Track cleaner from Piko

If it is release September...

My guess is it is a 'big idea' at the moment... Now someone has to work out how to make it easy to retro-fit the batteries for the end-user, and where to put the track / battery switch.. How to mount the cleaning 'system' .. .. The list goes on..
 
I suspect I may be shooting myself in the foot here but I think it will be pads on a seperate plate, as already stated, and the plate will vibrate/move side to side whilst the loco moves forward. Wouldn't surprise me if the plate holds a reservoir for cleaning fluid to feed the pads as well.
I will not be eating my hat or any such thing when I am proved wrong!!
 
Yeah I'm also speculating some sort of vibrating mechanism maybe? It needs to to more than just rub as it moves along.
 
dunnyrail said:
I need to pay more attention to new releases, but this is a new product to me. Where I think it may score over some of the other Rubbing Types is the inclusion of some cleaning glug ability. US cost not much cheeper than the Loco which I believe to be on the steep side.
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At $230 the loco is a great buy. I am guessing you were saying the track cleaning car was not? (Doubt they sold many of those!?)
 
Since the "cleaner" version is only what, $20-30 more, I doubt seriously there is any vibrating/motorized mechanism for the plate.

Re-reading the advertisement, I believe the "big idea" is that they offer battery power as an option... somewhat overblown, but wouldn't this be the first G scale battery power from them?

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Since the "cleaner" version is only what, $20-30 more, I doubt seriously there is any vibrating/motorized mechanism for the plate.

Re-reading the advertisement, I believe the "big idea" is that they offer battery power as an option... somewhat overblown, but wouldn't this be the first G scale battery power from them?

Greg
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Good point on the price difference because that small amount doesn't buy a great deal in this scale! I'm off to Top Slots later, see if Darren has heard anything on the dealers grape vine.

Sunday update - no he hasn't!
 
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ntpntpntp said:
Yeah I'm also speculating some sort of vibrating mechanism maybe? It needs to more than just rub as it moves along.
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When I first starting searching for this loco online I actually found a site with a picture of the underside, showing the track cleaning plate attached. But, despite searching again for over an hour, I haven't been able to find that site again! Anyway, from memory, it was a rather rough looking square plate attached diagonally - ie with the corners of the square pointing towards the sides of the loco. It had an abrasive looking surface with a sort of mesh pattern. Presumably, it just rubs on the surface of the track as the loco moves along. Apparently, you get 1 plate with the loco and a pack of 2 spares will cost about 20 Euros - purchased separately.
The descriptions say it has track power for the loco, so what are the batteries for? Does this imply the cleaning plate is more than just passive? PIKO need to be a bit more explicit in their description of how this cleaner actually works.
The small size of the loco would suggest it could not have much downward force on the plate - unless you added weights to it. In addition, for those of us with DCC, you would also need to get a DCC chip added, at further cost.
I doubt this could possibly be as effective as the LGB track cleaning loco, with its powered cleaning disc.
I would be waiting to see reviews of its performance, before I considered getting one. I have the LGB model, and that works reasonably well and it has a DCC chip built in.
It doesn't look as though it will be available until about October anyway.
 
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The battierys will power the loco to make it move when no track power ...that's it...the plate will rub on the track..
 
mike said:
The battierys will power the loco to make it move when no track power ...that's it...the plate will rub on the track..
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Still not a bad price for a battery loco, handy for those of us that rarely run in winter , it give an opportunity to run something on a nice winters day without cleaning the track for hours, and if it does clean the track a little then bonus
 
Ideally, the loco will be very heavy with a powerful motor and the cleaning block slung under between the wheels will be sprung to keep a reasonable pressure on the railheads to maximise cleaning.
If the cleaning pad(s) are just lightly skimming the top of the rail, the cleaning effect will be limited.
 
AustrianNG said:
Ideally, the loco will be very heavy with a powerful motor and the cleaning block slung under between the wheels will be sprung to keep a reasonable pressure on the railheads to maximise cleaning.
If the cleaning pad(s) are just lightly skimming the top of the rail, the cleaning effect will be limited.
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Well, it doesn't look that heavy to me and if the cleaning pad is passive and just relies on pressure, as people seem to be implying, you might just as well use an open wagon with cleaning pads under it and some weights in the wagon. Cheaper and probably more effective! Unless the cleaning plate is powered in some way, I cannot see much point to buying this loco, unless you need a little diesel loco for some other reason. As I said earlier, PIKO needs to clarify how this cleaner actually operates. I think I will be sticking with my more pricey, but effective, LGB track cleaning loco, until someone can prove this PIKO loco can do a better job.
 
kim said:
Just discovered that one of the 3 new 4 wheel shunters that Piko will be releasing this year is actually a track cleaner with the cleaning operation being - I believe but open to contradiction :mask:- battery driven by standard AA batteries. There is an attachable plate that contains a cleaning pad and away you go. At the price well worth a look.
It's on the gaugemaster website at
www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=PK38501&style=&strType=&Mcode=Piko+38501

http://www.piko-shop.de/index.php?vw_type=artikel&vw_id=25601
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'Only £215.00'

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha etc.

tac
 
NCS from Qbyn said:
Well, it doesn't look that heavy to me and if the cleaning pad is passive and just relies on pressure, as people seem to be implying, you might just as well use an open wagon with cleaning pads under it and some weights in the wagon. Cheaper and probably more effective! Unless the cleaning plate is powered in some way, I cannot see much point to buying this loco, unless you need a little diesel loco for some other reason.
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You just wrote MY words!

tac
 
kim said:
This is on PIKO America

38501 Clean Machine GE 25-Ton Track Cleaning Locomotive (G-Scale)
$229.99

This product is expected in September
Please fill in the form below if you'd like to be notified when it becomes available.


38501 Clean Machine GE 25-Ton Diesel Switcher Track Cleaning Locomotive (G-Scale) 120V

Features

  • Detailed GE 25-Ton diesel electric locomotive with lights
  • Powerful 5-pole precision can-type ball-bearing motor
  • Numerous molded-on details including lights, springs, bolts and more
  • Factory-applied handrails, coupler lift-bar, and steps
  • Operating white directional lighting
  • Realistic cab interior with space for engineer figure
  • Heavy duty, durable hard chrome ball-bearing wheels
  • Hook and loop type couplers
  • Crisp and clean lettering and logo designs
  • Created with incredibly tough weather-resistant materials
  • Minimum recommended radius: 600mm / 23.6”
  • Made in Germany
PIKO has lovingly realized the details of this little GE 25-Ton model. The completely newly-tooled design is convincingly finished and decorated. The model is finely and accurately detailed, yet robust enough for the rigors of garden railroad usage. The PIKO model features all-wheel gear drive, precisely-made wheelsets and reliable power pickup from the track. While many may rightly regard the appearance as somewhat "cute", this faithful scale model of a popular prototype, with its excellent value and proven PIKO performance, will no doubt find many friends.

With the “Clean Machine“ version of the GE 25-Ton diesel, PIKO introduces a completely new concept in track cleaning. Common household rechargeable batteries provide extensive running time. Track cleaning operation is simple - just turn it on and let it run around the layout till even heavily oxidized track is polished clean. Once the Clean Machine has cleared the way, track-powered locos can run smoothly!
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New to G Scale, 120V!!
 
You can find a video of the Piko guy with crazy glasses holding up a prototype, that has a sheet of what we call "drywall sandpaper" stuck to the metal pickup shoes with 2 pieces of poorly aligned white double stick tape. I think I posted this on another site... look for the video.

The prototype is 3d printed with not much detail.

So, no clue about what the real cleaning pad will look like, but it won't be heavy either, no room in the cab (they advertise a detailed cab) and the batteries will take up a fair amount of space under the hood.

It surely will not be active, i.e. the cleaning part, but if it's battery powered, maybe 20 laps of the layout will take care of it.

Greg
 
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