Yeah it is plastic and very easy to drill and tap into the only thing I did was when I had it opened up for doing the DCC there is a center rib that I notched out for the screw to pass into the body. Otherwise I found the rib would cock the screw to one side and then the coupler doesn't want to sit flat.
I had none of these cars worked pretty good as a vacume . I ran it to long on DCC not a good thing burnt it out. Bought the Aztec car and I love it thinking about buying a couple more. Troy
I see what you mean. Also, if that screw holding the coupler touched both the weights at the same time, it would cause an electrical short.
The best track cleaner on the market The Atlas track cleaning car in my opinion is the BEST on the market,I use the transition coupler car method to attach to my loco. I have used aztec and center-line previously and was still not happy with the results,I was hesitant about spending the money for the atlas but it was well worth it. One good investment that has made the hobby more enjoyable.
Getting back to the origonal question in this thread, from what I can glean from the Japanese language Tomix catalog, the 'CL' setting has something to do with operating the units on layouts using Tomix's constant lighting system. Can't tell what exactly it does though.
Probably has an electronic filter for some of the high frequency signals or for voltage increases/drops.
Atlas Track Mainterance Car w/ MT 1025 Conversions Easy conversion. I used the unmodified frame height, too.
I've been using the vacuum function and had problems with trash items getting jammed into the squirrel cage fan mechanism. I thought it was binding because the fan and the frame were out of round and pressing against the frame, but it was because the fan motor had tipped slightly (no longer exactly vertical) causing the mechanism to bind on the bottom of the car. I found that I could press the top of the motor slightly and get the fan back into the center of the opening on the bottom. When the fan is centered, it is very quiet. I have been running the car now and it is very smooth; almost silent. It does pick up a lot of dust. Now I am concerned that when enough dust sufficiently fouls the screen mesh, it will reduce the vacuum so that it will not pick up the large ballast pieces. I ran the car with out the screen mesh and there were a lot of heavier pieces, not dust, that did get thrown into (and out of) the trash bin area. Without the screen mesh covering, you can easily see the fan spinning. I have considered painting the fan blades an alternating color so I can see if it is spinning. I don't know if this would put it out of balance. Still working on it, but it will eventually be a good MOW item, I think.
I have had the same issue with the vacuum pickup, but the track cleaner works just fine. A few passes and no blinking lights on your locomotives. I picked up one of the Micro-Mark minivac adaptors and it works great. I will NOT relate my wife's reaction when she came down to the train area and saw me with my Optivisor on and the dollhouse sized vacuum attachments.
So, I understand that the Atlas car has a vacuum cleaner in it and a liquid cleaning thing. And you need a loco to pull the car. What kind of liquids are being used? Are it special brands or can you use whatever you want? I like the idea of buying a car that will solve a lot of my dust problems, but I don't want to pay a lot of money for something that is not handy.
:tb-rolleyes: It also has a sanding disc for really tough cleaning. I've been using Life Like track cleaner and have no complaints. I am going to install the M-1 decoder (as seen in this thread. Thank you.), as the disc spins very rapidly on DCC and wears down quickly. I think being able to slow down the sanding and cleaning discs will help considerably.
Anybody use the CMX track cleaning car ? I've heard good things about it's cleaning capability. It has a good sized fluid reservoir and nice weight to clean the track. I'm considering buying one. Keith.
DCC Conversion :thumbs_up::thumbs_up:I followed these instructions and the conversion worked without a hitch. Running the wet discs now works great since I can now slow down the motor speed and the discs don't wear out in a minute or so. Thank you for that post and the simple to follow instructions and pictures.:tb-rolleyes:
Just ordered the CMX track cleaner car. Everybody seems to rave about them so, figured I'd give it a try. I'll let you know how it works for me.
CMX car vs Atlas car OK. Got the CMX track cleaning car. I've got 4 other types of cleaning cars, including the Atlas as previously noted. This CMX cleans rings around every one of them. Plenty of fluid capacity (I'm using 91% alcohol), easy to use, adjustable drip rate, bi-directional, doesn't hang up on turnouts and, cleans like a champ. I am very impressed and, while I'll still use my Atlas for the vacuum feature, the CMX is now easily my primary cleaner. Tried their white glove test after cleaning various sections with each cleaning car and, only the CMX left the track clean enough to pass the test. I do have to use my strongest engine to pull it or use two engines but, no problem. Now I just have to paint it up and I'm good to go.:thumbs_up:
CMX sounds great. What do folks consider a stong enough engine to pull it? I have a pair of LL F7As that someone here once told me would pull anything. I'm hoping the CMX would be included in anything.
My strongest engine, believe it or not, is an older Kato F7A that I didn't convert to DCC. It pulls the cleaner car but struggles with it going up a grade. I've been using a consist of two Atlas Trainmasters programmed to the same address and it works great, no problem.
So, I have used the Centerline Rail Cleaner for the very first time and I do not know what to think of it. It derails at turnouts, it makes my engine slippery so it won't run anymore, and since there is no explanation or instruction included I don't know whether I have used it correctly. I use Goo Gone. The tracks seem clean, and another engine runs OK on it.
