On our large HO scale club layout we have tried practically every cleaning car made over the years because we have a lot of tunnels and other inaccessible areas.
The best we have found is Tony's CMX Clean Machine filled with lacquer thinner followed by a Centerline car running dry to mop up the residue.
On all areas that can be cleaned by hand, we use metal polish, with the easiest to use being Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding Polish. Many others swear by MAAS, Flitz, etc., but these polishes are a two-step process.
I use the metal polish on everything, but the best for me in general cleaning as I don't run the trains often enough is the centerline car with rail zip. If you have used a brite boy , don,t do it again, throw it away. Use fine grit sand paper to remove grooves caused by any rough cleaning blocks. Then the polish and occasional use of a cleaning car, non abrassive, will give satisfying results. If your layout is inside you will almost never have to clean your tracks if you run trains often.
The rail zip will leave a bit of a residue and I have heard mixed opinions on what to do with it. Some say to leave it as it conducts electricity and assists pick up. Others say to run the track cleaning car with a dry cloth to remove it. I leave it on the rails. I have been to a few layouts that were around for 40 years and they would have the operators actually apply a bit to vareous spots on the layout before operating. If you apply it to a location where the road engines frequent then they would help spread it.
Just my $.02.
John
cacole wrote: On our large HO scale club layout we have tried practically every cleaning car made over the years because we have a lot of tunnels and other inaccessible areas.The best we have found is Tony's CMX Clean Machine filled with lacquer thinner followed by a Centerline car running dry to mop up the residue.On all areas that can be cleaned by hand, we use metal polish, with the easiest to use being Nevr-Dull Magic Wadding Polish. Many others swear by MAAS, Flitz, etc., but these polishes are a two-step process.
How bad is the odor from the lacquer thinner ?
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
jbinkley60 wrote: How bad is the odor from the lacquer thinner ?
Since the CMX gradually releases the lacquer thinner, and the layout is in a 20x40 foot room, the smell is not bad at all. But I would not use it in a confined area or in the presence of an open flame.
Metal Polish may be the real answer as it is now 3 1/2 years since I last cleaned any track on my home layout way back in July of 2003.
I thought that it would never work as all of the dozen or so cleaning cars didn't work so why should something as simple as metal polish work.
Well I am glad I was wrong on this! It worked so well that I only have to clean the engines wheels maybe once everyother month. I operate everyother week and work on the layout the rest of the time. So the layout gets a little dusty and my sound engines never miss a beat!
Before I used the metal polish I was cleaning the track before every OPs session and cleaning over 2500 feet of track was no fun.
So IF you are tired of constantly cleaning your track you might give the metal polish a try.
Nothing ventured nothing gained!
BOB H - CLarion, PA
cacole wrote: jbinkley60 wrote: How bad is the odor from the lacquer thinner ?Since the CMX gradually releases the lacquer thinner, and the layout is in a 20x40 foot room, the smell is not bad at all. But I would not use it in a confined area or in the presence of an open flame.
I have the CMX but haven't run anything stronger than rubbing alcohol yet. I can see a time where lacquer thinner might be necessary. I also agree that the metal polish is a huge help I've used it and it works well.
Dave
I have used the liquid Blue Magic and the paster Mother Mag Wheel Polish both with equal results.
I apply it to the rails with a piece of old Ho cork roadbed. Just spread a little on the cork and then rub it on the rails. If you get any on the sides of the rails then you may have too much on the cork. A little goes a long way. After doing about 10 feet use a clean piece of cork to buff the rails.
As the polish is used up the cork will begin to push harder, reapply more polish. When the cork gets too black (which it will) then throw it away and use the piece of cork you were buffing the rails with to apply the polish and then use a clean piece of cork to continue buffing the rails.
You can use just about any type of metal polish except Brasso and some types of Chrome polishes as they seem to leave an oily finish, which we do not want!
BOB H - Clarion, PA