Two subjects wheel shape and oxidation of track

Info post.
If one looks at a wheel under magnification you'll notice the diameter is wider closer to the flange than it is towards the outside of the wheel. This is so the trucks guide themselves on the track without relying on the flange to keep the wheels on track. If the wheel was perfectly flat on perfectly flat rail it would hunt left and right and the flanges would take a beating trying to keep the wheels on track. Something to consider when you look at track and wheels.

Oxidation on track occurs no matter what metal you use, gold even oxidizes although very slowly. Nickel silvers oxidation is conductive, although with an ohm meter the oxidation is not as conduct as clean nickel silver. You cannot prevent oxidation, you can slow it down as on the previous post.
Oxidation attacks the metal and puts little pits and grooves on its own, Sanding rails does the same, as track block erasiers, only the erasiers make big grooves when compared to other methods.
Polish removes oxidation chemically, it also removes minute amounts of good metal. note the cloth you use has color on besides the tarnish (oxidation) thats how it works, it takes the metal down to clean metal.

Ultimately the best way to clean metal rails is the polish method, any scratches/ metal removed by the polish is extremely small, thus contact problems will be minimized.

Since we established that the metal on rails is going to have pits and grooves eventually, In order to slow the process down and prevent as much as possible more oxidation occurring is to use a polish or cleaner that leaves a conductive film that isolates it from the air and moisture that causes the oxidation. This film fills all the little voids in the metals surfaces and promotos better electrical contact by having a moisture contact of its own. Wet metal conducts electricity much better than dry metals. just like wet people conduct electricity much better than dry folks.
Place a 9v battery on your tung and feel the shock, place the same battery on your (dry skin) and feel the difference.

Now theres a number of schools of though on this, but this is what I've had the most success with.

Lets assume the worst, you had the layout in the garage, uncovered. opening the door on and off all winter, deposited dust and moisture. and you didn't run any trains all winter. OK
situation established. Place an engine on the track, and you'd be lucky if it moved at all. So now what? Theres probably an 1/4 inch of dust on it which is preventing contact in a big way, so break out the vacume and clean the entire layout. Not cleaning the whole layout means as soon as a breeze enters the garage the dust on the layout will redeposit itself on the rail and you back to ground zero again. So the lesson is do the whole thing, and do it well.

Now the track is cleaned of dust, but looking at it you see that gray patina of oxidation, a very heavy accomulation. At this point putting an engine on the track gets it operating but it isn't smooth, slows, increases speed, slows etc etc etc. That the pickups (wheels) finding clean and tarnished spots on the rails with the various resistance differences.

Now you have some choices, track block, sandpaper, polish, what to do?

Remember all are going to remove some metal some less some more. My choice is 400 grit paper, why? its fast, doesn't leave large scratches like the block erasier. Polish is labor intensive, messy, (get it on sides of rails and points you see what I mean) but its advantage is its a one step, it cleans, removes oxidized metal, and leaves a protective film. Disadvantages? time, labor intensive, messy, and tiresome.
Lets check out the other two, both of which will require you to revacume the grit. block erasier, leaves scratches, will require a little sanding to remove them. why bother, go to the 400 grit, get the tarnish off, go up to 600 or 800 grit, this polishes the rail surface. vacume, apply contact cleaner and your finished.

The above techique is for highly oxidized track, and shouldn't be used on well maintained (clean track) Once the above is done, maintenance becomes easy because all you need to do is
take a piece of cork and run a fresh coat of contact cleaner on the rail. because there was a film on the track before, the dirt will come up pretty easy, no so on dry track. Don't let the oxidation preventer dry out, a couple to three weeks, a quick wipe or a track cleaning car with the fluid in it will freshen it up and provide the best operation over the long run.

If your into dc only, one of the high freq cleaners is also good but it burns through dirt, thus drying out spots of the film, make sure you recoat after use. They are also good for keeping the contacts on locos clean.

I know some folks whom say they never clean their track and have no problems, well I seen layouts that run that way, and it seems to me they don't run as smoothly or consistently as those whom have a regular maintenance schedule. The loco's surely dont exhibit the same slow speed capabilities as those on clean rail.

Rob

 

Rob -
Excellent tutorial, thanks. What do you use for the 'contact cleaner' you refer to?

 

Rob, you remind me of my engineering friend . . same writing style.

Tapered wheel treads also serve to prevent slipping of one wheel while rounding a curve. It's like a non-geared differential system: larger diameter rides the wider curved rail, smaller on the tighter curve.

 

Thanks, Rob--great discussion of track cleaning!

I'm wondering what the effect of some of the chemicals we use has on track. The only air that enters my train room is filtered, and there is a HEPA filter running inside the room. I try to keep most solvents outside the room. But not everyone has that luxury, and sometimes I have to spray paint or dullcoat--or whatever--in the room myself.

Any idea of what aerosols attack nickel silver track? I know that simple vinegar can do a real job on some metals, but I'm totally ignorant about others. Any ideas?

 

Thank you for the post.

 

Rob:


Thanks for the post.


Stay cool and run steam.....

 

My experience is entirely different.

We seem to cover this same material about every 6 weeks, and I am happy to report, I am still having the same outstanding results as the last time this thread ran.

Freedom from track-cleaning drudgery:

I use Kato Unitrack at home, and only clean it twice a year. I use a dot of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol on a piece of soft cloth. I not worried about removing metal or scratching anything with this method.

"Dry" Method is the Key:

Furthermore, I am leaving the track absolutely dry. Unitrack does not need anything wet on it to make good contact, and any film left on the track will quickly turn to gunk on the wheels. I've tried other methods, and nothing works as well as this "dry" method in my own environment.

Seven Years without Wheel Cleaning:

But the benefits extend beyond freedom from track-cleaning drudgery, and the decreased risk of damage to scenery from frequently needing to get my big clumsy mitts on the track.

I use the MT "Pizza Wheels" some of you love to hate. I have not cleaned a plastic MT wheelset in over 7 years of Unitrack use.

Problems with Metal Wheels on Cars:

It is the metal wheels that need frequent cleaning. Especially those on lighted passenger cars and cabooses. There is insufficient friction to prevent a buildup of oxidation on them, I suppose. I clean them by wrapping a length of Unitrack with a soft cloth, and wetting the middle with alcohol. Then I rail the car and run it back and forth on the cloth. The wheels are clean and dry in 30 seconds.

For every car with metal wheels that need cleaning, I have another 120 with plastic wheels that never do.

Yes, there are exceptions:

There are 7 of my locos that need frequent wheel cleaning as well. The Atlas Mogul is awful picky that way. The others are 4 ancient Minitrix U-boats and 3 equally venerable Minitrix FM HH switchers. I had a couple of Life Like diesels that appeared to have struck oil somewhere in the bowels of the mechanism. Their wheels seemed perpetually gunky. The well has finally run dry on those, and they no longer need cleaning since the wheels are staying dry.

For every loco I own that needs wheel cleaning with this method, I have over 40 others that don't.

Not a Fluke:

This works outstanding for me, and I used to think it was my unique Southwestern environment. But since joining TrainBoard, RailWire, and the Atlas Forum, I have discovered I am not alone, for a couple dozen other posters scattered all over are following the same method, or a slight variation, with the same results, despite hot and humid, cold and damp, whatever environment.

If I had to clean wheels and track the way most of you describe it, I would find another hobby tomorrow! I hate cleaning track and wheels!

I love to walk up to the layout, and just turn the train on and "go".

 

With Unitrack, I rarely have to clean the rails. It's due to the metal Kato uses for the Unitrack.

I do run a CMX+ track cleaning car filled with alcohol on the JJJ&E about once every 8-10 weeks or so to remove any material that's on the rails.

LT:

My Atlas 33" metal wheelsets don't collect any gunk. They replaced the MT pizza cutters.

I'll also run the CMX+ track cleaning car dry on the JJJ&E.

There is hardly any material to remove from the rails. I run the CMX+ on the rails of the JJJ&E because I'm using DCC. I think 8-10 weeks between rail cleanings is too much BTW.

I have the opposite climate of LT.

Hot and plenty of humidity, but the garage that the JJJ&E is in. has air conditioning and heat in the winter, the few times it's needed.


Stay cool and run steam.....

 

Eagle:

GooGone leaves a film/cloating on the track rails. This coating picks up debris after you supposedly cleaned the rails.

If you have a Centerline track cleaning car, place some alcohol on the roller and then run it dry.


Stay cool and run steam.....

 

CMX track cleaner for me.

 

Two observations:

1) The guys I know who swear by GooGone are using a pair of centerline cars. The first car has the GooGone on the roller wick material. The second car has a dry roller wick, and that wick gets dirty in a hurry! Man, if you only used one centerline car, that goop would otherwise be picked up by the wheels and spread around, because it takes a few laps to get it clean.

2) To answer my Powersteamguy friend, OOPS! I plumb forgot about DCC.

That changes everything. You have a much higher current in the track all the time, causing arcing and sparking on a very small scale at first, with clean wheels and rail, but it builds up quickly. Turn off all the lights and run a train on DCC. They spark at the rail/wheel contact point. The only time mine would spark on low voltage analog DC is if there is a momentary short, like a defect on a track switch. In the course of a 4-hour shift on NTrak, that little area that is sparking will get dirty enough to stall a train. Man, you DCC guys probably have that going on all the time, everywhere on the layout?

If so, no wonder some of you have to clean track so often. When I had O Scale, we were still analog, but some of the equipment took 16-20 volts to run. Those wheels sparked until we had to stop and clean everything. We actually ate the railhead away.

Somebody used to make a spark suppression circuit that went between the power and the rails. Anyone ever use one of those?

[ February 20, 2005, 11:17 PM: Message edited by: LongTrain ]

 

Ok for the guys interested in the contact enhancer, theres quite a few. The one most available without going to a specialty electronics shops and paying top dollar, Radio shack sells what they call "contact cleaner and lubrication" or something to that effect, (I dont have the can handy) its in a white spray can. is plastic safe, which is really not a concern unless you spray your track with it. Not a good idea.

Use this techique, take 1/8 inch cork, cut into squares or rectangles the width of the track. spray the cork, the cork acts as a wick and holds the fluid, as you wipe the track and remove the cleaner, the underlying cork that is saturated with the cleaner will wick to the surface. A little goes a long way. The cork also acts like a very mild abrasive and cleans the surface, you will see black on the cork, wipe the cork on cloth to clean, respray, wipe track, turn the cork over, spray that side, wipe the track, so on and so on.

The big advantage of the cork unlike rags is the cork lays a film on the rail, where as the rag deposits a very wet film. besides that the cork has some body which eliminates any finger irratation from rubbing the rail. the cloth does not and will allow the rail to impress your skin, which is in contact with the lube/cleaner, not so with the cork. Cork can also be attached under a freight or passenger car, turn the car over, give the cork a shot of cleaner, run the train around. The cleaner also reduces arcing.
Safety note: this stuff is not meant for breathing, keep away from children, when I use it I only give the cork a short burst, not enough to generate a cloud in the room. Also there are better brands out there, just like anything you get what you pay for.

Polishes:
maas, and or flitz, work well, these if I use them, I apply with a motor tool and buffing pad. any other way is messy. The mototool method is going to make the rails gleam they will dull down in a day or so. but they will run clean for a very long time without messing around with cleaner, dust will be repelled by the coating of polish. If you do it right, the surface will be almost absolutely dry. This may be a better method for those with significant grades. So if the contact cleaner gives your locos Traction problems, try only using it on the flats, and on grades use the polish. Another trick might be to take a talcum powder or resin (like the powder used by bowlers) to reduce slipping. Try it on the grades, it should increase the friction of the wheel to rail surfaces.

By the way, for those using dcc, most find that less cleaning is required than regular dc use. something about the ac voltage vice the dc voltage reduces dirt build up.

Rob

 

I have a theory on why some folks dont have contact problems with NS rail and never have to clean them. What I believe is that the tarnish that forms attains a level of equalibrium of a sort. It basically stabilizes, very little oxidation occurs after a certain point. Since the oxidation is conductive, and they don't use abrasives, no new metal is exposed to the air. Thus once the oxidation forms it in itself acts like film preventing the rail from continuing to oxidize. Or in other words once the oxidation forms, theres no more chemical reaction taking place. Hence the stability.

In order to attain this if you paint or chemically color the rail, the best way to remove any of the paint or chemical on the rail top would be to use something that won't scratch the surface.
Try to keep the original finish on the rail. Paint remover, turpentine, polish should do the trick.

The main thing would be to try to keep the rails as virgin as possible so that when the rail oxidizes it does so consistently so any electrical resistant is as consistent as possible.

Just a theory of mine, The N scale club in Elmendorf does nothing to its rail but dust it, (or so they say) maybe this is the answer to that.

Rob

 

Let's hear from the Ntrak guys. Our club uses the Atlas code 80 flextrack as does most Ntrak clubs. We set up maybe 6 times a year. The rest of the time the modules are in storage. I don't know when the last time we cleaned track or even wheels. I think the track cleaning efforts of some contribute more to the build up of gunk than if they left the darn thing alone. Goo Gone is the worst thing to use. If anything use the Lifelike blue liquid track cleaner or just isopropyl alcohol. My suggestion to anyone who has used Goo Gone is to throw the GOO Gone away and then clean off the track with TV tuner cleaner. Then afterwards only use isopropryl alcohol thereafter. Now here is another item to consider. We run on Aristo radio throttles using pure filtered DC. No DCC, no pulse and no spikes. Does that make a difference? I don't know. Maybe someone else can answer that.

 

LT:

I don't have any problems with loco's stalling on the JJJ&E. As I stated in my above post 8-10 weeks or slightly longer are the intervals between tracking cleaning episodes on the JJJ&E.

I run the JJJ&E at 11 volts, which is the low end for DCC.

I don't consider cleaning track 4-5 times a year an excessive amount.


There is almost no accumulation of debris/gunk on the rails.

Stay cool and run steam....