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What To Use To Clean Railroad Track
John asks:
“What product(s) should I use to clean track and wheels?”
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I use Isopropyl alcohol or shellite or just plain Metho.
You want something that doesnt leave a residue.
I then put a few drops of RailZip or light machine oil (sewing machine oil ) on the track and run a loco to spread it. Puts a protective layer on the track and makes it easier to clean next time.
You’re likely to get 12 different answers from 10 different people. There are opinions on this that span the cleaning material world.
Many of us use an abrasive Brite-Boy (sp?) on the track. Some use denatured alcohol on a soft cloth. Others use acetone or an acetone-based nail polish remover. If you have a sizable layout, or a layout with a lot of hidden track, I would invest in a track cleaning car. There are several on the market.
My recommendation would be for you to try a few options and see what works best for you.
I use mineral spirits. Put some on a rag and run. Them along the tracks. Does a very good job. Or use a cleaner rail car that matches your tracks. That’s a lot faster.
I mentioned my using acetone. It’s not the stuff from Ace or H-D, It’s from Dollar Tree and is sold as nail polish remover. Regular nail polish remover has oils etc. in it. What I use does not. I don’t like oil/Wahl clipper or other. I don’t like bright boy. I tend to wipe carefully. Also, use a toothbrush to clean rail joints/joiners/turnout points. etc. I like it. It gets the rail top shiny.
I had heard about using graphite for rails after cleaning. Graphite is a lubricant, but not oil. So that might be worth trying out too. I agree with others. Try what you like, what sounds logical to you. But please avoid lubricating track with oil. I know for a fact that it reduces pulling power of locos. Of course, if it’s a small layout, that may not matter. Just MHO.