I done many different ways of track cleaning over the years from using wiper cars filled with track cleaner solutions to Brite boys, Peco Erasers, Rail Zip, Alcohol with a rag or towels, masonite wiper attached to cars, motorized track cleaning cars....etc. One thing I have not used but am curious about is WD40. I've read on other forums of people who swear by using this and say this is the best thing next to sliced bread. Now I realize that everyone have their own methods of cleaning track and their is no right or wrong way of doing so. So please...no flame wars over this. If you have a personal preference that works for you that's yours to own and if it works then more power to you. Anyway, I want to try this stuff but would really like to get input from others who have used it. So questions I have are: Do you apply this after cleaning the track or do you use this to clean the track? Do you use spray cans or pump bottles as WD40 comes both ways? How do you apply it to the rails? Old rags, paper towels, cotton swabs or some other method? Does it enhance the preformance of your locomotives? And does it really keep the track cleaner longer? Sorry for all the questions but I really like to get the most info I can using WD40 as a track cleaner.:tb-smile:
This is, and has been, a much discussed topic... While WD40 does great for "loosening" up things like extra tight nuts & bolts (i.e., rusted)... stuck padlocks... etc., it is also a lubricant and not something I would use to clean model railroad track. I use a Centerline track cleaning car along with a Atlas/Tomix track cleaning car (mostly for the great vacuum function it has). For cleaning solutions (used with the Centerline cleaning pads) either Goo-Gone or Isopropyl alcohol (90%). Alcohol wipe cloths are okay for a quick cleaning and they are especially useful for tidying up trouble spots such as areas around switches, etc. I avoid using abrasives (such as track erasers) unless there is a particularly difficult/stubborn area really needing a good 'scrubbing'... Anyway, that's what I do... FWIW... :tb-cool:
WD-40 is a lubricant and shouldn't be used for track cleaning. I recommend using iso-propyl alcohol in a track cleaning car. I also would avoid using abrasive cleaning agents as they leave scratches on top of the rails which would pick up more debris.
would'nt Isopropyl alcohol (90%). dry out the track to much? i always thought you want a light covering of something on the rails
Hi, WD-40 is a cleaner/lubricant and is highly flammable, it can be used as starter fluid. I would stay away from it (my opinion). My railroads website http://gdrinc.com/Railroad has a page on track cleaning. It covers what works for me and what others do or have tried. These are just different ways to do it. What works of one may or may not work for others. Hope this helps, Gary Edit: Track cleaning page
I would not recommend WD-40 for cleaning track. I leaves a oily film after it is sprayed or wiped on. Not to mention you'll be cleaning track more often.
NO-OX-ID-A. http://electrical-insulators-and-copper-ground-bars.com/no-ox-id-a.html http://www.sourcetelsupply.com/cata...d=131&osCsid=fe14a1efd3c97e6192cbf63e9d768ab6 The results I, and many others, have with no-ox is way beyond any other track cleaning solution I have used. In the past I used the gleam method but since my layout is in the garage I still had to hit the tracks with alcohol once a week or before running trains. With the no-ox I simply vacuum once in a while. I allowed my layout to sit for a few weeks after the no-ox treatment and I just turned the power on and off I went. Try it. You won't be disappointed. This stuff should be included in every train set sold to beginners as they never seem to understand that track cleaning is key to train fun.
If you are reading of others having good results with WD40...I would try it on a section of track about 3 feet in length. Do your own testing and see the results. I also would just spray it on a rag and wipe the track with it. Spraying straight from the can would get overspray all over your scenery...and that wouldnt be good. I use WD40 for a gazillion things...I might even try it on my track too...just to see the results for myself. JMO. .
Iso-Propyl alcohol does not dry out the track. It will remove grime and grease and that's what you want it to do. It doesn't leave a residue as many supposed track cleaning remedies do.
I would never use WD40 to clean up tracks. Besides being excellent at loosening rusted nuts, I found that stuff is mostly very good at attracting dirt and growing up gunk over time. Just take a spare piece of track, clean it with WD40 and let it sit on a shelf for some weeks. You'll soon be fixed.
Thats why I like the no-ox. It penetrates the rails and metal wheels, rather than riding on it. WD40 is an unknown to me but I have used Railzip for many years in the past. The rail zip will actually attract more gunk, especially if the layout is allowed to sit for any period of time.
Nope Alcohol here as well. In a AzTech cleaning car. Sometime a Brightboy on a track cleaning stick if I have stubborn spots Seems to me that WD40 & Goo B Gone would leave a residue. Just my method or two bits if you will
I'm a Brightboy person myself, but since I have access to alcohol wipes (isopropyl), and I have a bottle of 91% isopropyl at home, I may try that out as well.
Akin to No-OX I read about this some time ago here on Trainboard - it's CRC-26.[This should have included something from the heading - i.e. I read about a product that behaves a lot like No-OX .... edited 7/20/09] I did a little research on my own and found that CRC-26 was reportedly developed by one of the the research people working for the WD-40 mfrs. as an improved WD-40. They didn't go along with his proposal. So, he resigned and found the capital and started the company that makes CRC-26. The key improvements in the product over WD-40 is that it CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY and does not get 'gummy'. Beyond that do not ask me for an explanation of "how". I just know that it works - it does not "short" things out. I have used it successfully on electronic devices as well as on my track. It is far less costly than No-Ox and can be found in most hardware stores, including HD.
I'm not to sure I'd use WD-40 for the purpose of cleaning track. The stuff is great for loosening rusted stuff and getting cables to slide smoothly in sheathing... but... it's not a 'cleaner' as far as I know. Here's the link to WD-40' history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40 I've used alcohol and bright boys and once used "Goo-Gone". Not to sure that Goo Gone is worth the $$$ when alcohol is cheaper and does about the same job. Here's a link to the company that makes Goo Gone: http://www.magicamerican.com/ Yep... some alcohol and a Bright Boy. Since I couldn't find a good picture of a Walthers Bright Boy... fu-ged-abou-dit... and just do the alcohol. Before you know it... you won't care about electrical conductivity... be able to spell electrical conductivity... or even say electrical conductivity.
Thanks for the info. I went to the CRC website and they do not have the past like version that is NO-OX, but it does not matter if it has the same qualities. I will have to hit the big box store and see whats there.
Personally,I think all liquid track cleaning cars are a joke.I bought a centerline car,made a mold of it,and cast a half dozen of them.On my old RR,I ran the crap out of them,the first 3 wet,the last three dry.I tried EVERYTHING,alcohol,WD40,Model Power track cleaner,ETC,no matter what I used,it seemed to just spread the crap around.The car wipers were filthy,but still so was the track.I started experimenting with dry cleaning cars,Masonite,etc,they seemed to work better,cars with grooved Masonite weren't too bad.Lately,I built a few cars with fine sharpening stones,set up just like a Masonite block type car,with a few grooves across them..WOW!!! Best thing I ever used on my track.A you first start running it,on every joint,you'd hear "SCRAPE".As the train ran an hour or so,the sound dissapeared,and the track shines like a mirror.I don't even know what happens to the crud.All the formerly scummy wheels on my cars/locos are now clean,and there's hardly ever much on the stones..I did also switch from Atlas C80 to ME C70 on my new RR..One thing,though.I notice that even with the stones,glue that I may have gotten on the rails still didn't come off,but was now easier to see because the stones shined up the track so well.After removing it all with a sharp razor blade,and more running of the stone type cleaner car,I now have track that can sit for weeks,and I can drop a Bachmann Docksider on it,and it will still crawl across switches.
Lou...more details please...where do you purchase the stones? Do you have to cut them? How about a car photo. Thanks for the post...I am fed up with liquid cars too. Steve E.
Lou, great info on using the stones. I to would like to know how you made these cars. I especially like the description of allowing the stones to run for a while and noticing that the irregularities dwindle with time. Before I use the no-ox on my code 80 Peco track I used the gleam method to polish the rails.
I use the Aztec rollers on my N scale layout. (I always include a roller cleaning car in every train or switcher. It seems to help.) My H0 scale club uses the Masonite scraper boxcars, all home made. They seem to work better than my roller-type N scale car; I don't know if it is the size difference, but it may be so. I would like to have some N scale scraper boxcars to compare. Another project. I am also very interested in the stone-type cars for cleaning. Hope to see a picture.
