Rolling Stock question...

[trainmainbrian]

Happy New Year Everyone.... I have a Few General Question's maybe get some of other forum's members thought's....

For Christmas I got some Bachmann Sliver Series single dome tank Car's & Box Car's for my Layout 6 Tank Car's & 6 Box Car's...

I also got Woodland Scenery's Dust Monkey's... They attach to the bottom of the wheels & are designed to KEEP the Rail's free of Dust... The Package states the Monkey's will keep track free from dust & light debris & AID GOOD Electrical Pickup for the Loco's  But Not intended as a way to clean the Rail's...

I have seen this Product many times @ my HS & was thinking of trying this item out in the past wile I was in the Building Stages of my layout...
I am now doing some running sessions on my layout now & going to run the Monkey's...

My Questions are what should I expect..... What are some of the Con's if any... What will I benefit from the Monkey's....
I am Afraid the Monkey's will Hang up going across my switches in REVERSE when Doing "YARD SWITCHING"....
They seem like a Good Product to use & will be handy I like how you can HARDLY see the Monkey's in Mid-Train once there coupled to the bottom of the Wheels... Going to do some Run's Today with the Monkeys "Took a Vacation Day from Work to play on my Layout" LOL.....

Any suggestions or thoughts will help I never Used this Item...

[Trainman203]

They are a good idea, but I wonder if they are too light to be very practical.  Dust is not a real track problem most of the time, rail oxidation is.  I'm going to get some of these monkeys though and try them out before judging them, they may be really great.. 

[Len]

"Dusy Monkeys" do exactly what they say they do, keep dust off the track, period.

There's a complete Woodland Scenics "Tidy Track" system, consisting of several different and expensive kits, for actually cleaning track.

I find an old kitchen towel, a Brite-Boy, and Walthers Track Cleaning car for tunnels, work just fine.

Len

[Trainman203]

Dust is the least of my worries, it's Gulf Coast salt air.  I operate about 3 times a week and most of the track stays ok but around the switches I have to clean all the time.  I used a Brite Boy early on but found that a "Cratex"  block does the same thing but is much less abrasive and if it leaves any grit behind, it is microscotopic partiscules which I wipe off with my finger.

I used code 100 rail on this layout and was sorry i did it from Day 2, wished I'd gone code 70 since this is a branch line.  To compensate for the inordinately heavy rail section  I have really buried a lot of the track ties and bottom half of the rail in pea gravel ballast, not unlike off the mainline occurrences on my prototype, and am burying other sections in weeds.  It does make the code 100 effect go away but makes cleaning track a more exacting job.

[jward]

I am not convinced they dust monkeys are necessary. if you run your trains regularly, dust on the rails is not going to be a problem in HO and larger scales. dust is more a problem settling on car tops and roofs. dust monkeys won't do anything that a bright boy or track cleaning car won't also do, and the latter two do a lot more than clean dust. plus, you have the potential problem of the snagging on switchpoints, all in al, they seem like a solution in search of a problem.

[Trainman203]

I thought about the switch point problem too.

[Trainman203]

Picture of ballasted and not yet ballasted code 100 rail.

[Jerrys HO]

another thing to consider is I use rail zip on my rails so the monkey would do no good.
I use rail zip for better conductivity and easily wiped clean and re apply. Easier for me to keep the track clean. A bottle of rail zip goes a long way as you don't use a lot and I only apply every two to three wipe downs.

[jbrock27]

I did hear that even a monkey could use Rail Zip...

I never had a problem with dust and would pass on the Barrel of Dust Monkey whatever.  I am afraid sometimes to ask what some of this stuff costs.

TM, where do you like to buy this "Cratex" stuff?  Thank you.

[Jerrys HO]

I did hear that even a monkey could use Rail Zip...

OOO,OOOO,OOOO,AHHH,AHHH,AHHHH!

[Trainman203]

http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=&scale=&manu=&item=&keywords=Cratex&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search

I used rail zip on a previous layout a few times and found it very unsuited to ballasted or sceniced track.

[jbrock27]

Thanks for the link on the Cratex.

Should I ask, is the place you have found it for the best price?

[jward]

you probably used way too much rail zip. just a drop or two on the rails and the trains will track it around. it's the same concept as wahl oil.

[jbrock27]

Yep, that is exactly the way I use the Wahl.

I got a couple of those eye drops containers people use for contacts or wetting their eyes (think like a Visine bottle).  Cleaned them out good with soap and water, let them dry and put the Wahl in them.  The small opening is perfect for doing exactly what Jeff said.

[Jerrys HO]

I actually got the best info on rail zip from roger t, a little drop in front of the loco and let it take it around the layout for you. If not enough to your satisfaction, do it again.