No he can't with those dirty wheels. He has to make broken intermittent "choo-choo" sounds like in a bad cell phone connection call.
Re: WD-40, I was told it had lanolin in it. This may be a by-product of sheep's wool processing. Might keep your hands soft (big priority here?) Not to brag, The Omega Scale railway wheels don't actually turn. Cleaning is often done by dusting!
I was going to give you a hard time about "I don't know" and then you changed the subject. I've been in my bunker all morning
The most commonly seen myth is that WD40 is a lubricant. It's not. It's certainly not the same thing as Wahl Clipper Oil. Don't know if it's a petroleum distillate, but that would likely be a good guess, but it's not kerosene either.
I always heard WD-40 has paraffin in it. So I never use it on trains, or anything else I don't want to get waxy.
Some of the gunk getting on the wheels is the super fine micro-shaving of the plastic wheels. It happens and you can see it with proper magnification. This and some of the oil from the locomotives cause the gunk, along with dust and moisture. It is greatly reduced using metal wheels only.
It all depends on what your interest are and mine are short lines, branch lines and industrial railroads. There are also times I like to just sit back and watch one of my trains take laps around my small HCD layout. As for the roll-ability of my rolling stock, my usual motive power is a single MP15DC with a hand full of cars operating on tight radius track. So the more freely the the rolling stock rolls, the better.
From the MSDS sheet on wd40 Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 45-50% Petroleum based oil <25% LVP Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 12-18% Carbon Dioxide 2-3% Surfactant <2% Non-Hazardous Ingredients <10%
It's those non-specified non-hazardous ingredients that cause the problems. Still sounds like paraffin to me.
Hey Rick You asked for photos of track cleaners - in addition to metal wheels (yes, I agree with David) whenever I've not run trains for a while the first one out is this: All Aztec Predators. The first one is run wet - I have gone back to Goo-Gone after trying mineral spirits, the GG works best for me - followed by the motive power and then four more Predators with dry rollers. By the time I've made three passes, I'm ready for fresh han-d-wipes and cars 2 and 3 are wet. I've tried almost everything and this combination works best for me. Sometimes I get dirty wheels (not as bad as yours) but the crud usually falls off on the ROW and disappears. The cleaning train is da bomb - for me.
Like you I am interested in short lines also. Currently they are the Montour RR and the Pittsburg and Shawmut. Both used SW9's for power and would add as many as needed. Both were primarily coal haulers with a smattering of other industries. Pictures abound of the Montour using four or five SW9's on a train which was almost half of the locomotives they owned. However, we differ in that I am not fond of tight radius curves nor anything more than a 2% gradient as I also like to run passenger trains and some freight cars larger than a 2 bay hopper.
That darn DW40. Okay that isn't right but you know what I mean. I told you it was fishing oil. A big fish at that.
Dirt is Enemy Numero Uno of All Things N Scale. It can cause derailments if it cakes up enough on the wheels of rolling stock, or even the pilot wheels of steam locomotives. I have solved more than one repeated derailment problem by cleaning the wheels. Usually, I use an old toothbrush and alcohol or a Q-Tip® and alcohol or LL Track Cleaner. I will use the jeweller's screwdriver only in desperation. I keep my track clean by regular track erasing. Despite that, I have found it damned near impossible to keep away the gunk, be it from wheels or the track. I have seen sections of track with gunk that I track erased two days previously. I find that it is a never ending task. At least I did not send the baggage cars to Original Poster in that condition. I sold off all of my "powder blue" Baltimore and Ohio Rivarossi cars over one year past. I never had the Southern Railway car. In fact, I have sold off most of my RR cars. I did keep the C-C/RR B&O dark blue baggage and combines as well as the Pullman Green B&O baggage. If MT issues a paired window combine, likely I will sell my two RRs. Similarly to Original Poster, I have foreign road baggage cars or combines for mail trains. Most of the passenger trains that I run are head end cars with a coach or combine. Occasionally, I will have a "dead heading" first class car. NoTRAK.
Well. I didn't say it is kerosene and I didn't say it is the same thing as Wahl Clipper oil. I said it is probably similar to both which, all being petroleum distillates, it is. And, bring a petroleum distillate (I am NOT guessing), it certainly IS a lubricant, even if relatively short-lived because it evaporates. Doug
