Best way to clean GarGraves / Ross / Curtis track?

I use a trackman 2000 car or a brightboy block.  Both work equally well.

I use the CMX track cleaning car after trying almost everything on the market. It isn't cheap but it is absolutely the best hands down. Eric Siegel on ericstrains.com has done a review of this car that you can look at. It is in his video library under product reviews. Scroll down and it is listed near the beginning as CMX Clean Machine Track Cleaning Car. Honestly I thought it was way too expensive till I bought it and used it. NEVER again will I use anything else.

Curtis

An old worn out sock,a bottle of 70% alcohol, some good music and a favorite beverage and your ready to go to town.

You probably should put the 70% alcohol on the sock, and not in a glass w/ ice.

Elbow grease.  And a "bright boy."  There is no more effective way.  Track cleaning cars are useful if you run them often.  However, if there is a real build-up, there's no better way than the good ol fashion way of Bright Boy.

R & L Lines out of Green Bay, WI makes a weighted car that uses angled small foam paint brushes that I've been using for a long time.  The little foam rollers are available in stock at the home centers so they are readily available.  It's a simple car design that works excellent.  You can apply either goo-gone or denatured alcohol and they clean rails extremely well.  I usually run the cleaning liquid first and then follow up with just a dry roller in place of the wet one to dry the track.  I think I read somewhere a while back in an MTH guide that denatured alcohol works great and I've sworn by it since.  You can pick up a can at Ace or HD or Menards and it's relatively cheap as a cleaner.

I use a NE Trains track cleaning car with Goo Gone on the front pad and it does a great job. For the debris I have a small one gallon Stanley shop vac which I picked up a Wal Mart about 5 years ago for about $20.00 and it it light weight and really picks up the dust and other debris from the track.

@John C. posted:

Elbow grease.  And a "bright boy."  There is no more effective way.  Track cleaning cars are useful if you run them often.  However, if there is a real build-up, there's no better way than the good ol fashion way of Bright Boy.

Not true! I use the CMX track cleaning machine car with acetone in it. ONLY car that you can do that with. Two times around and CLEAN regardless of what is on track! See ericstrains.com - video library - previews for a video.