Peter, while it was all sort of Greek to me, thank you anyway.
I don't think ATF cleans the rail as much as help the conductivity. Regardless it works for me!
Later, Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Food for thought; recently read some science in regards to micro-arcing between loco wheels and rail causing metal oxide build-up (black gunk?) and track cleaning solvents.
"Non-polar solvents work best at cleaning electrical contacts and protect by inhibiting micro-arcing." "Examples of non-polar solvents are kerosene, WD-40 contact cleaner, CRC contact cleaner & protectant, minerial spirits and Wahl clipper oil." "Semi-polar solvents include CRC-2-26, ATF and Rail Zip." "Polar solvents include Iso-alcohol, acetone and lacquer thinner."
Think I'll suspend using the lacquer thinner for rail cleaning and give one of the non-polar solvents a try.
Be happy in your track cleaning. Regards, Peter
Sad to say, but this is turning into a "discussion" similar to "Which DCC system is the best?"
Bear "It's all about having fun."
choristerGleaming is still the best
I have never tryed it,so can't offer an opinion. But of the many,many articals I've read on the reasons that we have to clean track, gleaming does not address any of them. I can't understand why it would help
I dunno...sounds like a lot of work to me.
I find that an occasional vacuuming, perhaps every year or two, keeps my track clean and the trains running reliably. It does help that the layout is in its own finished room, well-insulated and with no need for heating or cooling - often a source of dirt and other contaminants that can affect performance.
Wayne
Fine, if it works for you, then that's great.
bearman I tried it, and a film developed on the rails which attracted all sorts of crud. Took a while using elbow grease and lacquer thinner to get it all off.
I tried it, and a film developed on the rails which attracted all sorts of crud. Took a while using elbow grease and lacquer thinner to get it all off.
More MR drama, I use it, been useing it for years. Threr is NO flim, no black stuff splatter, no issues except that it works.
Threre is info out there that explains why it works, I'm not smart enuff to understand it,or explaine it. It works
Thanks for the update. I am thinking I should give it a try. I thought that if I poked this sleeping dog maybe somebody would chime in and tell me about all the bad things that go with using ATF to clean rails. But no one has chimed in and I have not been able to find any actual claims of problems. I have seen quite a few postings of people with concerns but none of them had actually tried the process. Thanks
wdcrvr
wdcrvrHey Cudaken. Are you still out there and are you still using ATF to clean your track? And is it still working well?
Yes I am and I swear by it! Guess I am going on three years now and seldom clean engine wheels! My short line was and still is the problem track. Other day my BLI F7 ABA consist started stalling. Added about 6 drops of ATF (3 on left rail and 3 on the right) and it helped. Still the B unit wanted to stall. So I did above again and no more problems!
I have had no gunk bulid up on the rolling stock wheels or gunk bulid up on the side of the tracks.
Now BLI Smoke Fluid, that is straight up Evil! Got a new BLI PRR I1sa and tried the smoke! Still fighting for traction with my steam engines now, but that is a different story.
ATF is good, smoke fluid is evil.
Cuda Ken
All you need is a rip fence. Clamp that to the material being cut and work bench and let the guide the saw. They have rip fences with saw tracks now that the saw locks to. As long as the fence is straight. The cut will be straight. It a good alternative for those with no space for a table saw.
Wolfie
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
richhotrain Yeah, you need a good quality table saw. In all my years as a homeowner, I never bought one. I have a circular saw, a jig saw, and a reciprocal saw, but none of these are reliable for such a task. Rich
Yeah, you need a good quality table saw. In all my years as a homeowner, I never bought one. I have a circular saw, a jig saw, and a reciprocal saw, but none of these are reliable for such a task.
Rich
You can make your own table saw with a circle saw and a small piece of three-quarter inch plywood. You drill four holes in the base plate of your circle saw. You raise the blade all the way up as far as it goes. You screw the base plate of your circle saw to the plywood with three quarter inch screws. Turn it on and slowly lower the blade through the plywood all the way down. Unplug your circle saw and zippy tie the on button on. Flip the plywood and circle saw over on your horses so the blade is now on top. Screw a straight board parallel to your saw blade at the desired width. Screw the plywood down to the horses so it's stable. You now have a table saw.
Alton Junction
I'm sure the rip width would remain consistent as long as you have a true sharp blade that doesn't wobble. Also it would be wise to rip more than you think you need. So you have plenty to cut any length you need. Then just T pin on the outside of the tie ends while the caulk dries.
Edit. The key to this trick is having a table saw. I realize not everybody has one. There's always a buddy that has one though. It doesn't take long to rip a bunch of four foot strips of masonite.
Track fiddler Track fiddler Since running track straight is a part of the thread. I'm going to bite. Edit. Accidentally pushed the submit button. So I'll finish with another post. It would seem to me. One could rip some 1/8 inch Masonite through the table saw the exact width between the rails. Than just put that spacer between the rails whenever you caulk down your track. That would prevent any sway or dog wagging. I haven't tried it but I don't see how it would not work.
Track fiddler Since running track straight is a part of the thread. I'm going to bite. Edit. Accidentally pushed the submit button. So I'll finish with another post.
Since running track straight is a part of the thread. I'm going to bite.
Edit. Accidentally pushed the submit button. So I'll finish with another post.
It would seem to me. One could rip some 1/8 inch Masonite through the table saw the exact width between the rails. Than just put that spacer between the rails whenever you caulk down your track. That would prevent any sway or dog wagging. I haven't tried it but I don't see how it would not work.
I actually use 10" strips of metal Ribbonrail Track Alignment Gauge to set my flex track straight, but that tool does not work as well as the curved Ribbonrail Track Alignment Gauge does for setting the desired radius. To be effective, the straight Ribbonrail Track Alignment Gauge would need to be a lot longer, say 30" or so.
Ripping lengths of 1/8" Masonite might work if you could keep the width uniform.
The Return of The LION...havent seen you on these forums in a while.
LION has 14 MILES of track. HIm has tried sismilar, and will do so again.
LION will put 4" strip every 10' or so.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have used CRC 2-26 on my track. Works great. Use the same method as ATF.
The only problem I had was putting too much on.
selector richhotrain Larry, I wish that were true. No matter how hard I try, I cannot lay perfectly straight flex track. A big part of my problem is that I have a double mainline with several crossovers. The crossovers are a big culprit in causing the flex track to waver. Rich Rich, the actual culprit is the distant between your main lines in parallel...it isn't the same as the two parallel approaches to the four ends of your double-crossover. If you attached the four ends where the crossover is affixed (so that it can't budge at all), you can then 'string out' each length of flex and run them parallel with a template.* If using caulk, you'd apply that, lay the lengths of flex approximately, and then both align them and straighten them, using a four foot carpenter's level or even a longer framing level if you have the room in there to swing it. The caulk will take at least 30 minutes to fully set up, so the few minutes it would take to get those four parallel tracks aligned would be fine. *I use a scrap 1" X 5" piece of plywood and cut four parallel grooves in it to match the spacing of the ends of the crossover. Sliding that along the tops of the parallel flex, and also using that four foot level, gets it about 99% of the way there. If you can, get out beyond and look back to see if you are correct.
richhotrain Larry, I wish that were true. No matter how hard I try, I cannot lay perfectly straight flex track. A big part of my problem is that I have a double mainline with several crossovers. The crossovers are a big culprit in causing the flex track to waver. Rich
Larry, I wish that were true. No matter how hard I try, I cannot lay perfectly straight flex track. A big part of my problem is that I have a double mainline with several crossovers. The crossovers are a big culprit in causing the flex track to waver.
Rich, the actual culprit is the distant between your main lines in parallel...it isn't the same as the two parallel approaches to the four ends of your double-crossover.
If you attached the four ends where the crossover is affixed (so that it can't budge at all), you can then 'string out' each length of flex and run them parallel with a template.* If using caulk, you'd apply that, lay the lengths of flex approximately, and then both align them and straighten them, using a four foot carpenter's level or even a longer framing level if you have the room in there to swing it. The caulk will take at least 30 minutes to fully set up, so the few minutes it would take to get those four parallel tracks aligned would be fine.
*I use a scrap 1" X 5" piece of plywood and cut four parallel grooves in it to match the spacing of the ends of the crossover. Sliding that along the tops of the parallel flex, and also using that four foot level, gets it about 99% of the way there. If you can, get out beyond and look back to see if you are correct.
You are right in that when the two turnouts are connected to form a crossover, the on center distance between them is narrower than my double mainline.
richhotrainThe crossovers are a big culprit in causing the flex track to waver. Rich
True dat and very tricky with the eyeball method.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE richhotrain I'll add trying to lay flex track straight and true to my hate list. Rich I find the old "eyeball it" still works quite well.
richhotrain I'll add trying to lay flex track straight and true to my hate list. Rich
I find the old "eyeball it" still works quite well.
richhotrainI'll add trying to lay flex track straight and true to my hate list. Rich
cudaken bearman But I am a little troubled about one possible issue which has been raised in this thread, and that is where does the black gunk go? Bear When I run my finger on the ATF treated rails I get a little black on my finger. But I got the same thing before I treated the rails with ATF! No matter where the gunks go, as long as it is not sticking either Engines or Rolling stock wheels who cares! My short line has been ATF treated for 4 months and the layout has never ran this good. Cuda Ken
bearman But I am a little troubled about one possible issue which has been raised in this thread, and that is where does the black gunk go?
Bear When I run my finger on the ATF treated rails I get a little black on my finger. But I got the same thing before I treated the rails with ATF!
No matter where the gunks go, as long as it is not sticking either Engines or Rolling stock wheels who cares!
My short line has been ATF treated for 4 months and the layout has never ran this good.
I can appreciate if it works don't fix it. In fact, I did a treatment on my mainline and where there were some headlight flickers and a couple of stalls before, now the trains run without complication. But that gunk is not disapoearing. Only time will tell about what will happen with it. Near as I can figure out, and based on the MRR articale noted in another post, it seems that it is somehow suspended in the ATF. Only time will tell if this is a good fix or if all of a sudden some other bigger problem pops up. When? Who knows?
bearmanBut I am a little troubled about one possible issue which has been raised in this thread, and that is where does the black gunk go?