Dirty Wheels

[Anonymous]

My Genesis engine has the same problem. The way I have tackled that is to clean the rails with a track eraser once a week. To clean the wheels on the engine I use the same eraser. What you do is take alligator clips to your motor and plug it in to your variable voltage on your power supply. Start it up using a very low speed, say about 25 %. Take the track eraser and gently press it onto your wheels. Don't press too hard or you could damage the motor. Glide the eraser back and forth like a saw all the way around. This solves the problem of the engine. As far as the car I gently pull them off the trucks and with a very soft cloth i clean the wheels, then remount them. If this doesn't help, I tried.
Ramsi sends

[Anonymous]

You have many choices here including upgrading to metal wheel sets(four sizes)
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/002/197xvpbs.asp
(MR April 02 review)

Again many cleaning choices both for rail & wheels.
Goo Gone,rubbing alcohol, QD electrical contact cleaner, dnatured solvent, nail polish removal, radio shack TV tuner cleaner, "MAAS" a super paste cleaner,www.maasinc.com(MR Jan 03) which put my $99.00 Tony's track cleaning car out of business and is up for sale.
http://ttx-dcc.com/technews/clean_machine.htm for wheel/track cleaning procedures.
also www.centerline-products.com

[Anonymous]

You have many choices here including upgrading to metal wheel sets(four sizes)
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/002/197xvpbs.asp
(MR April 02 review)

Again many cleaning choices both for rail & wheels.
Goo Gone,rubbing alcohol, QD electrical contact cleaner, dnatured solvent, nail polish removal, radio shack TV tuner cleaner, "MAAS" a super paste cleaner,www.maasinc.com(MR Jan 03) which put my $99.00 Tony's track cleaning car out of business and is up for sale.
http://ttx-dcc.com/technews/clean_machine.htm for wheel/track cleaning procedures.
also www.centerline-products.com

[Anonymous]

I've used Goo-Gone successfully to clean the track but use it with track cleaning cars pulled right behind the eng. Have one saturated with Goo-Gone and the second with alcohol to break any residue from the Goo-Gone. Once you"ve done this and gotten the track good and clean, stay ahead of any build up by having a track cleaning ritual every few hours of ops or you can run a track cleaning car in every train all the time. Roco has a nice box car as does Walthers, You may also want to use an air filter if the air quality in your train room is in doubt. If you really feel industrious, try changing all the trucks or at least the wheels on your rolling stock to metal wheels. Plastic wheels do break down with time and deposite residue of thier own onto the track. This mixes with oils and other dirt to form the hard type of grime you describe. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I've used Goo-Gone successfully to clean the track but use it with track cleaning cars pulled right behind the eng. Have one saturated with Goo-Gone and the second with alcohol to break any residue from the Goo-Gone. Once you"ve done this and gotten the track good and clean, stay ahead of any build up by having a track cleaning ritual every few hours of ops or you can run a track cleaning car in every train all the time. Roco has a nice box car as does Walthers, You may also want to use an air filter if the air quality in your train room is in doubt. If you really feel industrious, try changing all the trucks or at least the wheels on your rolling stock to metal wheels. Plastic wheels do break down with time and deposite residue of thier own onto the track. This mixes with oils and other dirt to form the hard type of grime you describe. Good luck.

[thirdrail1]

To clean locomotive wheels, take a short section of paper towel and place it on a piece of track. Wet the paper towel with alcohol or TV turner cleaner. Place one truck of the locomotive on the paper towel and the other on the track itself. Turn on the power and clean one truck, then reverse the trucks to clean the other truck. For cars, place the paper towel lengthwise on the track and roll the cars along. Don't need the TV tuner cleaner here, just use alcohol. Cleaners like "Goo-Gone" will leave a residue that will just attract more dirt. If you keep your track clean, dirt should not accumulate on your wheels.

[thirdrail1]

To clean locomotive wheels, take a short section of paper towel and place it on a piece of track. Wet the paper towel with alcohol or TV turner cleaner. Place one truck of the locomotive on the paper towel and the other on the track itself. Turn on the power and clean one truck, then reverse the trucks to clean the other truck. For cars, place the paper towel lengthwise on the track and roll the cars along. Don't need the TV tuner cleaner here, just use alcohol. Cleaners like "Goo-Gone" will leave a residue that will just attract more dirt. If you keep your track clean, dirt should not accumulate on your wheels.

[ironhorseman]

The plasitic wheels on my HO scale freight cars get really dirty and gritty. I've been using a toothpick to scrape off this gunk, but some reminds behide. Is there a better way to remove all of it? Same way with the metal wheels on my locomotives and the metal tracks, they get dirty, too.

Also, is there a way to prevent this all together, or at least reduce the amount of dirt and dust collected on a layout? Maybe an air filter?

I'd appreciate any suggestions

Thanx

[ironhorseman]

The plasitic wheels on my HO scale freight cars get really dirty and gritty. I've been using a toothpick to scrape off this gunk, but some reminds behide. Is there a better way to remove all of it? Same way with the metal wheels on my locomotives and the metal tracks, they get dirty, too.

Also, is there a way to prevent this all together, or at least reduce the amount of dirt and dust collected on a layout? Maybe an air filter?

I'd appreciate any suggestions

Thanx