N scale track cleaner


M

MercerMike

New Member
Hello all and greetings from cold, snowy Mercer, PA.....Looking for opinions on track cleaners, car type versus any other ideas. I have some areas on layout, such as under the tunnel and a few other really hard to reach areas that I would like to clean the track as it needs it. Been looking around and found several different type of cleaners. Bought the wand type from Woodland Scenics and although it is okay, I just can't get what I need done. Have seen the ones that are actual cars with a Masonite block on the bottom and also the one from Tomix, a track cleaning car and Vacuum(?) Anyhow, a interested in all opinions on a good way to clean track that I just cannot reach.....Thank you and keep warm!
 
The BEST way to clean your track is the old fashioned way .... By Hand.

I'm going through the track cleaning phase at the moment and, as a result of a lot of guidance from the guys here, use 91% Alcohol on a piece of Clean Cotton Cloth (ie those cotton gloves) or a piece of Tissue OR a Q Tip.

I pick a section of track and work on that section until the Q Tip, cloth or whatever comes up clean, then move to the next section.

My intention, once cleaned properly, is to use my CMX Track Cleaning Car on a regular basis to keep the track clean.

In short, 91% alcohol, clean lint free cloth, q-tips and a lot of elbow grease :)
 
I bought this one off ebay and it works good for regular maintenance. I still have to use alcohol and a rag for tough spots. Haven't tried the other cars so I can't rate them.

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Steve


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Thank you.....Do you happen to know who made that and what the pad/stone is made of? Looks like something like this would do the job.....Mike
 
Doesn't have a brand name, only says "made in Austria" underneath. I even took the frame off to see if it was stamped elsewhere and nothing.

Stone feels like it's made out of the same materials used on those emery boards used to smooth nails.

Looks like it may be roco brand from searching the web.

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Steve


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I use a Tonys CMX+ track cleaning car. Its made of brass (8 ounces) and you need two large diesels to pull it around the layout. It does a fabulous job of keep track clean .


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Would it not be more beneficial to push that brass cleaner ahead of the locos since it is not used in a consist but for cleaning only. Can get further into yard or inaccessible area track. Would also help keep loco wheels nice and clean. Just a thought. Brad
 
Promotionaltrucks said:
Would it not be more beneficial to push that brass cleaner ahead of the locos since it is not used in a consist but for cleaning only. Can get further into yard or inaccessible area track. Would also help keep loco wheels nice and clean. Just a thought. Brad
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Brad:

You could either push or pull the CMX+ track cleaning car.:cool:
 
I built my own.

This worked for me. You probably have all the things needed. I used an old Bachmann 41" Steel Box Car, a couple of nails, a piece of an old BrightBoy and 5-minute epoxy to build mine.

I removed some of the undercar details with my Dremel to provide clearance and a flat surface. I drilled a couple of holes in the car underbody frame for the nails to pass through. These holes were just larger than the diameter of the two nails that I used so that the finished pad would move freely up and down.

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I shaped the my near worn out BrightBoy to the desired size and thickness before epoxying the two nails to it.

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The weight of the pad is heavy enough to do a good job of keeping the track clean, but doesn't hang up on the turnouts and such. This certainly won't eliminate cleaning your track by hand, but it does maintain it for quite a while.

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As dilley 340shows . Can also use a piece of masonite as the slider. Make sure to bevel the ends, so it does not snag a switch or high spot on the rails. Dan
 
I run a mix.......not the cheapest option, but it works well. I have 2 Tomix/Atlas cars, one running a cloth disc and alcohol, and the second with the abrasive disc. I don't always use the abrasive disc and sometimes use the car in the vacuum mode instead. So my cleaning consist is car 1, either the vacuum or abrasive, car 2 is the cloth disc, car 3 is a Masonite block car, and I follow that with a car or 2 equipped with Woodland scenic dust monkeys. I like all the cars, but none of them will do it all........The Tomix actually would, but you'd have to make a lot of passes and convert from vacuum to abrasive to cloth as you went.
 
steveparkinson said:
Doesn't have a brand name, only says "made in Austria" underneath. I even took the frame off to see if it was stamped elsewhere and nothing.

Stone feels like it's made out of the same materials used on those emery boards used to smooth nails.

Looks like it may be roco brand from searching the web.

adcb07caf90c5486569f4f657ec2f360.jpg


Steve


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That is a ROCO track cleaning car. I don't know if they make american rolling stock anymore.
 
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