I would use an old toothbrush to gently scrub into all the details wuth warm water and dish detergent.

Then lay the wagon on a towel somewhere gently warm (e.g. in a window in the sun) to dry.

Don't scrub too hard or you will remove the lettering etc, just do it gently.

I would definitely not use a toothbrush, especially anything that was marked regular or hard. A paint brush is probably a much safer bet. I also must advise NOT to place a model train in exposed sunlight, as this can cause paint fade, plastic deformation and other problems.

What I would recommend for metal locomotives is one of the specially designed products that are advertised to clean die cast models without damaging decals and print.
I know that Hag had such a product advertised in their catalog for years. There are AFAIK also other similar products listed in Walthers catalog.

Cleaning a model with water can leave water stains, especially on plastic windows and on the body itself. The best way to do it probably would be to open the model, remove the window panes and then to clean the surface using a moistened Q-Tip or towel and then let it sit on a small chamois or dry using air, if you have a blow dryer with a no-heat setting. You can also purchase a compressed air can that can be used to dry the model.

Here are some sites with advice:
http://modeltrains.about...leaning-Model-Trains.htm

Has anybody any experience with products like this? http://www.busch-model.c...id=1690&sprach_id=en

Regards

Mike C

I'm with Alan on this. I always use water and washing-up liquid, with an old toothbrush to get into the corners. I dry as much as possible with paper towels and then leave somewhere warm to dry.

The sun is a bit stronger here in Gibraltar than in the UK, so in Summer I prefer leaving the item in the shade near an open window rather than in the sun. In Winter I leave the item near a heater set to low heat.

Thus it's better to not use it

Thank you

Thewolf