# Track cleaning 101



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm starting this topic for the benefit of people new to the hobby, and this is a question quite often asked.

I'll start off by saying, my opinions are not the end all be all, but are based on fact and direct experience. I always encourage people new to the hobby to ask a lot of questions, but be sure to not be hesitant to ask "why", and get things backed up by fact.


If a person cannot give you a reasonable explanation backed by facts, then perhaps the information is not very reliable.

Anyway, I want to focus on "track cleaning" from the perspective of getting power from the rails. 

In reality this is more removal of oxidation from the rail heads, that is the tough problem.

Basically there are only 2 methods:

Abrasive, where you physically sand/grind off the oxidation layer from the rail head.

Chemical, where chemicals attack the oxidation (and hopefully not much else!).

I'll start with chemical first, because it's simple. Basically you use an acid solution (muriatic, hydrochloric, phosphoric, etc.) that attacks the oxidation much more quickly than the bulk of the rail. No matter where you look, there is acid, even if it is vinegar (acetic acid).


This can work well, BUT you need to neutralize the acid afterwards. Basically you can use this technique when the track is not put down on the ground. After you have laid the track, you are putting chemicals into the ground, and even if you don't care about that, getting enough water into the nooks and crannies to completely neutralize the acid is tough. Now, if you get it into your rail joiners, you run greater risks of corrosion, and just plain eating the metal away.

I've never tried putting some of this stuff on a rag and trying to wipe the rail head. This should work, but the amount of effort and getting the chemicals on your hands, etc. just seems to be a poor way to do it.

I'll put the "abrasive" methods in the next post

Greg


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Abrasive track cleaning is where there is a lot of controversy.

First, we are normally talking brass track here. Brass used in track is relative soft, as compared to steel, etc.

So, an overly coarse abrasive (usually sandpaper) can leave scratches in the surface of the rail head, and in extreme cases wear it down significantly.

Many people use coarse abrasive, get scratches, and say things are fine. My experience examining these situations is that the scratches attract dirt which causes more problems and does reduce the electrical transfer.

So, and example of this method would be a drywall sander pole with a flat sanding pad, and the "drywall sandpaper", which looks like window screen. The abrasive is normally silicon carbide, looks like small black shiny crystals. You can get this stuff in finer grades, but I think it's too much. I have though used it on occasion where there was a year of oxidation and was almost impossible to remove. Remember that aggressive removal can also "grind down" plastic frogs in switches REALLY fast.

So, can you use a less aggressive abrasive?

Yes, and most are a "rubberized" compound with various grits of abrasive in rubber, like a pencil eraser with grit in it. Cratex is a name brand of a popular material.

Basically, my recommendation is to find the "mildest" abrasive that does the trick with "acceptable" levels of elbow grease.

There are track cleaning cars with this kind of abrasive, and even a powered locomotive with spinning wheels of this stuff, by LGB.



If your oxidation is mild, then a car with "scotchbrite" may keep things clean enough, or some of the other things that have a block of Masonite (pressboard) rubbing on the rails. 



A couple of notes:


How often and how aggressively you have to clean depends on your environment, and how often you run. Also locomotives with shoes/skates will abrade the rails and keep oxidation down.


Get recommendations from people in your area on what works, some places almost no cleaning is needed, but in others (like where I live), 2 days and the oxidation needs a lot of work to remove.

So, just a few pointers for people new to the hobby.

I have a page on my site about track cleaning also: *http://www.elmassian.com...trong>**

Regards, Greg*


----------



## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Because I use Aluminum track, I stay away from really abrasive stuff. I do use a wall sander (like the swivel) but use scotchbrite pads (red ones, as I recall). I usually use it dry, walking it around the layout once or twice before trying to run a train. That gets most stuff off, except maybe for orange juice and tree sap. If the trains stall at a few spots, I'll use the sander and a solvent like goo gone, or goof off, or automatic transmission fluid. 

Generally, the solvents will remove tarry, sticky stuff. 

I've not take a magnifying glass to the rail to see if it has gotten scored, but it still seems pretty smooth.


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Greg, What about the Swifer Wet mop? I thought you were fond of that? Or is that just for SS track? 

Your Buddy, 
John


----------



## Seaboard Air Line Fan (Mar 22, 2012)

I'm so new to G-scale that I don't have any track yet, but I do have a suggestion based on my experience in O-scale.

I've been using a Mister Clean Magic Eraser to clean my O-scale track. You simply dampen it with water (then squeeze most of it out) and start rubbing.


Be careful around the switch points and items that may snag on the eraser.


Bob D.


----------



## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I have used a drywall sander with a green Scotch Bright pad for more than 25 years. I tried the red/maroon pad once years ago, but I thought that it was too coarse. It did a good job, but there were scratches on the track. You don't want scratches as they will accumulate dirt which will be harder to remove the next time.

Chuck


----------



## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Good tips Greg. There is nothing more frustrating than your engine running poorly or not running at all on dirty track. 
I wouldn't recommend using any type of chemical to clean track due to runoff and other issues. 
I use a pole sander with a green scotch bright pad on it and that works pretty good. When things get extra dirty I sometimes squirt goo gone on the pad. When t hings get REALLY disgusting in the spring with tree sap, pollen and caterpillar poop I use the same scotchbrite pad with a bucket of warm soapy water. What a mess luckily it is usually only for a couple of weeks or so. 
Brass Track doesn't need to be sparklin bright to conduct current. I'm surprised how dirty track can look and still be clean enough to run trains. 
When I start my run I will walk the main with the pole sander and remove sticks pine cones etc. the scotch pad also removes any grit that is kicked up by rain. I hate to hear my engines grind along a dirty section. It can't be good for them. Then the first train pushes a Aristo plow with a Aristo track cleaner behind it for a cople of laps. Then it is smoothe running the rest of the day. 
Another issue that is just as bad for poor running is dirty wheels on your engines. To clean mine I spray rubbing alcohol onto a paper towel then place it on the track, place one engine truck onto the towel and give it power. The junk that is spun off and deposited onto the paper towel is pretty gross. Repeat for the other truck.


----------



## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

I started this back in HO: Clean your track FIRST, make sure it's good, then one to two drops of Clipper Oil, or a similary light oil on the rail, every 10 feet or so. I've used Bachmann conductive oil also, and it seems to work well. Then run a train for a while to distribute the oil throughout the track.


My HO layout was in the basement, had it for five years, never cleaned the track. 

Aristo track, on the ground, in the back yard, for about four years now. Trains run perfectly on it, and it's never been cleaned. Ever. 

Robert


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I purposely limited my post to track power, and to beginners so I did not really address aluminum track for a track powered layout, which I would never recommend for a beginner. While it can be done, it's successful for very few people. 

I have a philosophy that advising beginners should be the best shot at reliability and ease of use, etc. Yes for aluminum, you have to be even more careful of aggressive abrasive cleaning. 

On the issue of the swiffer, that's really also beyond what I was talking about, it removes grease, oil, and other contaminants, but will not remove oxidation from brass or aluminum or nickel silver rail (I use stainless rail, so I never have to remove oxidation) 

There is also a reason I did not address adding oils to keep oxidation down, for some people it works and others it does not at all. Again, trying to keep it simple and the best chance for success for everyone who reads this. 

Indeed, the different colors of scotchbrite gives you a nice range of abrasive cleaning. 

I was planning a separate post on track "clearing" which involves everything BUT removing the oxide... that's really where most "track cleaners" actually wind up, and my swiffer excels in degreasing, and the motorized track sweeper and/or "blowers" are a boon. 

I was trying to keep it simple for beginners, the basic situation where a person new to the hobby gets a starter set, a small transformer, and a loop of brass track. 

While the way I go about things may not match some of the other established "groups", I have the same goal, to make sure people can enter the hobby at a reasonable cost and have fun running trains, not get bollixed up in just getting them to run reliably.


----------



## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I just went out to run the trains after about two weeks of no running. It's full-on spring here, and the track was very "dirty" with sap, pollen, slug trails, and also some oxidation.

My track cleaning routine is to use a bridgematers track cleaning car with a green scotchbrite pad on it, and also an aristo track cleaning car. For heavy cleaning--which I needed to do today--I put a little put of lacquer thinner on the scotchbrite pad, and let a loco make a few passes around pushing that while pulling the aristo track cleaner. Cleared it up in no time. 

I sometimes use a drywall screen on a pole. It does cause some mild scratching, but I'm using a very fine drywall screen and it's old and worn.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd probably not recommend a beginner using lacquer thinner anywhere around plastic, it will soften and dissolve most plastics. I understand it works for you, but if a beginner did not know that lacquer thinner could attack plastic, he could ruin a lot of stuff. 

Would not make this comment but this is in the beginners forum, was for people new to hobby, so I want to add this caveat to your suggestion. 

Regards, Greg


----------



## mbendebba (Jan 22, 2011)

For the beginner, I recommend the LGB track cleaning block (LGB 50040); it is a safe and quick way to remove carbon residue and oxidation from brass tracks,; it is long lasting and not terribly expensive. 

Mohammed 
www.allaboutlgb.com 
www.massothusa.com


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I have one, and it's made of nice material... several people have used it mounted to a pole... 

I need to add it to my track cleaning page, thanks for reminding me... 

Greg


----------



## snowshoe (Jan 2, 2008)

Good tips Greg. I found the pole sander with a scrotch brite pad (green) works best. For the turnouts I use the LGB block. To clean my engine wheels I use the kadee brush. Works great.


----------



## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Greg, 

I had always used Goof Off for track cleaning. A little bit on a pad and also used to clean wheels on the locomotives.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Certain solvents work well, but they don't remove oxidation... I was concentrating on this thread in removing oxidation.. 

You should try the Swiffer wet wipes, you would be amazed and no residue to speak of... goof off "dries" pretty well though, some cleaners do leave a gummy residue, like wd-40. 

I have some cool tricks for cleaning loco wheels too... will do another post on "cleaning" rails and wheels, as opposed to removing oxidation for track powered locos. 

Regards, Greg


----------

