How to use HO track cleaning car.

[Frankv]

I got very tired of rubbing this blue-ish fluid on the tracks, then rubbing with a t-shirt. We have n/s ez track. So I bought a Silver Series track cleaning car, #160-16301. It has a rectangle of some dry material hanging underneath it. No info on how to use it came with it.
Questions:
1) does this really work?
2 how long should it take to get the average dirty track clean? minutes, hours, days? I ran it for about 20 minutes and a t-shirt rubbed on the track showed as much black as when I started.
3) can I hurt the track if I run it too long?
4) should I put the blue fluid on the rectangle, or leave it dry?

I understand that, once I get the track clean,  if I rub a little Wahl clipper oil on he track that will help keep it clean. But I need to get there first.

Thanks for any help you can give.

[HOTrainFan]

I have a Walther's track cleaning car and I know I usually run it around a fair bit like 100 times every about once a week. Don't put the fluid on the pad. It does ware the track a bit not enough to worry about. Any more questions just ask!

[BestSnowman]

Yep you just run it on the track. You'll probably have to run it quite a bit to be effective (I've got a walthers version).

I'm going to guess if you are getting a black build up you have plastic wheels on some of your rolling stock (I have had the same problem). If this stuff builds up to much the cleaning cars seem less effective. I'm personally in the process of upgrading all of my plastic wheeled stock to metal wheels but have discovered that it can build up on the wheels (metal or otherwise) too so you might want to check that its not building up there too.

[pdlethbridge]

Lately, I've been taking my cars and running them over a paper towel dampened with alcohol.  Does a good job.

[CNE Runner]

Frank - Probably the best way of keeping track clean is to frequently run trains...a tough job but somebody has to do it. As Bestsnowman has mentioned, plastic wheels will contribute to your dirty rail condition...has to do with physics. Definitely convert to metal wheels as time and finances allow.

It sounds like your track cleaning car is similar to the ones we used to make/use in the 1960s and 70s: a box car with some form of mildly abrasive material below and running over the rail heads. In the ancient days, one took a box car and drilled two holes in the floor. You then selected some small nails (whose diameter was a little smaller than the aforementioned holes) and glued them to the smooth side of some Masonite, and inserted the nails through the holes in the car floor. The car was towed throughout the layout (usually as part of a larger train) and the rough side of the Masonite burnished the rail heads. Now they sell a car that is easily made...go figure.

Whatever procedure you use (I am NOT a proponent of putting oil on the rail heads as this will attract dust), you must begin with clean rails. I suggest getting a Brite-Boy from Walthers and use it to get those rails really shiny.

Welcome to the world of layout maintenance...and we haven't touched rolling stock needs.

Ray

[Train14]

I have the Cleaning Car from Walthers too. As a matter of fact I purchased two of them. I use them all the time as part of the rolling stock addition. I had the same issue in the begining too where I thought it was not doing the job, but after running it for awhile the track is clean all the time. Hope this was helpful! Have a great day, Kurt