Has anyone any experence with the track cleaning tool "Rail Tracker'' ?
Long handle, looks like a movable head, 4 pads and a bottle of ?
Looks like a good idea,but is it worth $26.50..Micro-Mark catalog
thanks
UncleButch
I made my own "cleaning stick" for getting into the roundhouse and into tunnels and truss bridges.
For my application, I used a fiber-glas driveway marker ($1.00 at a closeout store) then mounted a piece of broomstick sized, 3/4 to 7/8" diameter dowel to it. I stapled a square of Velcro™ to the dowel (sticky-back dissolves with the alcohol so you have to fix it with staples or screws) then I wrap a piece of heavy, fuzzy fabric to it.
Add a few drops of isopropyl alcohol to the cloth and wipe away.
The driveway marker is about the diameter of a pencil, lightweight, insulated and long enough to reach far into the scenery. One end has a soft plastic tip, keep this as the "handle" take your dowel about 1½" (for HO) and drill a hole partway through at the middle then epoxy the marker to it.
I only use it occasionally but it does the job and the cost is really ¢heap.
I made another one with a chunk of "bright-boy" cleaning pad to it for more aggressive cleaning.
Have Fun, Ed
Hi UNCLEBUTCH:
I can't answer your question but I can say
Welcome to the forums!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
UncleButch,
First, .
Now, your questions. I have one myself.
The cleaning bottle is a bottle of track cleaner. (Good old Isopropyl , aka Rubbing, Alcohol works just as good, and is cheaper.) Yes, the head is movable. It has, actually, more than four heads total, but, four different kinds. Two are of the felt variety, one extra soft ("Finishing Pads"), one slightly ruffer ("Cleaning Pads"), and two of the "rubber eraser" style, one fine (Maintanace Pads"), the other more coarse ("Rescue Pads"). The "rubber" style work good for the "grime" build up that is common for model tracks, the felt style work good for the more "dusty" type cleaning. (And, for wiping on/off liquid cleaner of choice.) (And, I have never needed to use what they term "Rescue Pads", the coarse "rubber" pads made for extra heavy cleaning.) It does its job.
You can attach a extension, made out of PVC pipe, to the back of the handle, making for far better reach. (Any length of PVC 7/8OD, 5/8ID, IIRC)
Now, as to the question of, is it worth it?
$26.50 is not at all bad for price, MSRP is higher.
You can find cheaper options, or make one even cheaper, but, I like the swivel head. It will "follow" the rails, even through curves, and, at least IMHO, clean slightly better. The "rubber" style pads also are "grooved" to fit the rails, in both HO and N scales, helping them follow them better. (Note: This feature is a pain at turnouts his however.....)
So, the answer of if it is worth the price, is only answerable by you. For me, it was a good option, as one portion of my layout was not as friendly to manual cleaning by hand, due to access restrictions, but is able to be cleaned manually now. (And, is now a moot point, as layout is moving. So, it's also changing.) With my "track crew train" of a work caboose, on my line "shoving platform", a CMX car, a Centerline car for mop up duties, and a couple slider cars, along with the Tidy Track Rail Tracker, I can keep my rails nice and clean and shiny.
Now, if you asked about the same lines "Roto wheel cleaner"..... That is worth it's weight in gold as far as I am concerned. (Powered Loco wheel cleaning tool, that does not scratch them!)
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I am LION. LION builds Subway Layout. Subway Layout has 14 miles of track.
Fortunately for LION, him build six car subway trains with 48 wheel power pick-up. Little dirt not bother trains of LION at all.
Cleaning track. Get a pair of cotton gloves, the kind that coin collectors are so fond of. Dip your fingers in the alcohol and then clean the tracks. Watch the dirt cling to the glove. Best thing about them is that you are only touching the rails and not mushing into sceinc elemtments. Subways have third rails, and so ewe do not want a cleaning thingie that will harm the third rail. Fortunately, third rail of LION is for show only and does not have 600 volts on it.
LION treats easy to reach tracks with a cleaning solution (Think transmission fluid or Whal clipper oil) and lets the trains carry the stuff around the layout. But like the LION said: 48 wheel pick-up wheely helps keep trains going.
Oh whale, if you want to see layout of LION, link is below, but LION must spend some time putting new photos on site of him, since much nice stuff has been built since these photos were taken.
LIONS can be lasy that way, and besides, LION broke the leg of him while trying to clean the cat house, now him cannot go up two flights of stairs to play with the trains. Leg is getting better, but not two flights worth of better.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
In over 50 years of HO modeling, I've cleaned a lot of track without one of these. I had looked at them when they first came out and "passed" several times. However, a month ago I bought one at the big train show in Timonium, MD. The price you cite is good, as I paid $28 at the train show, and the same item at our little train show down here at the beach was $36 two weeks ago.
I have tried it and liked it much more than I thought that I would. The various cleaning pads are notched to fit over the rail, so the device does not run astray. I was able to easily and neatly clean the track inside my roundhouse by pushing it in through the doors from the turntable - with no risk to the interior detail that was always otherwise threatened by my big paws. It is no where near a necessity, but 'tis handy.
Bill
Thanks guys,
I tryed the gloved finger as Lion suggested, I have too mutch stuff too close to the track to get my big hand thru without recking something, didn,t think ahead.
I made a homemade thing like Ed, couldn,t keep rag on, and it wanted to wander off coarse.
Armed with your input I might try one.
Tanks again
Uncle Butch