Recently I posted a question related to cleaning wheels on the DCC Peter Witt street car .I would like to share what I discovered is the best way for me to clean all wheels .
1- Connect two straight sections to EZ track rerailer connected to small Bachmann DC power pack .
2-Cut 1 1/2" X 4" piece of coffee filter paper .
3-Place paper tightly over the rerailer next to power cord . Tuck paper under rerailer and spray with isopropyl alcohol ( first aid stuff ).I use small spray bottle ( old lens cleaning bottle ).
4-Run unit back and forth over paper.
Paper towel can be used but the coffee filter paper works best with cars with low clearance . Hope this helps someone . Have Fun ! Art
Art,
Thanks for sharing.
Coffee filter paper is an interesting thought. When I find a car or loco with dirty wheels, which is not very often, I use alcohol and a bounty paper towel.
I have found that replacing all plastic wheel sets with metal does more to keep the track clean than any other thing I can do. The exception is when I have done some construction or scenery where I find I need to use something like a bright boy to get the track back in shape.
Joe Daddy ,
Like you I have been using Bounty paper towels but the coffee filter paper works better for me .I have a small layout due to space .This I guess creates a faster build up of dirt ,especially trolley cars and definitely the DCC trolly's .They are so close to the rails the stiffer coffee filter paper works better .I got a pack of #2 filters at Walmart for $1.64 , cut them from left to right in half only keeping the top half .The bottom part has all the seam marks. I trimmed off the ends which gave a piece about 11/2' X 5" .When pulled apart I had two pieces that size . 200 pieces for $1.64 is really cheap for my wheel cleaning .
Your right about replacing the plastic wheels .
Thanks for your comments . Have fun !
Art
Art,
While we are on the subject of cleaning track, I have tried many of the finer track cleaning cars out there and find the CMX Clean Machine to be my favorite. :) I use isopropyl alcohol, but have a friend who swears by acetone to keep his track clean. I don't use it very often, maybe once every 6 months I'll take a few laps on the mainline but it does a great job.
Have a great day.
Joe
First I have heard of acetone being used to keep track clean. Interesting. I will have to try it. I have tried just about everything else.
Thank you J.D.
Like JD I have never used acetone .Regarding the use of car cleaners ,I do not have one .Will check into the CMX Clean Machine .Thanks ! Art
Keeping track clean?
After cleaning track with something like the Peco track eraser I then lay a six inch strip of Rail Zip(Zap?) on the rail head of each exit track from my through staging, that takes care of clean rail and wheels for months on end.
Roger ,Do the wheels just run over the Rail Zip coated rails one time ? Or,do you let the wheels go back and forth over it .I have a bottle of Rail Zip .Used it once but did not like the results .If you can share more information I would appreciate it . Thanks ! Art
I would be very careful with acetone around plastic. It's used as a nail polish remover not to mention cleaning and removing fibreglass resin. Potent stuff but at least it evaporates very quickly.
Quote from: HOART on June 06, 2013, 07:57:37 PM
Roger ,Do the wheels just run over the Rail Zip coated rails one time ? Or,do you let the wheels go back and forth over it .I have a bottle of Rail Zip .Used it once but did not like the results .If you can share more information I would appreciate it . Thanks ! Art
Art.
My experience is mainly with my previous GER, not the one I'm currently building.
1) I have only metal wheels on all my rolling stock, no plastic ones. This is a big help.
2) I cleaned all my track with a Peco or equivalent track cleaner.
3) I cleaned all the locomotive wheels using the paper towel soaked with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol (NOT "rubbing" alcohol as that contain oils, the last thing you want on your rail as that's what can cause the crud.) I did this by laying the soaked towel on the rail and powering the loco over the towel so the wheels spin.
4) I lay a six inch or so bead of Rail Zap on the rail head of the single track main line leading to each end of my double ended staging yard.
5) I then just run trains and let the wheels transfer the Rail Zap around the railroad.
6) I bought a bottle some ten years ago and it's still half full. I use it sparingly.
I think it's important to clean everything first.
Thanks folks for the input . Regarding acetone, I think it might be safer not to use it .Again, THANKS ! Art
I hear your concern HOAT and Bob_B.
If I try the acetone, I would be putting a little on a cotton rag, like an old T-shirt and would wipe the tops of the rails only with it, being careful to get it on anything else.
Roger, for $5.96 a 1 oz bottle, I would be using Rail Zip sparingly as well. Is it anything like Wahl clipper oil?
Quote from: jbrock27 on June 07, 2013, 12:32:26 PM
I hear your concern HOAT and Bob_B.
If I try the acetone, I would be putting a little on a cotton rag, like an old T-shirt and would wipe the tops of the rails only with it, being careful to get it on anything else.
Roger, for $5.96 a 1 oz bottle, I would be using Rail Zip sparingly as well. Is it anything like Wahl clipper oil?
I believe Rail Zip is transmission fluid. It's the same colour and smells like tranny fluid.
Price doesn't bother me, it's the fact it works, at least for me, is what counts.
I used Carbon Tek for years to clean track. I've used Acetone for at least 5 years, no problem. I put small amounts on a rag and wipe. The Acetone evaperates fast. I've never seen any damaged plastic.
Joe
I ran into a near disaster at a State Fair 3 years ago, displaying a layout that would run 12 hours a day (my first experience at this BTW).
The layout, while indoors, was situated very close to a large open roll-up door, which of course subjected it to the dust of thousands of Fair-goers.
Early on, I ran into running problems on various sections of track. Cleaning with brite-boys and alcohol helped a little, but not for long - I was constantly working trying to keep track clean.
I remembered I had some Labelle 105 track conditioner in my bag. I had never used it, but I thought what could it hurt at this point? I stopped operations, cleaned all track thoroughly with alcohol, then applied the 105, going over it once more to remove the excess.
I swear it was a miracle - the trains ran like new and kept running all day. Crazy thing was, at the end of the day...well, check that, not even halfway through the day...the track itself looked filthy. So the operating procedure from that point was to clean the track at the start of each day, apply some 105, and run all day. The stuff is touted as "improving conductivity". Don't know about that, only know it saved my rear and I'm sold on the stuff. On my home layout, I'll rub a cloth dampened with 105 around the track occasionally, then be sure to buff off the excess, because it is oily, like clipper oil, and it will affect traction if too much is left on the rail.
Thanks for getting back to me Roger and thanks for the info keystone and JNXT 7707.
Regarding Acetone, I said a friend uses it in his CMX car and has great success with it. I've never tried it myself but see absolutely no issue with it. Putting it on a rag is VERY different from pouring it in a tank and letting it drip onto the track. However I'll remind everyone that Acetone, after all is fingernail polish remover.
Joe
Quote from: keystone on June 07, 2013, 02:51:11 PM
I used Carbon Tek for years to clean track. I've used Acetone for at least 5 years, no problem. I put small amounts on a rag and wipe. The Acetone evaperates fast. I've never seen any damaged plastic.
Joe
Joe-
You are very lucky. Even the tiniest bit of acetone wil mar plastic. Heck, even acetone fumes will craze
plastic. Just think of some of the unintentionally frosty model windows you have seen. I, personally, would
never use acetone near track, especially since there are so many alternatives which work well but pose no
risk of damage.
-- D
Quote from: Joe_Daddy on June 07, 2013, 10:20:41 PM
Regarding Acetone, I said a friend uses it in his CMX car and has great success with it. I've never tried it myself but see absolutely no issue with it. Putting it on a rag is VERY different from pouring it in a tank and letting it drip onto the track. However I'll remind everyone that Acetone, after all is fingernail polish remover.
Joe
And is one of the very few chemicals that will release alpha-cyano acrylate (sp), aka AC or Crazy Glue et al.
Nail polish remover is a good standby at home if you glue your fingers together.
J.D., when you say VERY different, do you mean in a good way or a bad way?
As an experiment, I took an old 9" straight section of brass Feller/Garnet track and Atlas brass rerailer with black plastic roadbed and put a little nail polish remover (acetone) nice lemon scent :D on cotton rag and used it to wipe the tops of the rails down. Nothing melted, deformed or blew up. To me, it did not clean any better than a cleaning block or Wahl clipper oil.
But, if the nail polish remover proved to be cheaper than the bottled track cleaner fluid, I would likely use it in a tank type cleaning car and not be concerned.
Just my observations and thoughts.
Quote from: jbrock27 on June 08, 2013, 07:14:09 AM
J.D., when you say VERY different, do you mean in a good way or a bad way?
IF acetone were harmful to human beings, putting it on a rag with your finger behind it would expose your body part with direct contact for as long as you are cleaning the track which could be hours. On the other hand, pouring it into the CMX tank exposes one to some fumes for a few seconds and unless you spill it on yourself, there is no bodily contact.
Now, if acetone is in anyway harmful to humans ingestion excepted, I'd be amazed that would be available without a permit.
Just my 2 cents.
Joe D
Thanks one and all for all the comments .However , the comments have gone more or less to general track cleaning.My original comment was directed to solving the problem of cleaning the wheels on a Bachmann Spectrum Peter Witt street car .The car is extra low to the rails which makes cleaning the wheels difficult .DCC seems to create dirt quicker than on DC .My posts regarding this is what I continue doing . Enjoy the hobby ! Art
Quote from: HOART on June 08, 2013, 01:38:42 PM
Thanks one and all for all the comments .However , the comments have gone more or less to general track cleaning.My original comment was directed to solving the problem of cleaning the wheels on a Bachmann Spectrum Peter Witt street car .The car is extra low to the rails which makes cleaning the wheels difficult .DCC seems to create dirt quicker than on DC .My posts regarding this is what I continue doing . Enjoy the hobby ! Art
We have covered this.
To clean wheels on ALL powered equipment, you simply dampen a paper towel a couple of inches inward from the edge of the towel with your favourite wheel/track cleaner, lay the dampened towel over the rails and run one power truck onto the damp spot and apply full power and spin the wheels, now do the same thing with the other power truck. This does NOT work with traction tires, just another reason why traction tires are a bad idea.
Wheel cleaning done.
For non-powered wheels, remove the vehicle from the track, turn it upside down and clean the crud from the wheel tread with a jeweler's flat screw driver.
Simple.
Quote from: Joe_Daddy on June 08, 2013, 12:56:11 PM
Now, if acetone is in anyway harmful to humans ingestion excepted, I'd be amazed that would be available without a permit.
Joe-
Acetone
is harmful. It is one of many, many harmful products which do not require a permit because the substance is safe when used as directed. That means with plenty of ventilation or a mask which traps vapors, and while avoiding physical contact with the product. Will one whiff or a little on your finger kill you? Probably not unless you are one of the people who have a biological sensitivity to it. If you doubt me, there are hundreds of parents who lost their children to huffing acetone or nail polish remover in a plastic bag. There are also a few people with the scars to show how dangerous the stuff is if you use it in a basement with a water heater with a standing pilot. Acetone go BOOM! House, too, or maybe it will just catch fire.
Asbestos doesn't kill with a whiff or a brief exposure, either, but certainly no one doubts the insidious effects of long-term exposure. Acetone is just as dangerous plus it has those nasty little heart stopping and sudden explosion features that boring old asbestos lacks. Acetone certainly isn't the most dangerous common substance in the home, but it can be harmful if used carelessly. And remember, half of the world is below average so it's a sure bet that there are people who use it in an unsafe manner.
Also, and just for the record, acetone and nail polish remover aren't the same thing. Nail polish remover usually has acetone, or one or more very similar compounds, in it, but it has other components as well. These include fragrance, oil and additional solvents. There actually is some nail polish remover which has no acetone at all. I haven't made a careful study of which is what, however, because my use of nail polish and nail polish remover tends to be very low.
-- D
Quote from: Doneldon on June 08, 2013, 10:54:40 PM
Quote from: Joe_Daddy on June 08, 2013, 12:56:11 PM
Now, if acetone is in anyway harmful to humans ingestion excepted, I'd be amazed that would be available without a permit.
Joe-
Acetone is harmful. - - - Acetone go BOOM! House, too, or maybe it will just catch fire.
- - -
-- D
Don,
I think you have take the worst case scenario and taken it a few steps past. Acetone is not a bomb in the medicine chest. The propane tank in the grill is has far more lethal potential. Actone evaporates so quickly that it would have to be an very small confined space to create an explosive result.
My last words on the subject.
Joe Daddy
J.D., perhaps I mistaken, but it appeared to me anyway, that in your above post, you expressed some concern over my using Acetone/nail polish remover on a rag "for hours" cleaning track.
If so, thanks for that concern, but I don't share it, as my layout is not so big as it would take me that long to clean it. Even if it was much bigger, I doubt I would have concern over the skin contact and fumes, as I can wear a mask if I felt the need to and wash my hands. To me, there are too many other things in life to have greater concern over.
All this talk of acetone, and I think about my buddy Stu, who owns a fiberglass shop. He's been doing this since he was a kid and is in his 50's now...... he washes his bare hands in acetone to get the resin off his skin cause he won't wear gloves. Hasn't seemed to affect his health. He also doesn't use a respirator....just a particle mask.
Funny, his shop hasn't blown up in 35 years.....you'd think it would be a bomb and Stu should be a dead duck, the way Doneldon is talking. I think some folks take these warning labels a little too seriously.
Like those Californian rats....they get sick way too easily....everything seems to cause cancer in a rat from California....lmao. ;D
Sid
How 'bout it Sid? Ever single thing out of CA is labeled as "being known to cause cancer" :D
Ridiculous !!
A P.S. for wheel cleaning that I forgot to add :
When I am pulling apart an old "A" blue box loco, I take the half axle wheels off and put the wheels and bronze bearings in an old vitamin container (like Centrum) and spray Liquid Wrench into the bottom of the container, enough to just cover the wheels (usually there is eight). Close the cap, swirl it around now and again and let it sit for a few days. Then pour them out into a cleaned our plastic tray (like from a frozen dinner) and clean off each wheel and bronze bearing with either a rag or paper towel. You would not believe how shiny and like new the wheels get! You can also tell by the color of the used Liquid Wrench, how much it has worked to clean the wheels.
Joe-
The very low vapor pressure of acetone is a big part of what makes it dangerous. In that regard it's more dangerous than gasoline. Gasoline is very difficult to set on fire though gas vapor is exceedingly explosive. Acetone vapor can also explode and it becomes a vapor very fast, much faster than gasoline. It's also readily flammable unlike gasoline. And it is very destructive of the central nervous system. Just because people who use it can still spell their names and aren't (yet) incontinent doesn't mean that damage isn't accumulating. People can drink wood alcohol and gasoline for a long time before they begin to see spiders climbing all over the wall, but we wouldn't urge anyone to use those substances.
I'm not trying to convince anyone to avoid acetone because it is too dangerous. On the contrary, I routinely use it myself. I do maintain that its potential for fire, explosion and central nervous system damage should be respected.
-- D
Folks,
I've been following this thread, and thought some visual aids might be helpful to someone out there.
Admittedly, I have tried every method discussed in this thread, and past threads as well. Overall they all seem to do a pretty good job of cleaning wheels, both locos and rolling stock. AND I've tried every evil chemical out there. Don't have a favorite... :)
The past couple of days, I have set about to clean my layout, including track and rolling stock. Here are a few photos of the wheel cleaning.
The chemical du jour was Goo Gone (smells nice), along with a few paper towels, toothpicks and soft cloth. I sprinkled a little cleaning fluid on a paper towel and ran the stock along the top, like so:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2234_zps9f06cdaa.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2234_zps9f06cdaa.jpg.html)
For passenger cars, it takes two towels:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2242_zps8ea9052c.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2242_zps8ea9052c.jpg.html)
Don't need this example, but I just finished building this caboose:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2239_zps0e4c5b7b.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2239_zps0e4c5b7b.jpg.html)
The paper towels look like this afterwards:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2235_zps2742c154.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2235_zps2742c154.jpg.html)
For diesels, as mentioned previously, one can set one set of trucks on the paper towel and let the other truck pick up power from the track:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2238_zpsfc9668fc.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2238_zpsfc9668fc.jpg.html)
Steamers are a bit more complicated. I turn them upside down in a self-made cradle and apply power by using some alligator clips I made:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2245_zps51fcac24.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2245_zps51fcac24.jpg.html)
If you're in a hurry, this "speedi-driver" works in a pinch:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2243_zpsf5fbb8d2.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2243_zpsf5fbb8d2.jpg.html)
Anyway, I apply the cleaning solution to each driver with a toothpick, followed by wiping with a soft cloth, all while power is turning the wheels. I like about 50% throttle for this operation:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2246_zpsde7e32ef.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2246_zpsde7e32ef.jpg.html)
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2248_zps8c973143.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2248_zps8c973143.jpg.html)
I also spend some time picking out fuzz with a toothpick and fine tweezers.
I clean the tender wheels individually, pulling them from the truck, dipping in the solution and wiping dry. Don't forget the tender pick up brushes. They get gunky:
(http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu146/jsnvogel/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2251_zps4cc8506e.jpg) (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/jsnvogel/media/Rolling%20Stock/DSCN2251_zps4cc8506e.jpg.html)
And they do wear down over time. This loco gets a ton of run time. I wonder how long the brushes will hold up?
Hope this helps the discussion.
Regards,
Jonathan
Good idea on the pics Jonathon, thank you.
Is that "brush/spring" you are holding in your last picture, made of copper? If it is, what I do with the copper clips from "A" blue box motors, is take them off and soak them in a small bowl with white vinegar. Cleans them like new. Not sure if vinegar would do the same for brass ???
Doc, you make me wonder if you are from California :D
Vinegar is a weak acid. I soak brass in vinegar, in order to etch it prior to applying primer and paint. I think the Bachmann brushes are phosphor bronze. Don't know what vinegar would do to them. :)
Regards,
Jonathan
Thank you for the info Jonathon.
I meant to say Jonathan. Sorry.
Quote from: jbrock27 on June 13, 2013, 07:23:17 AM
Doc, you make me wonder if you are from California :D
jb-
Interesting supposition, I suppose, although I'm not sure just what you mean. You are partly right, however.
I was born in Chicago and lived there until I was four and my family moved to NW Indiana. We lived there through grade school and for eighth grade. We lived out in the country, in a subdivision not a farm, and it was a fabulous place to be a child. I went to a tiny country school which only expanded to three rooms the year I started first grade. However, we spent just about every summer in the Los Angeles area so we could see my father. He worked for the Santa Fe Railway, with a schedule which had him gone for five days and then home for five days. At least that was the plan. The truth is that he was lucky to have a single night at home between trips (he traveled from Chicago to LA and back) during the summer travel season and at the holidays. So he worked a train which ran from Los Angeles to the racetrack at Del Mar, California, just north of San Diego, for the racing season which was Memorial Day to Labor Day. It was a five day a week job and we actually got to see him. We always hit national parks and stuff when traveling back and forth and we usually missed some school at the beginnings and ends of the school years. I liked school but a shorter year was cool. We lived in LA all year when I was in seventh grade, then returned to Valparaiso for a year, and then back to LA. He died that Christmas so we returned to Chicago where my mother had family and job connections. Then I lived in Chicago for high school and college. Finally, I moved to Minneapolis for graduate school and I've been here ever since except for two years of involuntary servitude with the government. As you can see, I lived about three or four years, total, in the LA basin.
I'm not sure what tipped you off to my time in California but you were quite astute to pick it up.
-- D
Doc, ever hear the expression, "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in while?". That's me. I was totally joking. I only said that about you and CA bc of what I see as your cautious nature concerning chemicals (not w/o justification when it comes to certain ones) in relation to the labels one sees out of CA about "everything being known to cause cancer". I believe it even says that on Plasticville kits-I can remember someone posting a question on the board asking if he had reason to be concerned over the warning label :D
jb-
You still showed some fine intuition. As for California, well, there is a large element of Looney Tunes out there. It's the proverbial wonderful place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there. I, too, have noticed that just about everything seems to be known by the state of California to be hazardous to one's health in some way.
Thanks Doc.
I agree with your assessment 100% and no, I would not want to live there.
And yes, I believe in fact that I came across one of the Looney's yesterday.