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Cleaning Track, Rolling Stock, and Engines
Frank wants advice from experienced model railroaders on how to keep his track, cars and locos clean. If you can offer a suggestion, then please add your comment below:
“I clean my tracks, rolling stock and engines with goo gon. I was informed that this leaves an oily residue. Is this so? Tracks I clean with a clean white rag. I use white paper toweling socked with goo-gon layed over a section of track and roll my rollig stock over it. I then roll it over a dry paper towel until clean. Engines I do in the same manner except I use the power to spin the engine wheels. After a short period of time; less then a week the tracks are back to being dirty again. Another point: someone told me they use moleskin pads on a cheap track cleaning car and run it around the tracks. Again the tracks get dirty within a week or so. Any Suggestions.”
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I switched to DCC and that helps with keeping the tracks clean. This last year, I saw the article on using ATF on track. The auto transmission fluid and the DCC combination work very well for me.
perhaps you can use Automotive Transmission Fluid on the tracks. In an issue of Model Railroader magazine, a club had found out that the ATF suspends particles of dust, grime, and dirt in the fluid while also improving the electrical conduction of the locomotives. The only big drawback that the club had found is that long trains may slip, as the fluid reduces friction. However, with a 30 car train on dry track, you may have to go down to 25 cars instead. Maybe you don’t want to do this, but it is a suggestion that has been proven to work. I myself tried it and ATF works quite well. I have had nothing really go wrong as of yet (after 1 year).