If I use an CMX track cleaner filled with lacquer thinner can I push it with an engine equipped with rubber traction tires or will the lacquer thinner eat the rubber tires. Thanks
Yes, the lacquer thinner will soften up the rubber tires. The fumes are also not good for you either. I recommend using denatured alcohol -- it evaporates very quickly and the fumes are not as bad as lacquer thinner.
Chuck
Modeling the Motor City
I would use denatured alcohol and always pull the car. As you noted it isn't good for the traction tires and plastic wheels. Depending on the layout size you might consider just wetting a rag and wiping the rails down yourself. It is faster and does a better job since you can put more pressure on it.
Springfield PA
Lacquer thinner is far too active a solvent to make a good track cleaner. It will remove paint, eat foam, and soften styrene plastic (including your ties). It will certainly do bad things to traction tires. A spill on the layout would be a disaster.
Alcohol, or "mineral spirits" (aka paint thinner or charcoal lighter fluid), or Goo-Gone are much less active but are strong enough to do a good job on track.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Both of the items mentioned here have a highly evaporative nature, hence the fumes and they dissapate very rapidly, not to mention the problems caused by them as stated here.
My suggestion, and what I use, is the 90% rubbing alcohol used to remove paint from plastic, it works great for me and has for years.
And no,don't run it in front of your locos, always pull it behind that way any excess has a chance to evaporate before your loco traction tires run over it again.
Mark
If it's HO it may take two engines to pull the CMX tanker full of any type liquid. I have a 3 1/2 degree climb on a 18 " radius for 30 inches and it takes two of my Atlas engines to do the trick. One is a GP40-2 followed by an RS-1, both use DCC.
I've been using lacquer thinner for about five years now ( with fans and windows wide open. ( or else ) and have had no problems with any plastic ties nor anything else melting. ( have not spilled it yet either. ) Nor do I have any traction tires. All steel wheels entire rolling stock.
Forty Niner uses a very good track cleaning product, 91% rubbing alcohol ( and I may switch to it---getting headaches lately. )
AFAIK everything used for track cleaning ( except lacquer thinner and rubbing alcohol ) will leave a residue on the track even if you have a tag along dry cleaning car. If a residue left on the track then the purpose of track cleaning is a waste of time. Goo-Gone comes to mind and is a bad one for leaving residue.
Wadda ya mean I'm old ? Just because I remember gasoline at 9 cents a gallon and those big coal burning steamers.
Goo-Gone leaves behind an oily residue which is nearly impervious to cleaning. I highly recommend against using it.
I have used a rag dipped in denatured alcohol (ethanol with a small amount of gasoline added to prevent consumption) for years with no problems. For rags, I cut old 100% cotton T-Shirts into 6" squares so I can hold them in my hand and not wipe out scenery and structures with the loose ends.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford