Can track be too clean?

Can't be too clean but apparently the cleaner left a residue on the rails. I would have tried wiping them down with denatured alcohol.

Thanks Joe.   Actually I had used denatured alcohol in prior cleanings without this problem happening.  I recall that the recommendation for the contact cleaner had referenced another report that suggested it minimized certain reactions between the trains wheels and tracks which caused the track to in effect, become dirty sooner.  You may be right about the residue but contact cleaner was supposed to minimize residue.  Nonetheless, I won’t use it again.

For what it's worth, if you have MTH DCS on your layout, do NOT use any "cleaner" that will leave ANY sort of film/residue in the rails.  Been there, done that!  Thus, I never used ANYTHING other than denatured alcohol or Lacquer thinner, on a soft cotton rag wrapped around a short piece of 1" X 2" pine lumber.

Contact cleaner does leave a residue, even though you're not seeing it on the rag, it's a lubricant as well as a cleaner.

@Hot Water posted:

For what it's worth, if you have MTH DCS on your layout, do NOT use any "cleaner" that will leave ANY sort of film/residue in the rails.  Been there, done that!  Thus, I never used ANYTHING other than denatured alcohol or Lacquer thinner, on a soft cotton rag wrapped around a short piece of 1" X 2" pine lumber.

Ditto !

@Hot Water posted:

For what it's worth, if you have MTH DCS on your layout, do NOT use any "cleaner" that will leave ANY sort of film/residue in the rails.  Been there, done that!  Thus, I never used ANYTHING other than denatured alcohol or Lacquer thinner, on a soft cotton rag wrapped around a short piece of 1" X 2" pine lumber.

Alcohol has a dielectric constant of 19.  Lacquer thinner is even worse at 33.6.  Contact cleaner is 1.9, but if it leaves a residue, I won’t be using it.  I have been using mineral spirits (dielectric constant 2.1) with good results.  Works faster than alcohol and track/wheels stay clean longer.  See this link.

Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

Hey Bob.  The table in your referenced article was the one I had seen and used that as guidance.  Because I had the WD-40 contact cleaner on hand and based on that article, I sprayed the stuff on a rag and went to work on the track.  It is an interesting article.  Unfortunately, the article didn’t mention the residue problem.  Lesson learned.  Thanks!

I use Goo Gone to clean my track and then go over it with denatured alcohol to clean off any residue.

Some of these cleaning products leave a residue that can damage the traction tires.  Just ask me how I know.

Two surfaces.  The wheels also accumulate track crud.

Is it a problem using 93% isopropyl alcohol? I used that the last time I cleaned mine. Made sure I only wiped the rails and not the plastic roadbed.

@B rad posted:

Is it a problem using 93% isopropyl alcohol? I used that the last time I cleaned mine. Made sure I only wiped the rails and not the plastic roadbed.

I used 91% alcohol for years.  After I read the article I linked above, I switched to mineral spirits and won't be going back.

Thanks Bob

I think the track can get too polished. I've had several 2 or 3 day open houses where after many hours of running, the rails on a 3 percent grade seemed to get polished and made it difficult for the heaviest trains to get up the hill due to slipping (2 rail layout). After a week or so of no train running, the trains made it up the hill again without trouble. I'm guessing oxidation made some difference, not sure.

I have used alcohol to clean the rails for years. Then I saw the article about mineral spirits posted above and it seemed like a magic bullet. I used the mineral spirits once and watched the trains slipping on the grade. I then went back to cleaning the rails with alcohol because I think the mineral spirits left a residue and any film will collect crud. The mineral spirits may clean the rails better, but my trains have always run great and no slipping when using alcohol so I think I'll stick with the alcohol for now.

I would not sand or scrape the rails. That will put grooves in the rail which collect dirt.

That's why I use Goo Gone.  It does an excellent job of cleaning the rails.  Just do your on test, clean a section with just alcohol, then go over it with Goo Gone and see what was left on the rails.  But Goo Gone alone leaves a residue that needs to be removed or it will kill the tires.

I don't think rails can be too clean.    And as above, some things are lubricants, that also help contact.   Using then is a matter of personal choice.    I have tried both Mineral Spirets and recently the wd40 contact cleaner.   I think the mineral spirits works better.

But on the subject of too clean, I think rails can get too dry.   Alcohol, I think, contributes to this.    When both the rails and wheels are very dry as when cleaned with alcohol, and there is a small spec of dirt or ridge in the rail or wheel, there is arcing.   When you have arcing, you often see sparks.    But when you have arcing, you also get pitting on the wheels.    The arcing essentially burns small "potholes" in some wheel material, especially the sintered metal kind.    The holes then collect dirt and contribute to more arcing which causes more holes etc.   A lot of diesel models, especially All Nation, and older Lionel have sintered  metal wheels.

Mineral spirits and WD 40 contact cleaner tend to leave a film that improves contact and eliminates arcing.    I am willing to put up with a little slippage to protect wheels from arcing.    I have some older diesels with badly pitted wheels from this.    If the train slips, I just add a helper locomotive.