Originally Posted by: nygma 
What are you ideas about the track cleaner? I make a battery operated loco, which drags a plate with fine sanding paper and also has a second motor to oscillate the sand paper from side-to-side. It does not really work for a few reasons:
1) The flat sand paper is not optimal on uneven track: cannot clean the low spots and also stalls the engine as it tends to get stuck on the high spot
First of all, I don't like sand paper, since it makes tiny scratches in the rail surface, which will help the next dirt to stick to the tracks.
Our plan is to use Scotch Brite (
https://www.google.com/s...ceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 ) It comes in many different grades.
We don't know yet if it should rotate around a vertical or horizontal axis; but David, the owner of the layout has bought
a small battery driven polishing machine, which we intend to try to mount in a wagon first.
(
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i...bbcbc:g:QE8AAOSwQjxbu6JC )
This gives us rotation around a vertical axis; i'm more for the opposite solution; but that's not so easy
If your sandpaper solution don't go into the low spots, try to make it shorter, or on a soft or slightly rounded plate.
Originally Posted by: nygma
2) There is no enough traction. If I add a spring to push the sandpaper down on the track the motors have not enough power to move the cleaner. I am using two USA trains motor blocks for power, which just slips if under too much load. It does not come with traction tires.
Add weight to your motor blocks, I think it'll help.
Originally Posted by: nygma
3) The sandpaper sometimes gets caught on point rails, rail joints and tears the paper up. It would be much better if I can get a spinning wheel, like a cleaning disc, or grinding wheel. But I was not able to find anything which is fine enough and also a way to drive it above the rails.
We plan to clean only the tracks by machine, since we're afraid the turnouts might get damaged. The plan is to stop the machine
every time it comes to a turnout, eventually lift it a bit ( By servo or similar ). The turnouts will the be cleaned manually.
I know your PECO tracks quite well, and since it's nickel silver, it tends to oxidize.
A good cleaning / polishing with something like BRASSO will make wonders, both regarding electrical conduction and looks of the rails.
I really like the brown color of the oxidized tracks, with the rail top being blank, just like on a regularly used railway line
I'm afraid our project will be a winter project, so don't expect us to have a working solution any time soon.............
Per.
