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How To Resolve Rusted Track Problems
Dale asks readers:
“I live next to the beach in sunny north Queensland, Australia and have my layout setup in our garage. Temperatures average 28 to 36 degrees Celsius. I have an aircon but like to open the side door if it’s not too hot and let the gentle sea breeze in instead of running aircon. Problem is my track has growing patches of rust. Would this be the humidity or maybe the sea spray in the air? Any suggestions for coping with the rust and stopping it getting out of hand?”
39 Responses to How To Resolve Rusted Track Problems
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Have you tried steelwool?
Do NOT use steel wool! The particles will get up inside the motor and pretty much ruin it.
Do not use sandpaper – it will scratch the rail and promote more rust.
A track cleaning pad such as a “Brite Boy” would be the best thing.
Can you get track with a different rail composition? Nickel Silver or Brass would be better than steel.
Or you could always go Radio Control with battery power and forget the rails completely.
You didn’t say what brand of track, but the two that come to mind are Lionel and Gargraves. The best way to prevent rusty rails is to paint them. The rail heads will stay relatively rust free if you run trains with some regularity. Our club layout is right by the Pacific Ocean, but there are trains run on it at least weekly (usually more than that) and we don’t have a problem with rusty rail heads. The rail sides are painted with “rust” colored paint (paint pens make it quick work) which has kept them up pretty well over the past several years (some track has been in place for almost 20 years).
Hi Dale (that sounds like a contradiction), I have Googled your problem and found two answers. One is CLR (gets rid of Calcium Lime and Rust), but is apparently toxic and dangerous. The other is Evaporust, available from Supercheap Auto, and I am told it is harmless and VERY effective. All the best,
Best thing I know is not to worry. Just go to an on-board system and do not have any power in the track. I have gone to the DelTang system and now I don’t worry about dirty or rusted track. Check out the Dead Rail Society…
Strongly recommend against steel wool. If you are running Lionel with Magnetraction, the tiny pieces will lodge in the loco wheels and gears, wreaking havoc. It’s important to keep the railheads clean, and the best solution I have found is similar to a “Scotchbrite” pad, and available in most hardware stores as a metal finishing solution. It comes in multiple abrasive grades and is usually a dark maroon color. Its difficult to ruin the tinplate using this product, and since it’s non-metallic, it shouldn’t ruin your magnetraction locomotives.
My suggestion for removing the rust is not to use steelwool because it can scratch the metal rails. Use a product called 3M Scotch bright. It can be obtained at auto part stores that sells paint for doing cars. It could also be gotten at a local grocery store in the cleaning section, it is the sponge with green web material, used to clean scratch resistance pans. This will remove the rust and not scratch or damage the rails.
Hi Dale,
As you live by the ocean you are in an environment that is heavily laden with salt. This salt can be found in the air as far inland as 20-40 kilometres. Whilst A/C does seem to remove some salt, not all will be extracted.
Using nickel silver rail tends to stop some of the problem as well.
By using any abrasive cleaner/s (Rubber abrasive Track Cleaner) will only exacerbate (make worse) the problem, even on nickel silver track.
To eliminate the rusting you will need to install an air cleaning unit that extracts salt. A VERY costly exercise. And stop opening the door to “let fresh air in” LOL.
Or you can use a quality track cleaning fluid such as EFD Simply Glues Track Cleaner. This will remove the “crud”. But to bring the rust off, use an Amway product call “Metal Paste”. Use this sparingly on a soft cloth and as soon as the track is cleaned of rust, wipe with the EFD Simply Glues Track Cleaner.
WAHL oil can be used sparingly as well to keep things clean but it has a potential to make the track slippery.
If you ARE using a track cleaning rubber, take it outside, stand on the beach and THROW IT INTO THE SURF!
The rubbers cause miniature scratches which, once started, are a devil to eliminate and are a source of not only rust but also a repository for “crud”. Hence the need to constantly clean the track.
Having been a model train ‘nut’ for over 50 years now, as well as running a hobby business with glues and cleaners, I am well positioned to be expert in this matter.
Ignore my advice at your peril! (Tongue very much-in-cheek)
Ian Conway-Powles
Chief Bottle Washer (and dab hand with a broom)
EFD Simply Glues
Hello Dale,
It is an issue for everyone in high humidity areas especially with slab on grade construction.
I dump my monster dehumidifier twice day on average in summer and run it into the fall when I have bagged coal in the room to get more water out of the coal bags.before I start heating with coal for the winter.
Don’t hate me for saying it; but the use of a dehumidifier is in order for your issues to be managed especially since your near the coast.
Unless you can start the air conditioner the night before an operating session and you can always raise the temperature of the air conditioner a bit too to aid in removing humidity but the dehumidifier will work faster as you have a cool slab of concrete there too.
Over here on the Western Side of the Pacific Pond we have a product called Damp Rid that has its own water receptacle and a screen upper chamber that holds a small bag of Calcium Chloride that acts as a dessicant to draw moisture to the bag and it drips off the bag in to the cup used to catch the humidity attracted to the Damp Rid Container.
Invest in a small or big dehumidifier if you do not have one already that you can use and run it on high speed and see how much wate ryou collect over four hours and then decide if you want to run it on a timer or not. The bigger issue is drying out the scenery(lichen) and the plaster too much if you have a landscaped layout .
If your air conditioner has a “Dry” setting you can use that setting too
If you do not have atrack cleaning car you need to invest in one and some pot scrubbers-not the metal ones, the green ones from 3M
Since HO nickel silver rail doesn’t rust, I’ll assume you’re using three rail track or HO steel track.NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use steel wool!!! Many motor have magnets or create magnetic fields that will attract the steel wool fibers. Once this occurs, your choices are to discard the motor or devote your vacation to pulling off the steel wool strands with a tweezer. Might have some suggestions if I knew what type of track you have.
It’s probably trial and error of all the suggestions here to ease your rust issues. An elderly friend of mine swears by automatic transmission fluid which is preventative and conductive.
Good luck!
I have heard a lot of guys using transmission fluid. Bill
Hi!
I live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a little further south to your location in Australia, but in terms of temperature and humidity, I believe that we have the same conditions.
You do not say what kind of tracks you are using, but the corrosion problems should be similar.
In a model that I built, the means we use to prevent corrosion is clean the tracks with a track cleanner rubber to get the top shining and then use an oil, WD-40 type, last with a clean track wagon. It leaves a thin layer of lubricant on the tracks that does not interfere with electrical contact and protects the line against corrosion for a long time (several months, even) when a new cleanup is required.
Before applying the lubricant is required aspiration of the entire line to cleanup debris does not adhere to the wheelsets of the trains damaging the movement of these.
I hope I have been able to help.
greetings
J.Oscar from Brazil
Hi J Oscar,
The problem with a sanding block is that it leaves grit and rubber particles which reduce traction and spoil electrical contact.
The old tin-plated steel track was ruined by these track rubbers, because they removed the plating that prevented rust !
Modern nickel silver track does not have corrosion problems as the oxide is conductive.
So in my personal opinion, abrasive track rubbers are the model railroader’s worst enemy !
What you may want to consider is
take up and clean the track and remove all the rust. since it’s not on your layout, you can be pretty aggressive cleaning them.
spray your track with brown Rustoleum – a rust inhibiting flat primer sold in most hardware stores
what’s nice is it makes the tracks look weathered
put a track cleaning car in with your consist of trains and run normally
I did this method with my dad’s 60 year old Lionel O gauge tubular track
the Rustoleum prevents rust, and your trains with a cleaning car keep them pretty clean/
If layout has to be in garage,,weatherproof it.-big time. It difficult to live near a beach and have clean track. you decide which. good luck.
Rust on the sides of rails is just plain beautiful because it is realistic !
Clean off the rail tops with wire wool as previously suggested, and preserve the metal with a very light polish of oil. This will unfortunately cause loss of traction (only a problem on inclines), and will collect dust, but a regular wipe with an oily rag will clean it off.
Most modern track is nickel-silver, and its oxide is conductive, so only an occasional wipe to remove dust is necessary.
Modify my suggestions to exclude steel wool for the reasons others have stated. To remove rust, go with green kitchen scourers instead, or a steel wire brush on a Dremel or similar tool.
well done frank on being the first to note rust on the side of a rail is normal and authentic and in reality the track is kept clean by traffic if you need to ensure electrical connectivity then a lightly oiled rag can help a lot and the plastic based scourer available from the supermarket is not only cheap but readily available and does no damage to metal surfaces
I don’t live by the sea but here in Rotorua N.Z. we do have sulphur problems and this method works for train track and car track too have fun guys allan
Hi dale I live on the central coast N.S.W. I was put onto a product many years ago by an old model railroader on how to prevent rust completely and I must say I went away thinking he was taking the Micky.eventually I gave it a go and have never looked back, so I’ll share it with you. First clean the track with a good quality chrome cleaner, sound feasible next was the part I thought weird apply power steering fluid. To do this put a small amount of the fluid in a container, now get a cotton bud dip it in the fluid and rub the cotton bud on both rails about 3 to 4 inches long do this every 10 feet or so then send your train with a rake of wagons around your layout. What happens is your wheels on the loco and rake coat themselves in the fluid and spreads it around your layout.Sounds stupid but it actually works.There is no wheel slip even pulling up gradients and it keeps the track very clean.I do this every couple of weeks and my track looks brand new.I know this sounds dumb, but just build a small oval track and try it out you will be amazed at the difference and it works wether you have a Dc or a dcc layout I kid you not try it.
Ian is right. Sea air is salty air. That is part of the smell of the ocean, though by no means all of it. In the USA it causes coastal autos (primarily on the west coast, due to the prevailing west winds) to rust even though no salt is applied to roads in winter. Salt will have an effect on metals besides iron based alloys, including aluminum and, I suspect, nickle-silver. The problem you have is that closing the door doesn’t get your garage out of the salt air. You’d have to move inland for that. Removing salt from the air is not easy. Some will come out with the water (dehumidifier/air conditioner) but not all. In addition to rust inhibiting paints (no paint will stop it completely) there are electrically conductive paints. I have never used them so I don’t know if they would have higher resistance than direct contact, but it might be a way to paint not only the sides of the rails but also the tops. The “run your trains a lot” suggestion above is appealing, but not always possible. If your layout is of a coastal line, you could figure it’s true to prototype, for the rails on real coastal tracks rust more than inland tracks as well. If you do use an abrasive cleaner like a Bright Boy, you might consider following it up with 1000, 2000, and/or 2500 grit emery cloth as well as rubbing or polishing compound to minimize the scratches. Best of luck in finding an acceptable solution.
Dale,
Lots of ways to go on this but to start with identify the metal in your track. Take a magnet and if it is steel, then it will attach to the rail. It don’t matter if you are in a damp basement or near a beach the steel rail will always rust. I have picked up boxes of track from people and you can tell where it has been. Really the best thing is to relay the track in nickle silver track. Open air to the sea is never good on any metals and musty basements are never good either. I have a friend that has 2 dehumidifiers going all the time in his basement. My layout is in a garage bay and I keep the garage closed and have never had much of a moisture problem. I have never dealt with salt air but best I can say there, is to go nickle silver track and keep the doors closed with d-humidifiers. Brass track is another alternative but it gets that green corrosion on it and tarnishes more even under regular use especially in the connectors. (Or go self powered equipment and let the rail rust. I have seen some self powered equipment used on powered track. The powered equipment will quit if the tracks short but you will keep going with self powered. It is an interesting thought. But if your track is doing this you better be looking at your wheels and motors of your engines as there maybe deterioration there too.
from Newman Atkinson
I use automatic Transmission fluid for all sorts of general lubrication, door hinges, motor bearings etc
It does not like traction tyres or vice versa and I get furious wheelspin and filthy track when running locos with traction tyres so I have tried to phase them out. I don’t see the problem with track rubbers, they produce micro scratches which aid adhesion Cleaning the inside corner of the rails is difficult as that is where coned wheels pick up power, not the top.
Te real issue with rust is the rust on the sides of the rail will eventually force the rail fixing on the sleeper back and the rail will come loose, it happened to a section of steel track I accidentally laid outside in mistake for Nickle silver.
I am afraid the best solution is to change to Nickle Silver rails, though corrosion of rail joiners may still be a problem, my Peco rail joiners are failing after 25 years of so outside in a wet Engish climate.
Hi Dale.
I too live on an island on the middle of Morton Bay, so I do understand your problem.
What I have found effective is, once the track is cleaned of rust, put a few dabs of automatic gear box fluid spread over the length of the track. It will stop the rust and gives your engines good contact with the rails. I use it on my rails and have found the trains run a lot smoother and need less work cleaning the tracks. I can go 3-6 months without having to wipe down the rails.
Just dab it here and there and let the trains spread it. Works wonders for me.
Hello
Most people have hit all around your question with out actually answering it fully.
Now I’ll be frank about this…. everyone has opinions like every one has elbows and everyone is different.
Rust is alive and you cant just paint over it and it be gone,,,,,,, soon after the rust will come right back??? WRONG!!! NO it never was gone!! you just covered it up.
You have to sand scrape rub and what ever else you have to do to KILL it.
You didn’t mention what scale it is or what type, how it is laid etc.
If the rust is so bad that it is pitting the rail heads you should consider replacing that section But not a rule. All of this is at your discretion,,, if only a little pitting “on the rail heads” you can file and sand it down smooth.
With light “surface” rust you can use the scotch bright or “if that don’t get it fast enough for you” 400 wet sandpaper. keep the paper & rail wet and sand until the rust is gone, of course this is going to scratch your rails. but that is better than rust and we will fix it later. after you have got all of the rust you can off, you have filed and sanded the rail tops good and smooth go over it with the scotch bright which will kinda buff the rail down and take out the worst of the scratches, now get some good primer that actually turns rust into sandable primer. spray this on the metal parts, you will have to spray at every angle thinkable to get all of the rails panted. some time before then go to the hardware store” along the way, stop at the railroad and look at the rails. get some spray paint to match what you see or what ever color you want,”mamas favorite color was sky blue pink :>} but good luck finding that.
some masking tape is also needed to make a good looking finish. If you have a 3 rail system you could get a can of flat black to camouflage the center rail. Just strip the tape down the side of the rails inside and out. then spray the rails,,, about 20 minutes bestrewn coats and since you have salt in the air I would do 4 light coats,,, all the way from the ties to the top of the rails. when you think you have enough paint on the rails give it a couple hrs to “dry to the touch” then pull the tape off.
Leave it for a couple days ” a week if you want” so the paint has time to cure.
When you can’t wait any longer,,,
Now take an old pairing knife razor blade scraper ETC. and lay it across both rail heads like you are going to slice them in two,,, lean the top of the blade towards you and pull it over the rails, not cutting,, but scraping the rails when you get close to the bare rail ease on around the track.
Now it’s Wet sanding again, get something,,, a piece of 1×2 or 2×2 will work great for N or HO you may want 1 or 2 x 4 on G scale. about 4 to 6 inches long is a good starter piece. [you can decide what size or sizes, 2 or 3 different sizes would be great]. The longer you wait for the paint to cure the less it will fill “gunk” up the sandpaper in the step after next.
Then Take 220 sandpaper and wrap the wood with it so you have a flat sanding block, again ,,,,, KEEP IT WET!!! Lay the block flat on the rails and Rub the top of the rails just until the paint is almost gone.
Now get your knife again and where you have stubborn paint spots work on them. Then switch to 400 paper and if you want go with 800 after that. Once you finish, the only place that can rust is the very top of the rail where you sanded.
Now get some transmission fluid,,, {if you don’t have any you can stop by a service station. advance auto or some where and look in the trash can and get a empty bottle} unless they are stingy the normal person will leave enough in a bottle to last you a year.
use a Q tip “a cotton swab on a stick” and just dab it into the fluid and touch a little drop about every 2 foot on each rail the first time then after you get all of the track dabbed, take the swab and drag it all over the rails a couple times to be sure you smear it in good. Now you are ready to clean up “or not”
After the first time with the trans fluid you can Just wipe the rails off when you start having trouble with the engine making contact usually about 3 to 6 months inside but close to salt water it may be once a month after the first time saturating the rails like we just did you only place a dab about every 3 ft then run your trains over it you don’t need to rub the rails again,,, the wheels of the trains will distribute the trans fluid over the tracks even into the tunnels etc. the trains fluid will keep the rust at bay, keep the tracks clean and help the electricity transfer to your engines and will not harm anything, Unless you have hills that your engines have trouble with already it shouldn’t give you any traction problem. For those that want to avoid rusting use stainless steel rails if possible if you have to get rails that will rust ,,, just sand the rail sides all over with 400 wet so that the paint will have something to hold on to “since you don’t have rust you don’t need to sand the very top of the rails, but you need to come all the way up as close as you can because if it is not sanded the paint will not be able to hold on and start a ongoing flake off. Then tape it off and paint etc as said before
HI everyone,
I have a garden layout here in the UK where I have nickle-silver track, stainless steel track & ordinary steel track. I’ve found that only my steel track rusts. NOTHING can prevent this, it’s a natural thing that can’t be stopped. I’ve learnt to live with it and I make sure that the steel track is kept spotlessly clean by using ‘T-cut’ to clean the rail surface.I don’t bother with the sides as this looks natural. ALL rust will go black over time so paint the sides of your
track a shade of black that suits your area. I would not advise any vehicle transmission fluids to clean your track as I found that this affects traction tyres, but have had better success with brake fluid, it doesn’t seem to effect the tyres in the same way as steering fluid does.The secret would appear to be, regularly clean the running surfaces of your track.
…great comments / efforts to assist – in particular : (David Stokes / L.C.)
…my name is Alex – (Hello Dale)
…it seems as though your layout requires overall attention with the rails – just take a bit of time once a week and work on a section at a time
…you have been provided ‘excellent’ advise , now, you must work with the solution that works for you
…whatever you decide, I recommend that you consider to buy some plastic construction grade covering for your layout – (cover you layout when your not going to run trains for awhile and definitely be mindful when you keep the window open because the breeze will carry the issue right back to the tracks)
…do this once you’ve arrested the rust issues – it may seem laborious but I can attest that it works
Dale,
Are you sure its rust? Rust will only accumulate (grow) on ferric based rails (Steel or iron alloys), and unless your layout is very old your rail is more likely Nickel Silver based which won’t “rust” as such..
The guys are right – steel wool will move the accretion, but leave little bits lying around which no amount of vacuuming will shift. These are attracted to he motor in your locos, and the gear trains. Result – disaster. If abrasives are necessary get a Peco track cleaning block.
Using auto transmission fluid is a new one on me, but I see no reason it shouldn’t work. Wahl clipper oil, used in the same way would have beneficial results too. In both cases less is more – don’t over do it.
As always climate within the shed is important. If not already done insulate it, line the walls and ceiling, have a non porous floor covering (raw concrete is a Trojan horse, slowly breaking down and causing a dust film over everything). Lastly air conditioning – get yourself a revere cycle slip system which as well as heating and cooling will slightly pressurise the shed keeping the outside pollutants outside. “Swampy”, or evaporative air conditioning will only make your problem worse, sucking in moist, salty air.
I hope this helps,
I read on the ‘net that using a tiny drop of Auto gearbox fluid on the track stopped the need to keep cleaning track. I tried this and found that it improved maintenance free running. As oil is a rust inhibitor then that should help you.
Leading to a lack of adhesion?
For rusted rails I just scrape them with a Stanley blade, works well
I’m in South East Queensland and I have bought a lot of second hand track and some is rusted. I am going to try re-tinning it. You can buy a tin ingot from the interwebs for about $10 (for 8 ounces). I guess you could apply it with a soldering iron as that is how you re-tin your soldering iron. You would need a hot iron and do it quickly so as not to melt the sleepers (ties). I’d planned to try it and if it destroys the track, I’ll probably stop and try something else :o)
If you try it first, let me know how it goes, I’ll let you know if I get around to it first.
Cheers.
I’d have thought that “tinning” your track with solder would introduce a ridiculous level (pardon the pun) of unevenness, leading to very poor running / conductivity. If you’re going down the road of coating your existing track, you might as well electro-plate it, but that could prove very expensive & would probably involve removing all non-metallic parts, e.g. sleepers; not very practical? Sounds like the most economical route would be to replace the track with non-ferrous or stainless steel (if available).
Not using solder, just pure tin, like the lids (and sides) of Milo cans.
Hi Dale,
I see you’re having an overwhelming quantity of answers, most of the people try to help, some of us don’t know the correct answer.
I’m retired &I love trains but I have none, I’m living at the moment in Panama, Central America, as this country is very narrow in geographic terms oceans in both sides of it & I live 3 blocks from the Pacific, its terrible everything rusts up in matter of days.
The truth is this, once the rust attacks the steel, due to normal humidity in the air or by salty environment conditions (close to sea) you just CAN NOT take it away unless you damage the metal surface for ever, it don’t work that way.
If you use acids detergents, emeril cloth, scraping methods, nothing will help unless you remove enough material to truly get all the rust attacking particles out of the metal parts, doing this so you already have damaged the rail surfaces going under size on them.
Get different material rails or get on board power (I really think this is the best & ever lasting solution) any way if you don’t change the rail system (for different material) & you’re no running the trains often, the rust on the rails will build up & sooner than later you’ll run into bigger problems.
Humidity is a killer for steel, unless you can afford an humedifier 24/7 – 365.
Wish you the best
Hi, you don’t mention size of layout (cost) but I would replace with nickel silver track do it bit by bit as your budget allows it’s same size here in uk. Think of it as a long term investment as it doesn’t rust just needs a cleaner once in a while.
Thanks guys. Awesome answers. A big help.
I live in Scotland where it rains constantly, dampness and rust are a constant problem with anything
electrical. One product I have found invaluable is WD 40. I don’t know if it is available where you are but you can get it on the internet. It dissolves light rust if used on a soft cloth and leaves behind a film of conductive protection.
Hi, I use Triang trains with ‘Magnadhesion’, which increases their pulling power. I use track with galvanised steel rails, once made by Peco (Code SL100GS). I stocked up on it betting it would probably be taken off the market, which it eventually was.
This track never rusted in the 8 years I had my layout. Also, steel rails have a ‘natural’ grip about them, more than nickel silver.
On the rust, use fine sandpaper, at least 800 grit, wipe the rails with a dry cloth, then liberally spray ‘Electrolube’ or ‘Inox’ on a cloth and wipe over the rails. WD40 will do too, sparingly. Repeat every few months. You could try ‘Conducting Silver Paint’ from kemo-electronic.de/ on bad areas as a last resort.
And with the aircon, keep the vent closed to the outside.