Hello,
I recently purchased a bunch of used Gargraves Woodtie Flex. Is it ok to lightly scrub it all with dish soap and water to clean it from being stored for years and let air dry? No real rust or damage, just super filthy.
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I'd just wipe the rail tops with a cloth dampened with alcohol. Try that first.
Thanks MichRR714. I have a lot of it. I know water and track is a no-go. But since I have so much and it’s mainly really dusty (almost like it was sitting under a drywall cutting table). I may be able to just use a stiff paint brush and then wipe it all with the alcohol before use.
I have a large amount of Gargraves Track and it has been in service for over 30 years. Some was used when I installed it. My suggestion would be to use a shop vac to clean each piece as best you can and then make sure the track joining pins are clean. Once installed, I would use a brightboy or something like that and clean the top of the track. I would then use an alcohol soaked rag to wipe it down again. That would be my recommendation. After that, you obviously need to periodically clean the rails to remove dust and other contaminants. I use a CSX Track Cleaning car regularly and this seems to work ok to combat dirty track.
Thanks Bill. I’ll definitely try that!
Mike
I would pick a better solvent that will maintain the cleaning longer. Alcohol is a polar solvent and not the best choice.
MRH Track Cleaning Article
Mineral Spirits or Kerosene are better choices for track cleaning solvents. Note that all these solvents are flammable, including the afore mentioned alcohol.
