather like something you would see covering the screw in a faucet handle. It doesn't look like it would seal very well.
Dave
P.S. I didn't want to hijack David Fortney's thread on what is the best track cleaning car so I decided to start a new topic.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave,
Looks to Me like the cork plug was supposed to go in the hole and the cork dried out and got brittle.
Walther's still sells that Mfg'er's track cleaning car....but it does not have a tank on it. Those came out when most people were still using Brass code 100 track. Too expensive for My blood back then, when a masonite pad worked just as well.
Take Care!
Frank
I have one of these, and if I remember correctly, the cork goes inside the tank, and there is a pin (think sewing pin) that you insert throurgh a pinhole in the top of the tank and stab into the cork. when you fill the tank the cork floats, the pin rises and you can tell the fluid level in the tank.
Richard!
Thank you. That makes perfect sense. I thought the tiny hole in the top of the tank was just for ventilation. The pin is still in the cork.
Did you or do you use your RIBBONRAIL track cleaner? If so, what cleaning solution did you use? How well did it work?
I do use it, with alcohol. It is a bit finicky as far as getting the screw set to deliver just enough liquid. I should note that I bought mine used, off ebay, and it was missing the cleaning pad. I cobbled together a pad from a scrap of "Handi Wipe". The alcohol runs through it pretty quickly, but at does a decent job of loosening the crud. I follow it with a masonite scrubber car. Yor results may differ, with the stock pad.
Hi HON30,
I have one as well. got it with a couple of things off the bay a few years back. Haven't done anything with it as yet as I have a Centerline, a CMX an Aztec cratex and a couple of masonite pad cars. But I wanted to tell you mine has a clear plastic tank on it so that you can see the fluid level. Other than that it looks the same.
Johnboy out............................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Richard
Mine appears to have the original pad and there is very little wear or staining on it. I think it is made from dense felt. The manual shows a part # for replacement pads but I'd be suprised if anyone still has any. If the right felt can be found it would be fairly easy to make replacements.
Thanks again.
Johnboy:
One of the reasons I picked the RIBBONRAIL car up was because I have a heart attack every time I look at the prices for the better quality cleaning cars.
The masonite ones I can do. Haven't gotten around to it yet because I don't have any scrap masonite. I suppose I could buy a 4' x 8' panel and then make a whole fleet! (yes, I'm aware that you can purchase smaller sheets but the joke sounded better with the full sized sheet).