 Joined: 02/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 878 Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Hi! I have searched this forum for information on how people clean the tracks. Some clean using cleaning cars, the simpler type with a pillow underneith, some with a more advanced car which incorporates a small vacuum cleaner. Some clean by using a simple piece of Wood, which is simply wiped along the tracks. I have tried the Roco track cleaning car and didn't have any luck with it at all. It was unable to remove any spots, where as the humitity in the air had created oxide. It was not either able to remove spots (where the loco got stuck) which was purely oil/dust. The piece of Wood didn't work very well on M-tracks, since the joints are quite uneven (at least mine). I have built my own track cleaning car, which was sripping Isopropanol on the Wheels and cloth wipers unerneith. It didn't work well either. So.. I tried a spray called "KONTAKT60" and made this short video as a "Kick-Off" for a discussion about track cleaning. Hopefully it will lead to the ultimate method. Cleaning also seems to be something that needs to be performed in advance, according to a predetermined schedule in order to keep the trains running smoothly. This includes also the Wheels of locos and cars. Personally I use the 4 hour maintenace program built-in to Rocrail for each loco, but for the cars... Nothing yet.. How do you work this? Hey! I look really unhappy in the thumbnail..  |
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 7 users liked this useful post by Martin T
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 Joined: 27/06/2012(UTC) Posts: 3,478 Location: Holland
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Hi Martin, Thanks a lot for your research and sharing it with us.  I really enjoyed the video. For my Marklin and slot track I use a rail gum (erasers), it works well on oil, dirt and rust. And yes, you look really unhappy in the video thumbnail but that's OK because the spray stuff didn't work too well. Thanks again. Marco |
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1 user liked this useful post by kweekalot
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 Joined: 23/03/2012(UTC) Posts: 2,552 Location: Finland
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Hi Martin, I have normally used Märklin track cleaning car for track cleaning. I have C-tracks. I clean my rolling stock wheels from that black grit with my finger nails, believe me or not  . Last week I did some little scenery work and even when I was very careful to spray Woodland Scenics scenery cement some of it went on the rails and caused contact problems. I just took grit 1000 sand paper and did a very light cleaning to rails with it. Results was great and no more contact problems . As C-track rails are stainless steel they will not rust even after this slight grinding of them. Maybe a very good method to avoid M-tracks corrosion and rust is to just run very much locos and cars with high speeds in advance so that they will stay in good condition. Other solution for already rusty track sections could be to use some oil for them and let it be for some days. Then wipe the oil away if there still is any left and make some light grinding to remove the rust that is still left. Maybe this method could help to slow down the rusting in the future, who knows?  Ha det bra  ! Greetings from Finland to Sweden, Janne |
Märklin H0 digital layout. I have analog and digital H0 Collection. Rolling stock mostly from era I, II, III and IV. Märklin 1 gauge beginner. |
2 users liked this useful post by Janne75
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 Joined: 09/12/2011(UTC) Posts: 2,533 Location: VA
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Originally Posted by: Janne75  Hi Martin, I clean my rolling stock wheels from that black grit with my finger nails, believe me or not . I am not the only one! :) I use Isopropyl alcohol (70%) on tough spots (wheels and track), or a soft cloth, sometimes both. I run a Marklin track cleaning car almost all the time when running trains, but you have to change the pads a lot. I bought a set of 10 replacement pads for the track cleaning car, I rotate them pretty regularly. I had an excellent suggestion (I think from Peter) to use liquid clothes washing detergent to clean the pads for the track cleaning car. I have a little plastic container with a lid, I put a bit of this in and then as my pads get dirty I throw them in and let them soak. When I run out of clean pads, I take the ones from the detergent and wash them out with water in the sink, let them dry, and then restart the cycle. However this is all done on 2200 series K track, which is stainless and not prone to rusting on the outer rails. I also try and run my trains at lesat a bit once a week, this seem to help things stay in order. -Brandon |
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2 users liked this useful post by BrandonVA
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Joined: 02/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 878 Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Originally Posted by: kweekalot Hi Martin, Thanks a lot for your research and sharing it with us. I really enjoyed the video. For my Marklin and slot track I use a rail gum (erasers), it works well on oil, dirt and rust. And yes, you look really unhappy in the video thumbnail but that's OK because the spray stuff didn't work too well. Thanks again. Marco Thank you Marco for your positive feedback! A question.. Doesn't the rail gum leave rubber fragments on the track and in the surrounding area of the track? |
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1 user liked this useful post by Martin T
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Joined: 27/06/2012(UTC) Posts: 3,478 Location: Holland
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Hi Martin, No, it doesn't. Otherwise I could not use it on the Faller track because the fragments would fall into the tiny slot of the Faller AMS track. There are many different types of this rubber rail thingies, like the 'Peco rail cleaner' with is very hard (too hard) and the more softer ones. I prefer the soft. Marco  |
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2 users liked this useful post by kweekalot
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Joined: 20/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,660 Location: Paris, France
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Thanks Martin ! I have solved the problem ... yes, I have no layout to speak of, so everything is fine ... Seriously, on my test track I do use this : http://www.conrad.fr/ce/...F2-Special-Contacts-1003... which seems similar to your "Kontakt 60" I presume as it works only when it's wet, unless metal surfaces remain in contact and are not exposed to air (like between rail contacts), whereas exposed rails two weeks later ? well ... nothing doin' :/ Combined with this non-rubber scrubber tho, similar to Marco's, results are OK : http://www.modellbahnsho...gatt-gb-p-0/produkt.htmlTrack cleaning; a seemingly never ending elbow grease endeavor ... Y  |
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2 users liked this useful post by Yumgui
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 Joined: 22/09/2009(UTC) Posts: 2,073 Location: Edinburgh,
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Hi I used the Peco cleaner followed by the "Track Magic stuff. Seemed to work for me. Mike |
1957 - 1985 era
What's digital? |
2 users liked this useful post by hennabm
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Joined: 02/01/2006(UTC) Posts: 878 Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Hi! Great responses guys! Thank you very very much! I'll definitely try the PECO rubber out on my M-rail then. It sound like a good solution. Yes, track cleaning is for sure a never ending maintenace, which is much better to do in advance, then after the problems starts (or the trains stop rather..).  Especially if you run automatic trains! I wipe and polish all the track before building anything with them. Then I bought a simple air de-humidifier. http://www.clasohlson.com/se/Lu...tare-Cotech-20-l/36-5205 It is a MUST, since I have my MRR in the basement. The amount of humidity coming up through the concrete basement floor is significant and the humidity, especially during summer, goes well above 90% in the cold poorly ventilated garage. Ok. How about these fancy vacuum cleaner cars? For me it is a NO NO, since I don't glue the ballast on the M-rails. But, for any other normal user.. What would the benefit really be? To avoid the greyish dust look after some years, or? |
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1 user liked this useful post by Martin T
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 Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC) Posts: 3,594 Location: Spain
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Argh! You should never-ever use sandpaper or other damaging procedures. What you see as "clean" after grinding it, is actually a surface full of microscopic holes made by the grinding, for the dirt to build up even faster.
I use wood and plastic to scrape the rails (if necessary). -Otherwise just WD40 and a dry cloth. I never spray it directly on the layout, only on another cloth,and take great care that the product does not come into contact with any plastic.
Also, it is important to dry the rails well before running the loco, as the rubber traction tires will be damages by the solution. (If you use isopropylalcohol for cleaning, there is no damage to the plastics) |
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1 user liked this useful post by hxmiesa
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Joined: 01/06/2014(UTC)
Posts: 1
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I find that a normal micro-fiber cloth can get you a long way.
Micro-fiber cloth has good abrasive and absorption qualities, so it gets the dirt off and removes it as well.
It's relatively cheap and can be washed like normal clothes.
The downsides are that you need to be careful not to get it snagged it on details like the various bits on switches and decoration. Hard to reach places are also a challenge.
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