Track Cleaning.

[Signalman]

G'Day all. This time I am looking for a little help regarding cleaning of my HO track. At the moment I am building my layout, and laying tracks. In some areas, I have to lean across, and place my arms on some of the track. After a few days, my nickle silver track became very dull and grimy. I used one of those Peco tracking rubbers to clean the track of all the grime. The track came up nice and shiny, but I was astonished at the amount of grit that was in between the tracks. I took a length of flexi track, placed it on the bare layout table, and cleaned the rails with my Peco Track Cleaning Rubber. After cleaning this section of track, I tipped it on its side and tapped it on the table. I was shocked at the amount of shiny grit that was on the table from the rubber. I have decided to only use the rubber to remove spills of paint, glue, etc., that has fallen on the track. Any help with cleaning my track is much appreciated. I have purchased a bottle of Model Power, Track Cleaner, and a bottle of Rail-Zip. Both of these bottles have no instructions on how to use these liquids on my track. Can anyone help. I want something that I can wet a cloth with, and then rub the tracks to get off the grime on the rails. Any help would be much appreciated. Regards. Col.

[bobwrgt]

For 30 years i have used nothing but a clean rag with mineral spirits (Paint thinner) to wipe down my track. I do this about every 2 months and i run trains everyday. Every 3 months i clean the wheels on the cars. Almost never have to clean the engine wheels. Works for me.

Bob

[CNE Runner]

Col - The whole subject of track cleaning has taken almost cult-like characteristics. One might almost think that truly clean track is accomplished with 'smoke & mirrors'.

First a little chemistry: The black deposit on the top of the rails is nickel oxide (III). Recent studies have shown that this 'deposit' is comprised of a mixture of nickel oxide, dust, and other contaminants. Oddly, under microscopic observation, the 'deposit' is arranged in 'dots' or 'spots' and is not continuous. The current prevailing theory is that small amounts of 'dirt', on the locomotive wheels, causes arcing between the wheel and the rail surface (the 'dirt' effectively 'picks up' the wheel allowing it to lose contact momentarily with the rail surface) - speeding up the process of corrosion.

There is only one sure way to remove the deposit...mechanically. Whether you use a Brite-Boy type pad or a dry track cleaning car the deposit must be removed mechanically. However you are wasting your time 'scrubbing' the track if you haven't taken the time to thoroughly clean all locomotive wheels AND all rolling stock wheels periodically. [...or exactly what Bob suggested.]

So you have cleaned the rails and the rolling stock/locomotive wheels...now what? The more you run your trains the less corrosion [deposit] will be built up (unfortunately this only works to a point). Secondly, the elimination of dust/pollutants/pollen/oils will keep the tracks clean longer. This can be accomplished via a ceiling in a basement area or some type of static precipitator in the train room. I should mention there is some evidence that metal wheelsets seem to cause less deposits than plastic units (...may have something to do with electrical attractive charges in plastic...there is no hard science on this however).

Use of a product, such as No-Ox, is recommended. In fact, I suggest you go to the No-Ox website for a further discussion of the use of their product in model railroading (No-Ox is well known in the electrical contracting business). No-Ox doesn't clean track (you have to do that), it 'seals' the surface yet is conductive - prolonging the need for track cleaning.

I guess the best thing you can do is more research. 'Google' cleaning model railroad track and read what others have to say. Please keep in mind that a majority of the advice (on track cleaning) is anecdotal in nature and has little, to no, basis in science.

So Col I guess I answered/didn't answer your question. I run a Brite-Boy over my track weekly (the Monks' Island Railway is a mini layout so that isn't a big problem). The wheels on my GE 45 Ton locomotive are cleaned every other week (by running over a ACT 6006 soaked paper towel). Bob is much more prudent about cleaning the wheels of his rolling stock than I. I usually do this (dreaded) task once a year. Because I have a small layout, and clean the rails frequently, I don't use No-Ox.

There you have it. Let's see what the other posters have to offer. Remember: do your own research and check on the science behind their method.

Regards,
Ray

[K487]

Signalman:

Copied below is my track cleaning method posted on another forum.  Hope its helpful.  And as a preamble, as mentioned above, it will be impossible to keep your rails clean if your locos and cars have dirty wheels - best to clean them first (and note below how often I check/clean my train wheels).  Given that you have clean wheels - here it is.

I've almost continuously (at least every other day) operated my HO layout for about 18 years now - 4 loops with trains of 30 to 70 cars per loop. And when I have all 4 trains running at the same time there is usually about 225 cars in motion; of these cars 85% have plastic wheels and 15% have metal wheels. That being said I've never used a Brite Boy, cleaning pad, masonite pad, cleaning car, etc. on any of the track --- ever.

As info the track is all Atlas nickle silver (NS) code 100 flex track, the crossing diamonds are Atlas Code 100 NS, and the turnouts are all 20+ year old Model Power #4s with NS rail.

So how do I keep my tracks clean? Using an applicator with a needle the size of a very small hypodermic syringe I put 1 to 2 drops of Wahl hair clipper oil (get it at your barber shop; lasts years) on every 50' of rail about every 6 to 12 months. When I see some light gray (oil/dirt mix) streaks on top of the rails, I take a tightly-woven rag (I get the material at Walmart and cut them to size) and with two of my fingers run the rag over the tops of the rails - cleans them right up.  Then depending on how the rails look I might add a drop or two of oil or wait another few months. That's it!

Some details:

Does the oil cause the engines to loose traction or other problems? No --- except ONE time about 14 years ago I had a "brilliant idea".  "Well, if one or two drops on each rail (per 50' of track) is good, let's try 4 drops."  Big mistake; it acted like insululation for the locos' electical pickup through the wheels. Lesson learned, and then I fixed the error by cleaning the track by wiping it with a rag over my two fingers.  Simple.

By the way, when I clean the track I just follow the train's caboose around. And if I once in a while let the oil go a little too long (some of the gray stuff is a little dried out and a touch sticky), I put oil on the rag and wipe the rail tops.  The new oil softens the gray stuff (oil/crud mix) which then wipes off easily, and then I wipe the tops of the rails with a dry rag (otherwise there would be too much oil on the tracks.)

How often have I cleaned my metal locomotive wheels?  In 18 years, never.

How often do I clean my plastic wheels? Answer: Roughly about every 7 years (yes, 7 years is correct), and even then only about 20% of the cars need it. AND what little crud there is on the wheels of these 20% is soft (it's a dirt and oil mix, and easily falls right off by scraping it lightly with a small flat-tip screw driver) - the crud's not dried out and hard.

Lastly, you might in time get to the point I'm now at (I'm 64 and been model railroading for 50 years).  This may sound a little strange but when I run the long (65- to 70-car) trains alot with the same or similar engines, I can often tell when the rails need oiling - I can hear and see the engines working harder (less oil on the rails means more wheel/rail interface friction.)  And that is confirmed after I oil the rails by seeing the engines running a little faster at the same power pack setting and with a little less motor noise.

K487

[Doneldon]

K (and others)-

I have a hunch that the need for cleaning track is determined by many factors, only a few of which we ever discuss.

The most popular defendant seems to be plastic wheels. While my experience parallels others', and I do agree that plastic wheels are a significant problem, I also think they get more discredit for dirty track than they have earned. Our train rooms, particularly those with unfinished walls and especially unfinished ceilings are sometimes mentioned, and appropriately so. The same dust and spider droppings that land on our freight platforms also hit our rails where any passing wheels will compact them into rail crud, the technical term for the substance which impedes electrical conductivity and increases the coefficient of friction between rails and wheels. Add the consequent accumulation on those wheels (i.e., rail crud) and it's easy to see how impaired conductance and more friction interfere with operations. But that's still not the whole story.

How about a basement (usually) layout which shares its space with an imprecisely adjusted furnace or water heater? Minute quantities of vaporized fuel oil in the air will surely gunk up our layouts as much as dust, static electricity and bugs. Or maybe there's a gas furnace which backdrafts once in a while when an outside door opens or someone turns on a bathroom fan upstairs. The sulfur in the gas or its exhaust aren't going to do anything to slow the normal oxidation of our rails, especially if we're using brass. And how about that old devil that makes all of us creakier and grumpier: tincture of time? Let's be realistic. Time (age) affects everything from how long our milk stays fresh in the fridge to how bad the arthritis in my football knee hurts to how high Mt. Everest is. And you'll notice that just about all of the effects of time are negative (some wine, cheese and special women excepted). Why would it be any different for our model railroads? What about the poor mope who has both an oil furnace and a gas water heater in his basement?

Or take the case of the fellow with a layout in part of his garage. How do you spell automobile exhaust, climate changes and exposure to unfiltered air pollution? So maybe he moves that garage layout to the attic. Well, he'll escape the auto exhaust but he'll still have air pollution -- stagnant air pollution at that -- and even more dramatic temperature differentials to twist his layout. And any air pollution problems will be amplified by high attic temperatures for most of the year. A general rule of thumb is that most chemical reactions double in speed with every ten degrees temperature increase, and winter's slower reactions won't make up the difference because sun on the roof is a factor for much of the year and can raise attic temps beyond ambient air temps while winter's effects are reduced by heat coming up from the house, sun and the fact that the attic temp can never be made lower than the ambient temperature.

And then there are the effects of aerosol products, cooking vapors, fireplace smoke, human respiration, pets and the things which children get into and tend to deposit as they move through the world. Plus a little ozone from a sparking motor or turnout coil, and the sweat, body oil and cerumen deposited by model railroaders ourselves doesn't do anything good, either.

Some of these factors can be controlled, others, not. My point, I guess, is that lots of things go into causing track cleanliness problems, not just plastic wheels or the use (or lack of use) of Wahl oil. We do our best to minimize the harmful effects we can, but some are uncontrollable from a practical standpoint, and others act differently on different layouts due to a multitude of factors beginning with where the layout is located to whether the ceiling is finished to who knows what.

                                                                                                                                                           -- D

[Jim Banner]

I give K487's method two thumbs up.  Using a similar routine which includes oiling the rails has worked on my various layouts, indoors and out and in various scales and gauges since the 1960's.  I believe that Ray hit it right on the head when he said that wheel arcing has a lot to do with the problem.  And I believe that is why oil works - it suppresses wheel arcing when the wheels roll over a bit of dust.

But not just any oil will do the job.  What you need is a very light, non-oxidizing oil that is compatible with plastics.  Light oil is thin enough to be almost completely squeezed out from between the wheels and rails so that you lose very little if any traction and lose virtually no electrical conduction.  Oils which can oxidize will form a nice, non-conductive layer of varnish on top of your rails which is the last thing you want.  Non-oxidizing oils will not do this.  And compatibility with plastics is important if you have certain types of plastic wheels.  Wheels made of ABS slowly decompose in many oils and leave a black coating on the rails but are okay in plastic compatible oils.  Delrin, a form of Nylon, can survive all common forms of oil as can metal wheels.  Problem is, the type of plastic used in a particular wheel is not immediately obvious.  After running on oiled rails for a while, you may find some of your plastic wheels build up large amounts of dirt while others seem to gather very little.  Generally, the ones building up all the dirt are ABS or related plastics or possibly Styrene.  The ones that pick up very little dirt (and often shed that dirt by themselves) are usually Delrin or similar.

Wahl hair clipper oil is a light, non-oxidizing oil that is compatible with all the types of plastics Wahl has ever used in their hair clippers.  There is some evidence that it may not be compatible with ABS plastic, but if you ever had ABS wheels, you have probably long since replaced them with Delrin and metal anyway.  If you still have some left on some old train set cars, they will let you know.

Oils like 3-in-1 and motor oil are too heavy for H0 and probably other gauges as well.  Even small amounts are enough to cause loss of traction and interfere with electrical conduction.  And WD-40?  Keep in mind that WD stands for "Water Displacer" and not "oil."  If you have wet tracks on your indoor layout, I am afraid you should be worrying about more than just track oil.

Then there are the hobby oils that are listed as "conductive" as well as plastic compatible.  Non-oxidizing goes without saying in these high class oils.  They are highly refined natural oils or synthetics.  I have tried a number of these over the years and they all seem to do well at keeping the rails clean and improving conductivity between rails and wheels.  The one I am using now on my H0 and 0n30 layouts is Bachmann's E-Z Lube Conductive Lubricant.  I started using it on my 0n30 because of a steep helix where I did not want to lose any traction and some quick tests showed somewhat better traction with the extremely thin E-Z Lube product.  It got a good testing a couple of weeks ago when I had the layout at a train show for two days.  Track cleaning consisted of running my fingers over all the rails to knock off the dust from being stored in my woodworking shop.  Then I used one drop of the E-Z Lube Conductive Lubricant on each locomotive and tender wheel of a 2-6-0 and ran it around the layout half a dozen or so times.  Finally, I hooked on a couple of coaches and ran that train for two full days without any attention beyond shutting it off overnight.  No stalls.  No failures to throw the automatic reverse modules, and through them, the two turnouts that allow this loop-to-loop single tack dog bone layout to work.  And it was only toward the end of the show that I realized that I had never cleaned a section of "new" track that I had installed just before taking the layout to the show.  This would not have been remarkable with brand new nickel-silver flex track.  But this was a piece of old, fiber tied, brass flex track that hadn't seen a wheel in over half a century.  I keep wondering if the previous user of this track, now long dead, also knew about the advantages of oil.

Bottom line, do try some oil.  But as K487 pointed out, keep firmly in mind that while a little bit is good, a bit more can spell disaster.

Jim

[Desertdweller]

Good advice here!

My model railroad (N scale) is in a finished basement with sheet rock walls and suspended tile ceiling, and carpeted floor.  The house uses electric heat, but my railroad shares a room with a gas water heater, and there is a washer and electric drier in the next room.

I don't have a lot of trouble with dirty track.  When I am actually running the railroad, I run one of those small tower-shaped air purifiers.

My track doesn't normally get dirty.  I do oil it every few months, using the methods stated above.  I have heard of people using automatic transmission fluid and a product called "Rail Zip", which I suspect are pretty much the same thing.  I bought a small bottle of Rail Zip about twenty years ago, and still have most of it.

I've found something I like better.  The problem with the automatic transmission fluid and Rail Zip is they are both dyed red. While I used it in small amounts, I really didn't like the idea of using a dyed fluid on my scenicked  layout.

The product I like to use is Mag 1 brand power steering fluid.  Power steering fluid is chemically much like automatic transmission fluid.  They are both used in devices with plastic parts and seals that could be damaged by petroleum oil.  I think they are actually based on vegetable oil.  Automatic transmission fluid can actually be used in place of power steering fluid in your car in a pinch.

Many brands of power steering fluid are dyed red, like automatic transmission fluid.  I think they are dyed to help identify leaks.

But Mag 1 power steering fluid is clear.  There is no dye to mess up your ballast.

Unless you are familiar with the brand you are using, there really is no way to tell what color your power steering fluid is short of buying a quart and opening it up.  But if you buy Mag 1 you will be getting clear fluid.

Your mileage may vary depending on driving conditions.

Les

[K487]

All:

You know, it seems to me that this 7-post thread on clean track and wheels should be "required reading" for every newbe and most other model railroaders (along with an insightful thread on track-cleaning cars).  With all of the excellent experience and analysis contained herein  every reader would have a running start and could make up his own mind on which direction to go, but keeping an open mind for changing part or all of a method depending on results.  I will admit I like my method because it is time-tested, involves the least work (at least for me - I'm lazy), is very inexpensive, and produces excellent results.  And Jim, thank you for the two thumbs up.

While my layout has always been in indoor rooms with airconditioning (I forgot to say this in my post above), I do get dust but no mold or rust or particulates from combustion.  And it's valuable to at least understand from Doneldon's post that certain locations in houses/buildings can have one or more track/wheels issues due to particular conditions.  Knowing this can aid in addressing them AND at least with this issue (clean track and wheels) help make running model trains fun and a pleasure instead a constant "frustration city."

K487

[CNE Runner]

Not to put too fine a point on this discussion BUT...I see a lot of anecdotal experience and little-to-no science. Yes, Wahl clipper oil has been touted for years; but is there any scientific testing that proves its effectiveness? The same could be said for automatic transmission [et. al.] oils.

What I have said - am saying - is that because such-and-such product has worked for you over the past 20 years does not mean that other contributing factors were not [also] the true initiators of improvement. Unless one has a control, and a variable, and each is tested under the same rigorous objective procedures, then all we are discussing are subjective results. The notion that a particular product/procedure worked for x-number of modelers doesn't mean anything...most of the people, on Earth, thought it was flat for thousands of years (news flash: they were wrong).

On the other hand: What has worked for you is fine as long as you are pleased with the results. I take exception with a method that seems to be touted as fact when in actually it is just experienced behavior.

Disagree? Fine...design an experiment, post your procedure here, allow others to find the flaws (if any) and give us your results. Said experiment should be repeatable by any of the other posters...thus proving the results you found are valid. That gentlemen is how science works.

Ray

[Rangerover1944]

Notice none of the above posters said anything about using any abrasives such as bright boy, scotch bright, or railroad cleaning cars. I have never used any abrasives on my track and I have some brass but mostly 90% ns. I have Bachmann EZ track for my subway and it's both ns and steel (22" curves).  I run DCC which is more sensitive to dirty track and wheels. I have replaced most of my rolling stock with metal wheels, but still have plastic wheels on some. My layout has been up for 7 years and still growing 11'X17'. I have cleaned my track maybe 4 times in 7 years using Flitz metal polish and occasionally I do use 91% alcohol both the alcohol and Flitz are applied with soft cloth cleaning rags from old t shirts or flannel shirts. I use the alcohol maybe every 3 months. There are areas I cannot reach in mountain areas up to 5', and girder covered bridge's up to 3' long that have never been cleaned except when I closed the mountain tops, I do have some excess but can't reach it all, no problems though. I too use a tiny bit of oil on my track, it's singer sewing machine oil applied with a soft cloth to rails at a rate of about 2 drops per 10 feet of track and only maybe 4 times in 7 years also. And like the above posters I also clean my wheels when needed and again maybe 4 times in 7 years. And I do have plastic wheels on a few of my cars. The only proven method I use is similar to the above posters but again I will not apply abrasives of any kind to my track. Jim

[CNE Runner]

Rangerover - I hate to burst your bubble, but Flitz is composed of aluminum oxide (among other things)...which is considered an abrasive (albeit a mild one). You can check out the MSDS sheet on the product yourself at http://www.flitz.com/images/document/MSDS%20-%20Flitz%20Metal%20Plastic%20Fiberglass%20Polish-Paste_16pt.pdf

If you wear eyeglasses try polishing the lenses with Flitz.

Ray

[Doneldon]

Rangerover - I hate to burst your bubble, but Flitz is composed of aluminum oxide (among other things)...which is considered an abrasive (albeit a mild one).

Ray-

Yes, aluminum oxide is an abrasive but its abrasiveness, as with all abrasives, is a function of how it's made and how course or fine the Al₂O₃ granules are made, not just because it is Al₂O₃. It is neither inherantly mild nor strong. This is quite a hard substance which is why it is used as an abrasive and why it lasts so long. In my experience, the finer grades of Al₃O₂ retain their effectiveness longer than similar grits of sandpaper, garnet paper or even Tri-M-ite.
                                                                                                                                                  -- D

[CNE Runner]

Don - I see your point regarding particulate size of aluminum oxide and its abrasive properties. Good point.

Rangerover and all - I have reread my posts and am dismayed at the 'tone' of my responses. I apologize if I have caused any aggravation; as that was not my intent. Please allow me to chalk it up to working too long in the hot Alabama sun. This is an excellent forum - fulled with knowledgeable folks who truly want to help. I will endeavor to keep the same standards.

Ray

[Rangerover1944]

Ray I understand your post and I don't see the "tone" as attacking anybody. Like you said:
"This is an excellent forum - fulled with knowledgeable folks who truly want to help. I will endeavor to keep the same standards."

I think most all feel the same way. I've received tons of useful information on this site in the past 7 years. Talking about what we do to make our pikes run trouble free and easier ways to do it by finding out what others are doing. Experiencing situations and problem solving from our own experiences and telling others. I've never learned anything from my attributes or things that come natural, but I've learned a great deal from my failures and wrong decisions I made throughout my life.

This dirty track issue has been around a long time, forever, I suppose. I remember it back in the 50's when I too was a youngster, and as I got older and NS hit the market, the same problem still exists. My theories are sometimes far fetched, but I would like to explain my true thoughts. Metal wheels are scratching the rails, no matter, on curves and I'm sure even on straight runs the wheels are spinning and slide from side to side, it doesn't take much for this action to scratch the rails.

I used to think and still have reservations about being right about plastic wheels doing the same action as metal when we run our trains. But the strange issue I have is how come there is so much gunk accumulated on them, my theory is that it's actually picking up the gunk made up of various particulates especially metallic and they , the metallic particulates are attracted to the plastic via charged electrically static magnetic force. I no longer think the plastic wheels are so evil, on the contrary, I believe now they aid in keeping my track clean by picking up the gunk. When I clean them the gunk sort of stays together, like a solid compacted ring and peels off. That's another reason it's important for me to clean wheels as opposed to track more often than the track itself, so I have plastic wheels on a few cars for each train. It seems to be working out OK for me!

Another thing that occurs when we operate our trains is the force of metal to metal is "work hardened" where the metal becomes hard and forms tiny microscopic cracks. I don't thank it would be an issue with model railroading, but I do consider it sometimes. I worked in a wire drawing facility for a few years, I'm not a metallurgist, by no means, but do have some knowledge of what happens to metal if not properly maintained.

I'm sure most if not all, will disagree with my theory and it's OK! Just my thoughts and what I do seems to be working! Jim

[Desertdweller]

Ray,

I didn't think your replies were snarky, either.  After all, it's just a hobby.  If I have a problem and someone suggests a fix that sounds as if it might work, I'm apt to try it.  If it doesn't work for me, I'll just try something else.

Rover,

I suspect dirty track has been a problem since the first model train moved under track-supplied power.  My first model train layouts were built in HO using brass track.  That took frequent cleaning, but worked OK if kept clean.  Back then, flex track was made with cardboard ties!

I prefer metal wheels to plastic ones.  I think they track better.  But plastic wheels can perform OK.  They are easier to clean than metal wheels: I rotate them by hand while applying pressure to the wheel tread with a little flat screwdriver.  The crud peels right off.

Les