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Offline obb_taurus  
#1 Posted : 28 December 2019 18:50:28(UTC)
obb_taurus


Joined: 09/05/2006(UTC)
Posts: 70
Location: ,
Hi Everyone,

I'm having major issues with my locomotives getting stuck while travelling around the layout. Some engines are more prone to getting stuck as others although that may not be 100% accurate. I believe it's not as noticeable on some locomotives such as units with earlier sinus engines because they tend to be easier rolling hence they get over the dead spots most of the time but if the engine has sound, it's a dead giveaway when it hits a dead spot as the sound cuts out. It seems like I'm always cleaning my tracks and for a short time things might get better but the problem eventually returns therefore I'm wondering if it's normal for engines to be so sensitive to dirty tracks? In my case I have a hard time believing my tracks are really that dirty, if I go over the tracks with a cloth there is a bit of black coming off but nothing major.

The other thing I'm wondering is if I may need a booster? The size of my layout is 18' x 8' and the only power source is a 1st generation Ecos. I should add my layout is still in the construction phase so there's not many accessories hooked up although I do have quite a few engines sitting on the layout.

Any insight on this problem would be greatly appreciated as it's driving me nuts.

Thanks
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Offline amartinezv  
#2 Posted : 28 December 2019 19:21:59(UTC)
amartinezv

Spain   
Joined: 25/08/2004(UTC)
Posts: 320
Location: Madrid,

Hello

Yes, dirt on the tracks affects locomotives, locomotives with high inertia motors, e.g. 1st generation C-sinus, LFCMs with unregulated decoders bear it better, DCM motors with regulated decoders suffer more. The best way to keep the tracks clean is to run the trains, and when it is necessary to clean the rails with a cloth that does not leave residues, and some cleaning fluid, isopropyl alcohol is used a lot, but recently in this same forum was published that the polar cleaners (WD 40, and electrical contact cleaners) were more effective, you can also use the liquid for zippo lighters.

As for the need for a booster, it depends on how many trains you have running simultaneously, I realized that you need a booster, when when I activated a turnout I saw that the trains were slowing down. If when you start a train the others slow down you need a booster.

Best regards
Antonio Martínez
marklin, IB, era 3, Train controller
www.raildigital.es/davidruso
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Offline DaleSchultz  
#3 Posted : 28 December 2019 20:07:36(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
some decoders are very sensitive to short power losses, others not so much.
Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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Offline cookee_nz  
#4 Posted : 28 December 2019 20:38:48(UTC)
cookee_nz

New Zealand   
Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC)
Posts: 3,948
Location: Paremata, Wellington
As well as cleaning the track, are you also cleaning or checking the wheels? Not just the Loco wheels but rolling stock also. You might be surprised at the cross-contamination that can occur.
Cookee
Wellington
NZ image
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Offline David Dewar  
#5 Posted : 28 December 2019 21:23:36(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,332
Location: Scotland
AS cookee says clean all wheels and also the sliders on the locos. Run locos as often as you can to keep the tracks clean.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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Offline JohnjeanB  
#6 Posted : 28 December 2019 22:05:01(UTC)
JohnjeanB

France   
Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC)
Posts: 3,083
Location: Paris, France
Hi
Alas modern digital trains allow very slow and realistic speeds but when a contact problem occurs, the loco stops. In the old days, the locos were running faster with straight gear transmission needing 10 cm to stop.
The cures are: keep rails, wheels and sliders clean, use energy storage capacitors (Märklin seems to be dragging their feet for this but other manufacturers are installing these so that a current pick-up problem is ignored.
The best cure is to run the trains regularly. Then all problems disappear.
Cheers

Jean
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Offline obb_taurus  
#7 Posted : 28 December 2019 22:31:14(UTC)
obb_taurus


Joined: 09/05/2006(UTC)
Posts: 70
Location: ,
Thanks for all the responses.

Not sure which really applies to my issue, I have 2 engines which give me the most problems and they are the most recent purchases. The one is the NS 1200 (37127) and the other is a small KPEV tank loco (37166). It seems like I always have to move these ones quite a distance before they will go, perhaps it's as Dale suggested an issue with the decoder being sensitive cause I've cleaned the track where the NS 1200 is sitting and it's wheels are clean as I've only had the engine since May and it hasn't been run all that often but it doesn't want to move. I've been also wondering if the culprit could be the track, are there any known issues with C Track and dead spots?

Thanks
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Offline Dave Banks  
#8 Posted : 28 December 2019 23:00:21(UTC)
Dave Banks

Australia   
Joined: 08/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
Location: Gold Coast, Australia.
I live on the Gold Coast Australia & during summer Mid December to Mid March we get a lot of humidity. My C-track is from the 1996 onward era & the center rail is inclined to rust. Many moons ago it was coated as in when you get it new but in time the bare metal gets exposed due to wear & subsequently rusts & ends up with no connectivity. For that I have a specially adapted wagon that has a slider that has been sand blasted on the bottom surface & is very rough. This wagon is put to service during this time & does a few laps in front of one of my less "short" prone locos & we do a few runs over all the tracks shining the tops of the C-Track studs up & that sorts out the issue with my locos stopping in all the inaccessible spots like what you are having issues with. So in a nut shell it is the contaminated center rail studs that is the issue for me & yes as the other members have mentioned clean outer rails & wheels a must.
D.A.Banks
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Offline cookee_nz  
#9 Posted : 28 December 2019 23:36:41(UTC)
cookee_nz

New Zealand   
Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC)
Posts: 3,948
Location: Paremata, Wellington
Originally Posted by: obb_taurus Go to Quoted Post
Thanks for all the responses.

Not sure which really applies to my issue, I have 2 engines which give me the most problems and they are the most recent purchases. The one is the NS 1200 (37127) and the other is a small KPEV tank loco (37166). It seems like I always have to move these ones quite a distance before they will go, perhaps it's as Dale suggested an issue with the decoder being sensitive cause I've cleaned the track where the NS 1200 is sitting and it's wheels are clean as I've only had the engine since May and it hasn't been run all that often but it doesn't want to move. I've been also wondering if the culprit could be the track, are there any known issues with C Track and dead spots?

Thanks


There are no specific issues with dead spots on C track (or any track for that matter). But you may have a voltage drop if you are finding more repeated problems in specific areas but get good running in other areas.

Easy cure for that is more feeders to the track, especially if the track connections are the primary (or only) electrical path. ThumpUp
Cookee
Wellington
NZ image
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Offline river6109  
#10 Posted : 29 December 2019 06:42:18(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
One thing you have to be careful about it, is sound decoders don't like interrupted power supply and you may find the sound will disappear or the loudspeaker goes dead.
, most the time the problem with dirty tracks is over oiling whereas all the grime and dirt gets picked up and than downloaded onto the track., my solution was (with a large layout = 13x5m) cleaning tracks would be a major task and of course the task would be a never ending job.
Older Märklin loco motors had a problem with the armature running dry and than the familiar noise appeared, get the oil can and oil the canister behind the motor and maybe also the front, than a few more drops onto the cogwheels and she'll run again normal, although I've changed all my locos to a 5 pole high efficiency motor, the problem was the same and as most of you know I've introduced the ball bearings and now I hardly or ever oil my motor gears and hence there is no dirt on my tracks and what a relief.

What it came down to in all these years, the manufacturer never addressed the problem although they've tried on numerous occasions but failed and than gave up, these days the can motor most probably doesn't need any oil and oiling the cog wheels or worm drives excludes oil and is replaced by special grease which hangs onto the material and not like oil (if it is used excessively).

I only can give you my experience and the action I took by not repeating the procedure but I wasn't doing the same thing over and over again oiling. cleaning, oiling and cleaning and I hope some of you may realize this too, its like banging your head against the wall over and over again.
My theory is obvious but there could be other reasons why your locos stop on certain places, it depends on the loco's wheel arrangement and whether there is enough contact for a loco to travel over double turnout switches, it also could be your middle contacts have slightly oxidized and they may need a refreshing touch by using a very fine sandpaper or any other flat instrument to renew the surface of the middle contact, it does wonders, another one is the slider itself and the same can happen here with oxidation, the slider comes in 2 parts and the slider itself can have oxidized on the end where the spring leave sits and also the spring leave contact points and the last one is mainly with electric or diesel locos whereas the bogie has lost contact and again its oxidation from the bogie to the loco frame, this contact over years has never been properly addressed, there had been attempts to add a 3 prong spring which helped but using 2 different metals isn't going to solve the problem.
and this is it, can't help you anymore.

John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline Joe Meiring  
#11 Posted : 29 December 2019 10:18:54(UTC)
Joe Meiring

South Africa   
Joined: 27/12/2009(UTC)
Posts: 106
Location: Fish Hoek, Cape Town
Originally Posted by: obb_taurus Go to Quoted Post
Thanks for all the responses.

Not sure which really applies to my issue, I have 2 engines which give me the most problems and they are the most recent purchases. The one is the NS 1200 (37127) and the other is a small KPEV tank loco (37166). It seems like I always have to move these ones quite a distance before they will go, perhaps it's as Dale suggested an issue with the decoder being sensitive cause I've cleaned the track where the NS 1200 is sitting and it's wheels are clean as I've only had the engine since May and it hasn't been run all that often but it doesn't want to move. I've been also wondering if the culprit could be the track, are there any known issues with C Track and dead spots?

Thanks

My 37166 is also a bad runner... And a few other locos too...36741, 39302 (the ML2200 diesel), and 37015 which ran VERY badly on any track that was not VERY clean....blew 2 decoders and now been relegated to a shelf loco. Got to really have super clean tracks before these trains run smoothly. No real issues with my older locos. I use one of my start set tank locos to "clean" the track. A good few fast laps and it takes care of most of the problems. The shunting bays are a problem tho...difficult to run the loco at speed and stop quickly! I can reach most of the shunting lines by hand....a laborious task using a cleaning wagon for the tracks... The prob is the center studs that rust fairly quickly.....I suppose living at the coast as I do doesn't help matters at all😖
Best wishes, Joe M
Cape Town

Medium digital C track layout with MS2: When I grow up I want to be a steam engine driver....
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Offline Dave Banks  
#12 Posted : 29 December 2019 21:57:30(UTC)
Dave Banks

Australia   
Joined: 08/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
Location: Gold Coast, Australia.
Hello Joe, I see you suffer the same problem from the Atlantic ocean as I do with the Coral sea. Before I laid my track I turned them all individually upside down & use Inox an Australian / New Zealand product that won't dry out & won't harm plastic. I sprayed the center rail with it via the tube supplied & let it soak through & then turn it over & installed it permanently. So I have no corrosion issues from the underside & only the tips of the studs from wear. You can like I did use an old slider & file it nice & flat & rundown to your local engineering / brake shop & get them to give the underside a quick sand blast. Use that maybe on a loco when you start seeing your locos stuttering at some points on the track. Replace that slider for a normal one for regular use & only that modified one when you know you have issues. If your happy to experiment you can get medium sandpaper that has one side sticky (usually one that fits a disc & cut & attach it to the underside of say a coach with a slider & let it run once or twice in the lead position over all your tracks & then just peel it off & remove & clean the sticky residue of the slider with spirits. Its just one trick I came up with when you live on the coast & have issues with corrosion. Once a year I remove all my rolling stock that is on my layout & with a brush / earbud go over every piece of exposed metal like couplers, springs under the wagons, buffers, ladders, pipes etc with Inox "preferred" or WD-40/CRC. Once this is done my treasured locos & rolling stock remain totally protected for 12 months & I have no worries for that period of time. My two cents worth.
D.A.Banks
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Offline obb_taurus  
#13 Posted : 29 December 2019 22:37:41(UTC)
obb_taurus


Joined: 09/05/2006(UTC)
Posts: 70
Location: ,
I've been considering a Lux cleaning set, is it worth the investment?

Mike
Offline Joe Meiring  
#14 Posted : 30 December 2019 16:36:26(UTC)
Joe Meiring

South Africa   
Joined: 27/12/2009(UTC)
Posts: 106
Location: Fish Hoek, Cape Town
Originally Posted by: Dave Banks Go to Quoted Post
Hello Joe, I see you suffer the same problem from the Atlantic ocean as I do with the Coral sea. Before I laid my track I turned them all individually upside down & use Inox an Australian / New Zealand product that won't dry out & won't harm plastic. I sprayed the center rail with it via the tube supplied & let it soak through & then turn it over & installed it permanently. So I have no corrosion issues from the underside & only the tips of the studs from wear. You can like I did use an old slider & file it nice & flat & rundown to your local engineering / brake shop & get them to give the underside a quick sand blast. Use that maybe on a loco when you start seeing your locos stuttering at some points on the track. Replace that slider for a normal one for regular use & only that modified one when you know you have issues. If your happy to experiment you can get medium sandpaper that has one side sticky (usually one that fits a disc & cut & attach it to the underside of say a coach with a slider & let it run once or twice in the lead position over all your tracks & then just peel it off & remove & clean the sticky residue of the slider with spirits. Its just one trick I came up with when you live on the coast & have issues with corrosion. Once a year I remove all my rolling stock that is on my layout & with a brush / earbud go over every piece of exposed metal like couplers, springs under the wagons, buffers, ladders, pipes etc with Inox "preferred" or WD-40/CRC. Once this is done my treasured locos & rolling stock remain totally protected for 12 months & I have no worries for that period of time. My two cents worth.

Thanx for that Dave....will look for something similar to Inox here in SA. We do have WD 40....the biggest prob I have(only found out/saw a few weeks ago) is damp thru one of the outer walls of the garage. Coming from a blocked gutter & downpipe. Only realised this recently.... The wall is a mess, and am now scraping off the remains of the paint to seal and then repaint....awful mess😖
Thanks again for the info and Blessings for the new year👍🏻🚂🚂👍🏻
Joe

Medium digital C track layout with MS2: When I grow up I want to be a steam engine driver....
Offline michelvr  
#15 Posted : 30 December 2019 21:41:43(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Originally Posted by: obb_taurus Go to Quoted Post
I've been considering a Lux cleaning set, is it worth the investment?

Mike


For the LUX vacuum car, YES the others I don't know as I did not buy them.

I purchased the LUX vacuum car which has the capability to vacuum my whole layout in about an hours time. It runs at the front of a locomotive at twenty kilometres per hour scale speed. The amount of lint and particles it vacuums up is astoundingly remarkable! I'm in a habitat of doing it every two weeks and I’m always surprised at how much stuff accumulates between the tracks! When it comes to cleaning the track I just use a folded piece of paper towel and wipe the tops of the tracks when I follow the vacuum car works wonders and is environmentally friendly!
Offline costing  
#16 Posted : 30 December 2019 22:01:03(UTC)
costing

Switzerland   
Joined: 20/08/2018(UTC)
Posts: 157
Location: Geneve, Geneva
Hi,

There was an older thread on this topic: https://www.marklin-user...ack-center-stud-cleaning

For me the problem is always the center studs. Graphite helped a lot and now I run my custom wagon behind a two-pickup fitted loco after a long break. A few passes are enough to have everything else running smoothly afterwards. This is the one:



Adding a vacuuming wagon in front of all this is a great idea.

Cheers,

.costin
JMRI on RPi & DCC++ / C-track / Marklin, Roco, ESU, Bemo locos / Christmas car collector
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Offline Michael4  
#17 Posted : 30 December 2019 23:59:58(UTC)
Michael4

United Kingdom   
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 637
Location: England, South Coast
Again, another reason for having operating catenary. Run the loco off the wires and let the pick up shoe do the cleaning!
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Offline Goofy  
#18 Posted : 31 December 2019 00:03:58(UTC)
Goofy


Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC)
Posts: 8,993
I have seen locomotive with good and bad decoder.
If you have a Roco locomotive for the three rail and there is power cap, it runs better than Märklins.
Power cap helps by fight against oxid on the tracks and dead spot.
But you must help self by clean the tracks too.
Just simple clean the tracks every two weeks.
H0
DCC = Digital Command Control
Offline Gregor  
#19 Posted : 31 December 2019 10:38:39(UTC)
Gregor

Netherlands   
Joined: 17/04/2003(UTC)
Posts: 996
Location: Netherlands
Originally Posted by: obb_taurus Go to Quoted Post
I've been considering a Lux cleaning set, is it worth the investment?


If I look how much dirt it gathers: Yes.
However are all my troubles over now and no trains get stuck?: No.

The occasional cleaning round with solvent will still be required.

UserPostedImage



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Offline Copenhagen  
#20 Posted : 03 January 2020 18:04:23(UTC)
Copenhagen


Joined: 23/04/2019(UTC)
Posts: 369
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
There is also the opposite direction to go, namely oiling the tracks with automatic transmission oil.
I don't have the links ready for the discussions and the youtube videos but they are probably easy to find.
Offline TEEWolf  
#21 Posted : 03 January 2020 19:10:12(UTC)
TEEWolf


Joined: 01/06/2016(UTC)
Posts: 2,465
Originally Posted by: Gregor Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: obb_taurus Go to Quoted Post
I've been considering a Lux cleaning set, is it worth the investment?


If I look how much dirt it gathers: Yes.
However are all my troubles over now and no trains get stuck?: No.

The occasional cleaning round with solvent will still be required.


Yes, it is worth the investment, even Lux is not a cheap supplier. Do not forget their wheel cleaning machine. Very interesting and still on my whishlist.

https://www.lux-modellba...nt_content.php?idcat=192

(sorry, English version still not yet available - so a short video about it)

Offline Thewolf  
#22 Posted : 03 January 2020 20:04:30(UTC)
Thewolf

Canada   
Joined: 08/09/2015(UTC)
Posts: 2,035
Location: Saint Mathias dur Richelieu-Canada
Originally Posted by: TEEWolf Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Gregor Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: obb_taurus Go to Quoted Post
I've been considering a Lux cleaning set, is it worth the investment?


If I look how much dirt it gathers: Yes.
However are all my troubles over now and no trains get stuck?: No.

The occasional cleaning round with solvent will still be required.


Yes, it is worth the investment, even Lux is not a cheap supplier. Do not forget their wheel cleaning machine. Very interesting and still on my whishlist.

https://www.lux-modellba...nt_content.php?idcat=192

(sorry, English version still not yet available - so a short video about it)



Hi Wolfgang Cool

Interesting...but you'd need special rails to fit the C-rails, right? For the power.

Serge

Project The Richelieu Valley Railway-CS2-Track C- Itrain-Digital
Offline TEEWolf  
#23 Posted : 04 January 2020 00:30:25(UTC)
TEEWolf


Joined: 01/06/2016(UTC)
Posts: 2,465
Originally Posted by: Thewolf Go to Quoted Post

Hi Wolfgang Cool

Interesting...but you'd need special rails to fit the C-rails, right? For the power.

Serge



Hello Serge

Yes indeed, you should order especially for Maerklin AC use. Then you get an adapter for Maerklin. As well you can order a special mfx decoder and an adapter for C- and K-tracks. Correlatings positions you find on the price list #9301 to #9305.

https://www.lux-modellba...isliste_2017_Spur_H0.pdf

ciao

Wolfgang
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Offline Bigdaddynz  
#24 Posted : 04 January 2020 03:21:31(UTC)
Bigdaddynz

New Zealand   
Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC)
Posts: 18,661
Location: New Zealand
Originally Posted by: Copenhagen Go to Quoted Post
...namely oiling the tracks with automatic transmission oil.


Eeek, that's a recipe for creating dirt soup and seemingly a daft idea. The oil will get on the loco wheels and cause solidified dirt to stick on the wheels. It would be better to use electrical contact cleaner to clean rails as that dries without any residue on the tracks.

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Offline Copenhagen  
#25 Posted : 04 January 2020 09:46:40(UTC)
Copenhagen


Joined: 23/04/2019(UTC)
Posts: 369
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Originally Posted by: Bigdaddynz Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Copenhagen Go to Quoted Post
...namely oiling the tracks with automatic transmission oil.


Eeek, that's a recipe for creating dirt soup and seemingly a daft idea. The oil will get on the loco wheels and cause solidified dirt to stick on the wheels. It would be better to use electrical contact cleaner to clean rails as that dries without any residue on the tracks.



It's a controversial subject and a track cleaning method that may not suit everybody. This video shows an approach to it (on a DC layout... and I wouldn't pour the oil directly on the cue tip from the can):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bmOPOcxXPjE
As you can see in this discussion (and many more by googling something like "track cleaning transmission oil") it's much debated:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/98601.aspx
I would only try this method if you're having continuous problems with conductivity on your layout and other methods don't seem to be effective (on AC tracks you might wanna try and put a small amount of oil on a pickup shoe the get the middle track cleaned).
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Offline costing  
#26 Posted : 04 January 2020 18:29:06(UTC)
costing

Switzerland   
Joined: 20/08/2018(UTC)
Posts: 157
Location: Geneve, Geneva
I highly recommend reading this in-depth analysis of cleaning solutions:
https://model-railroad-h...19-05/publishers-musings

Myself I apply graphite everywhere (rail, center studs, wheels).

Cheers,

.costin
JMRI on RPi & DCC++ / C-track / Marklin, Roco, ESU, Bemo locos / Christmas car collector
Offline Copenhagen  
#27 Posted : 04 January 2020 21:03:05(UTC)
Copenhagen


Joined: 23/04/2019(UTC)
Posts: 369
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
I read the article. There are some interesting points but can it really be true that polar solvents (which are bad) leave a microscopic residue on the track? If we take water, which is the worst on the list, are we supposed to believe that a residue of water remains on the metal if we clean our track with a moist cloth? I would think that the same applies to other, highly volatile solvents on the bad list like alcohol. But what do I know?
A substance like WD 40 regular is a mix of oil and solvents. When the solvents evaporate a thin layer of oil remains. So I guess it's the long term oil effect that is the most important non polar effect that helps keeping the track clean.
I've seen graphite (applied sparingly from a stick or a block) recommended by several model railroaders.
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Offline Goofy  
#28 Posted : 04 January 2020 23:29:02(UTC)
Goofy


Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC)
Posts: 8,993
Too much grease after traction tyres is the biggest problem which result to lesser contact on the wheels of locomotive and the rail.
I use deep-acting fat-free electronics spray PRF 6-68.
This are really superb by clean the rail. ThumpUp
H0
DCC = Digital Command Control
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Offline Drongo  
#29 Posted : 20 January 2020 11:41:18(UTC)
Drongo

Australia   
Joined: 03/06/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,221
Location: Sydney, NSW
May I ask this question. If the rails are made of an alloy that doesn't rust easily, then why aren't the centre stud rails made of the same alloy ?
Take it easy . . . . or any other way you can get it !!!!
Offline costing  
#30 Posted : 20 January 2020 13:18:29(UTC)
costing

Switzerland   
Joined: 20/08/2018(UTC)
Posts: 157
Location: Geneve, Geneva
Maybe it would be too shiny and thus even more visually intrusive than the black studs currently are?
JMRI on RPi & DCC++ / C-track / Marklin, Roco, ESU, Bemo locos / Christmas car collector
Offline hxmiesa  
#31 Posted : 20 January 2020 13:51:32(UTC)
hxmiesa

Spain   
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC)
Posts: 3,519
Location: Spain
Originally Posted by: costing Go to Quoted Post
Maybe it would be too shiny and thus even more visually intrusive than the black studs currently are?

The black colour is paint...

Best regards
Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain")
http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
Offline Goofy  
#32 Posted : 20 January 2020 14:01:31(UTC)
Goofy


Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC)
Posts: 8,993
Originally Posted by: hxmiesa Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: costing Go to Quoted Post
Maybe it would be too shiny and thus even more visually intrusive than the black studs currently are?

The black colour is paint...



The paint is to protect from oxid and dirt.
When i start use K tracks and locomotive stucks it depends color on the stud contact.
I clean it by use fine file by scrape of the color at the top of stud contact.

H0
DCC = Digital Command Control
Offline Copenhagen  
#33 Posted : 20 January 2020 15:02:45(UTC)
Copenhagen


Joined: 23/04/2019(UTC)
Posts: 369
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
It's a conductive coating (or paint... or anodization as Michael4 suggests two posts down) that is supposed to work without being removed (though it sometimes helps).
Offline Goofy  
#34 Posted : 20 January 2020 15:07:58(UTC)
Goofy


Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC)
Posts: 8,993
Originally Posted by: Copenhagen Go to Quoted Post
It's a conductive coating (or paint) that is supposed to work without being removed (though it sometimes helps).


Correct!


H0
DCC = Digital Command Control
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Offline Michael4  
#35 Posted : 20 January 2020 15:56:31(UTC)
Michael4

United Kingdom   
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC)
Posts: 637
Location: England, South Coast
I thought it was some form of anodising (on M track studs)
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