Track Cleaning Frequency?

[Bill54]

I’ve been having problems with my trains not acting properly. They get going good for sometimes 15 minutes to a 1/2 an hour and then start having problems like the headlight will start flickering and the engine will come to an abrupt stop then start going as if nothing was wrong.

I have a NCE Power Pro DCC system and a Life Like DC toy train power pack I have been using. I run new locos on DC to see if they are running ok then go to DCC for actual running and programming.

For the last two weeks I’ve had some problems. The locos have been going around the track then coming to an abrupt stop then starting again. Sometimes the headlight is still on and sometimes it is off.

This led me to believe that the electrical connection between the engine and the rails was dirty so I cleaned them. For a while it worked ok but then the problems started happening again.

When run on DC I can only run one train / loco at a time. But when I do I don’t have any problems with engines stopping and restarting.

What I have noticed is one of the engines I have a proto 2000 SD50 Diesel, the headlight will flicker when on a straight section but when on a curve it is solid on, no flickering.

Today I cleaned my tracks with only a dry cotton cloth but I cleaned all of the tracks. I got a little black stuff off as expected. I cleaned them yesterday with rubbing alcohol and got a little more black stuff off. I also cleaned several locos yesterday with rubbing alcohol and a Q tip.

Today after cleaning the tracks with the dry cloth I ran my three trains on three separate loops of track. After about 15 minutes one of the trains started the starting and stopping thing again. Within 30 minutes all three of the locos were doing the same thing.

So my question is three fold. 1) How often do you have to clean the tracks? 2) What should I be using to clean the tracks? 3) How do you clean the wheels on your trains for good electrical contact?

Bill

[cacole]

Don't forget to clean your locomotive wheels -- just cleaning the track is not enough if your wheels are dirty. Flickering headlights on straight track and good running on curves is a sure sign of dirty wheels. Clean the wheels and track at the same time and see if that doesn't improve your running.

Stretch a small piece of cloth or paper towel soaked in track cleaning fluid across the rails and let the locomotive run onto it and spin the wheels. Keep sliding the locomotive back and forth on the rag until you get no more black streak, then reverse it and do the other truck.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

It sounds like the track is not being cleaned well enough. With DC operation you can get away with this once in a while. If you're running DCC, the increased power loads will make the system very picky about dirty track. I clean my track once a week whether it needs it or not. I use the finest grit sanding sponge I can find. It work very well. Just GENTLY rub the sanding track on the track in the direction of travel. NOT ACROSS! DO NOT PRESS DOWN ON IT! YOU WILL SCRATCH THE TRACK! It's quick, effective and it works. Are you using steel track or nickel-silver? Many new modeler's use steel track because the price is attractive. You start out cleaning it once every couple of weeks, then once a week. Soon you're having to clean it day and sometimes several times a day. In short, it becomes a maintenance nightmare! Nickel-silver on the other hand, only needs to be cleaned occassionally, maybe every couple of weeks. It's easy to clean, doesn't get damaged very easily and looks a lot better. It is however a little more expensive. Don't let the cost put you off. This is more than offset by the amount of pleasure you will get from the hobby. Ask me how I know. I'm looking at switching to metal polish. A couple of members have told me that it works much better and they only have to give thier layouts a light cleaning once in a while. I guess that could work. I used to use Brasso on Brass track and it worked pretty good, so I suppose there is something to it. Make sure when you're cleaning your track, that you clean the top and inside top edge of the rail, particularly in the turnouts. It doesn't do much good to clean the track if the wheels are just going to pick up the gunk on the inside edges and throw it up on top where it will be picked up by the wheels. Remember, steel track BAD! Nickel-silver track GOOD! I'been using nickel silver since 1978 and haven't looked back. The only thing I use steel track for is on my storare shelves and my scrap track(s)

[Bob grech]

I bought a Kadee wheel cleaning bru***o clean my locomotive wheels. Basically, it is a wire brush (made of brass) that can be hooked up to any piece of powered track. The leads power a positive and negative charge onto the brush. By holding the brush up your loco wheels, it allows them to spin and thus clean your wheels. It is very effective and easy to use.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I have one of those two. Very handy! Before I got it, I had to remove the shell from my loco and attach alligator clips the motors + and - leads and hold a fine grit sanding block against the wheels, one at a time. It took some time. Now I can do it in a fraction of the time and I don't have to disassemble anything to do it. I run mine mine on an old Bachmann power pack and keep it on a shelf under the layout.

[Anonymous]

The KD brush works great along with a centerline cleaning car, this car will clean the rails and the wheels as it is run with Goo Gone applied to it. I have never had a problem with either of these.

[selector]

I don't see the track as being the problem. I think that you have a wire that gets warm over time, and then changes shape to open the circuit intermittently. All three locos do this at the same time? Are they all running and do they all stutter at the same time, or do they do it only when each gets to a certain portion of the track?

If the latter, then dirty track could be a problem, but you say you have cleaned it. So, perhaps a joiner is working loose, or a solder was not properly done and is making intermittent contact.

Just my guesses.

[Bill54]

The track I'm using is Atlas True Track. It is nickel silver. I have three feeders on each loop making 9 points in all. Each loop has a 9"straight that is a power section. I also have two points on each loop with powered rail joiners.

Saturday evening I used a cotton towl with rubbing alcohol to clean the track. I also cleaned the wheels on several locos by using a Q tip dipped in rubbing alcohol then using my DC power pack I ran wires to the wipers that contact the inside of the wheels. I turned the power pack on to run the wheels so I could hold the Q tip against the bottom of the wheels. I got a lot of black junk off of them.

Yesterday I first cleaned the track by using a dry cotton towl and going over all the track. I didn't do the inside sections of the rails just the top. I did this before running any trains. Within a few minutes of running the trains the problem popped up again.

The trains ran fine for the first month I had this layout set up and everything was new.

I guess I need to invest in that brass bru***o clean the wheels as well as using track cleaning fluid on the track. Where can I find the brush and the track cleaning fluid?

I just didn't think the track got that dirty that fast. I'll try cleaning all my locos and all the track again and see what happens. This time I'll do an "indepth cleaning".

BTW I checked the voltage on all loops at various spots around the layout and found that I am getting 14.92 volts AC to 14.94 volts AC. That probably means nothing if the voltage cannot get to the decoder if the track and wheels are not clean.

I've been getting really frustrated with the whole thing but it has been a learning experience.

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

Bill

[MAbruce]

I would not use anything abrasive on the track or loco wheels. Once you start scratching things, it makes it easier for dirt to accumulate.

Keeping things clean is always a two pronged attack: Track and wheels.

For track I used MAAS metal polish. You apply it sparingly with a clean cloth, and then wipe it off with another clean cloth. I will clean away all dirt and leave behind a conductive coating that will actually repel dirt. Your rails will shine. I have found that it also significantly reduces the frequency of cleaning.

For loco wheels I use a cloth soaked in 90 percent Isopropyl Alcohol stretched across the track. It’s the same method ‘cacole’ described.

[Anonymous]

You also need to clean your rolling stock wheels. Once dirty, they WILL transfer dirt and crud right back to the rails.

If you have plastic wheels, consider replacing them with metal ones. They will not get anywhere near as dirty, and will roll better, too!

Commercial track cleaning solutions often leave a residue that just attracts more dirt.

Rubbing alcohol is better.

Best, I think, is acetone on a Q-tip for my wheels (all metal). I also use it on my track, with a CMX Clean Machine. It's a terrific solvent, but nasty to some plastics, not to mention our lungs, so be careful not to get it on plastic parts that it might harm, and use ONLY in a well-ventilated area. But it cleans everything off quite easily, and leaves no residue.

As long as I clean everything at once, I only have to clean track and wheels about every year (except of course when I manage to get paint, plaster, or glue in the wrong place!)

[Bill54]

Pondini,

Thanks for bringing up the rolling stock. That's something I haven't cleaned yet. That's probably why the track is getting dirty so quickly.

Lots of good info here. Sure do appreciate it all.

Bill