track cleaning

Oh you guys!! I don’t get what all the fuss is about....!!
I shall think of you all at the end of a long running day when your batteries are flat...
Also now ducking and dashing for cover!!
 
Agreed, there are pro's and con's to each way. I hate charging batteries, and want everything ready to go at a moment's notice as long as the fancy takes me.

I have a quadruple use layout, it can run live steam, battery, DC and DCC. It requires almost zero maintenance and and track cleaning of maybe 5 minutes for about 400 feet of mainline.

It can be done

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Agreed, there are pro's and con's to each way
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Never a truer word has been said. Rule 8 covers it I think.
Although I'm live steam and battery, I still give the track a clean once in a while, just to clear hardened crud that can cause problems on my ground level line
 
Dobby said:
can any one give me advice on track cleaning on an out door g gauge railway. no matter how much i wipe the track is seem to have a black greasy film on the top of the track. i bought a used lbg track cleaning loco, but all it does it seems to just spread the gunk around the track, any tips will be appreciated .
Dobby
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65 1057 65 1057 introduced me to Schienenreiniger. They sell a block that sits under an LGB (or Newqida) flat bed and a fluid you can use. Seems to do a pretty good job or removing the gunk/grease. The other thing I've used is the Smoke/Cleaning mentioned by JimmyB JimmyB .
 
Dobby said:
can any one give me advice on track cleaning on an out door g gauge railway. no matter how much i wipe the track is seem to have a black greasy film on the top of the track. i bought a used lbg track cleaning loco, but all it does it seems to just spread the gunk around the track, any tips will be appreciated .
Dobby
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Dobby - My two bits: Don't use plastic wheels which leave black plastic dust which acts as an insulator and can gunk up..........I use Bachmann metal wheels which are the cheapest option that I sell on my Website $20 4-Pack. Or you may be getting some type of tree sap on your rails and may need to use a cleaning chemical to remove. The LGB 50040 is a cheap but highly effective cleaning tool..........I only use it in certain hard to clean areas of my 400 feet of outdoor track. Otherwise, my LGB Track Cleaning Locomotive with a couple passes does wonders.........as already mentioned your cleaning wheels may need replacement. Enjoy!
 
The black greasy gunk is actually oxidized rail material (turns black as the micro arcing of power oxidizes the brass rail) and moisture.

This was a big controversy a number of years ago, and one member of a form finally had the stuff analyzed, copper and tin in the exact proportions of his brass rail.

The thing that works well is a water-based degreaser, I use a wet mop called a swiffer, that has pre-impregnated pads. The trade names of the household cleaners here are 409 or Fantastik. Water based and maybe ammonia in it, not a soap!

You will have to scroll down this page, but the cleaner has a handle, and I can walk the mainline (about 700 feet) in about 5 minutes, standing up and walking, as the pad slides on the rails like it was made for track cleaning.

Track Cleaning

Greg Elmassian web site on large scale trains and garden railroads, cigars, and computers
elmassian.com elmassian.com
 
Sorry, but I was replying to the OP on his issue. This black greasy stuff is ever the subject of questions to new people, and even experienced people have the wrong answer, theorizing it is carbon. It does not need abrasive action to remove, and I prefer not to abrade my rails when it is not necessary, even though they will certainly outlive me!

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Sorry, but I was replying to the OP on his issue. This black greasy stuff is ever the subject of questions to new people, and even experienced people have the wrong answer, theorizing it is carbon. It does not need abrasive action to remove, and I prefer not to abrade my rails when it is not necessary, even though they will certainly outlive me!

Greg
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I know Greg, it was a jest
 
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