Dirty Wheel Issues

BarstowRick Apr 21, 2020

  1. CedarCreek

    CedarCreek TrainBoard Member

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    So I applied it to a test piece of track about a month ago just for shits and giggles.
    The rail in that section still shines and when I run my finger over it I never get any black stuff on my finger.
    Whereas I always get black stuff on my finger in the areas of my layout that I'm cleaning with IPA.
    In fact, I will get black stuff even immediately after cleaning with IPA.
    So my conclusion is NO-OX prevents the black stuff from occurring therefore reducing the need to clean the track.
    Which in theory should also help with dirty wheel issues.
     
    BarstowRick likes this.
  2. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well I would be tempted to try NO-OX on my rails for the cheap price of $8 a jar but only after cleaning the track well. I have read a lot of rave reviews on it.
     
  3. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    I started using NO-OX on my layout about 2 months ago and can confirm wonderful results. Since applying it I have only cleaned the track in areas where I have done scenery work and then only with a cleaning pad and not anything abrasive like a track eraser. The 8 ounce tube I bought on Amazon may last me the rest of my life.
     
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  4. tehachapifan

    tehachapifan TrainBoard Member

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    I've had similar results. Mine is the Bar Mills version.
     
  5. CedarCreek

    CedarCreek TrainBoard Member

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    Great!
     
  6. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well I took the plunge yesterday and ordered a small batch of NO-OX. And I am going to try it on the most difficult trackage I have, the port area with its tight 6 inch rad turnouts and tight track curvature. I also going to try it on the tender axle assemblies of a Bmann 4-4-0 famous for the Zmactitis of the axle stubs assembly resulting in the lock-up of the tender wheels.
     
  7. Onizukachan

    Onizukachan TrainBoard Supporter

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    You ought to see my desk trolley after I haven’t run it in a week or so, Rick.
    Easy enough to clean wheels with a fingernail when they get that gunked up though. Stuff comes off in chunks. It’s a combo of Microarc blackening and the particles in the air imo. Isopropyl makes it clean but makes it worse too. It’s just going to oxidize again. Quickly.
    The oxide is conductive, it’s the atmospheric contaminants that aren’t.
    I’ve gone back to the old Giant pink school eraser I used back in the 80s On my old layout. Perfect size for n scale rails.
     
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  8. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well I have a fresh can of WD-40 just arrived today and decided to try it a small section of track. Did a wipe on wipe off number then set up a loco. It just happens to be where there is a 1% grade, good test for any oily residue left behind. From a standing start up to warp factor 9 where it left the tracks due to extreme speed and not sign of wheel slip, Note to self, self don't ever use a folded napkin for this purpose again. George got any old socks left? Next step is the No Ox test when my back heals enough to lean over the track. Had a nasty fall about a month ago and broke some parts of me. Did the WD-40 test while sitting down on the front section of track. Well I decided to switch my loco and consist onto a short run around at the station which has not been used for awhile. The loco immediately stalled at slow speed. Did the old wipe on wipe off trick with the WD-40 again and it is now cruising through the run around without nary a hiccup.

    Will now consider adding a can to the train room along with the No-Ox.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2020
    mtntrainman likes this.
  9. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    Just to be clear and not to confuse those who are new to this, when you say WD-40, you mean WD-40 Contact Cleaner and not plain ol' WD-40 (anti-seize)?
     
  10. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nope I used plain old WD-40 and got the same results. Note I did wipe it off after applying, had the same cleaning effect. So a new kink in the saga of dirty rails.
     
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  11. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    Got it! Interesting!
     
  12. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    People laugh...I laugh back ! I have probably 50 old pair of socks in a box out in THERR RV. Old cotton socks are GREAT for wiping down track. I dont use napkins or paper towel for anything on my layout. I use new coffee filters laid over the rails to clean loco wheels. Coffee filters dont shed fibers like paper towels/napkins do. JMO (y)(y)
     
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  13. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I stand by my previous experiment with plain ol DW-40 for rail cleaning. I still havent had to clean track ! Wipe on---wipe off...simple as that. (y)(y):D:D
     
    MK likes this.
  14. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    I'm a sock collector too.! :LOL:. They come in so handy around the layout.
     
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  15. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    So are we talking about originally plain old WD-40 or WD-40 electrical contact cleaner.
     
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  16. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Plain old WD-40 John. WD-40 Contact Cleaner is just a tad bit better on the chart Joe Fugate posted in his magazine article.......but I am sure its more expensive too. JMO

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2020
  17. Maletrain

    Maletrain TrainBoard Member

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    WD-40 contact cleaner evaporates much faster than regular WD-40, and does not seem to leave the residue that regular WD-40 leaves. Too much of the regular WD-40 definitely can lead to driving wheels slipping on grades, although a tiny bid has not shown any clear evidence of promoting slipping.

    I have noticed that cleaning Kato track with IPA and letting it sit for months will give me black residue when I clean it again (almost no use between cleanings), but doing the same with WD-40 Contact Cleaner has resulted in no residue after the same amount of use/sitting. So, my personal opinion is that there is something to the claims that the contact cleaner version protects against further oxidation better than IPA. I have not tried the regular WD-40 in the same use/sitting conditions. I have tried it in high use conditions, and there seems be plenty of black stuff on the rails accumulating between regular WD-40 cleanings.
     
  18. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have a can of WD-40 contact cleaner on order from Amazon at $8 a can with no shipping, and should be here by Tuesday. I noticed where diesel was on the chart and we used diesel to clean rust off of tire chains and keep them rust free until the next year. The back is making progress toward improvement so in a few days I should be able to lean over the layout and clean the port area trackage then apply No-Ox. Then the front tracks of the village station will get WD-40 and the mine branch will get WD-40 contact cleaner. That way I will have a test of all three agents started at the same time. In the next day I will go through my sock drawers for an old pair of white socks.
     
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  19. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Now that's the evidence I was looking for.

    The fact is if you run your trains and don't clean the wheels and track the black residual will always be present.

    CedarCreek, Your experiment proves you can clean both and it's more then likely going to stay cleaner...longer.

    The thing about WD40 is it leaves a residual of it's own that attracts particulate out of the air. My own experiments have proven such.

    You'll figure it out.
     
  20. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Not to labor this point but that's exactly what I've been talking about. Well put and well played.
     

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