I've stopped using Simple Green on Fastrack

You have just discovered that ANYTHING used to clean your rails, which leaves ANY KIND of film on the rails, also attracts dust/dirt MUCH faster!

Stick with denatured alcohol, there is NOTHING better for maintaing good DCS and TMCC signal strength.

Lee,

Were there any cautions about whether it was safe on plastic or what kinds of things to avoid using it on?

Lee do you use IPA or denatured alcohol?  Personally I think the denatured cleans quicker and doesn't leave a film the way that IPA sometimes does.

I would use the India Pale Ale on myself, and the denatured stuff on the track, personally.

The closest thing you can find to 100% isopropyl alchohol on a paper towel leaves no residue like simple green,nor does it have the noxious odor of denatured alchohol. Anybody interested in a free quart of denatured alchohol that can pick it up in the south suburbs of Chicago can have mine. I don't care to have my train room smelling like an auto body paint shop. If you really want clean track, rub it with lionels abrasive eraser or an equivalent like a "bright boy"then go over it with alchohol, better than new.

I use nothing on the track except  a plain scotch brites pads with a sponge on one side and the green scrubbing pad on the other. Track is then nice and clean and last for a long time maybe 3-4 weeks between cleaning. It also does not harm the track in any way. Running your trains often also keeps your tracks clean. I have never seen a track cleaning car work in all my years but the pad works great either by itself or building a cheap track cleaning car out of these pads. (in another thread)

Doesn't MTH recommend denatured alchohol on track, wheels and pickup rollers ?

Yes, but when I tried it per MTH's instructions I felt as though I needed a respirator and special gloves. IMO the stuffs too "industrial" for toy trains.

Simple Green has been known to attack and soften certain plastics. Some R/C car people use it to strip paint off plastic bodies. There are different types of Simple Green. If you use Extreme Simple Green® Aircraft & Precision Cleaner, you should not have any issues. This version has been tested to be safe on plastics. We used it at the airline I worked for with no ill affects on plastics.

I use something that was suggested in a thread several months ago.....electrical contact cleaner with lubricant.  I apply it on the wheels of the locomotives as well as the rollers.  If you are just starting to use it, you need to go over your track with the contact cleaner using a soft cloth...but after that it will be likely that you won't have to clean your track for a very long time...perhaps years...  Really!!

  I know this is unbelievable but I know other folks that have never cleaned their track using this kind of product...this has worked for me and I am very satisfied.  Also use it to clean the wheels on locomotives.  Only have to do that once in a few years too...

Check out what Home Depot or Lowes has in their electrical section....

Alan

I've never heard of or seen any film or other residue left by Isopropyl Alcohol.  I recommend the 99% stuff, simple because it has virtually no water content.  After reading the MSDS for IPA or denatured alcohol, I think most will choose the stuff that is used in hospitals for cleaning, not the industrial cleaner.

I use Isoprophyl alcohol I buy at the Pharmacy.  I can't see or feel any residue.  Anyway, it works: the track gets clean and doesn't get dirty again quickly.  Gonna stick with it.  

I have a smaller CARPET layout (6' x 9') and I wipe off the the FASTRACK with paper towels or toilet paper, then I use the Kendall Webcol Alcohol Preps to finish the job.  The cost for a package is between $2.00 to $4.00 for 200 alcohol preps.  Just my 2 cents.  Killian

VETERANS HOME - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

POW/MIA YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

All these household cleaners I see people using... why? Denatured alcohol is nasty stuff. Not recommended. 91% isopropyl alcohol is inexpensive and plenty good enough to clean tracks, AND does not leave any residue or film. For the life of me, I don't understand why people have to make such an easy thing like cleaning track into something so difficult. All that film seen on your rails is also going to be on the track pins, and you can't clean them. 

Here's a little article from E-How on using both types of alcohol to clean train track.  BTW personally I don't find denatured alcohol harsh at all but I've been using it for many yrs refinishing furniture and in different kinds of paint.  I also use it in the stove on my boat.  To each his own. http://www.ehow.com/how_837365...opropyl-alcohol.html

Smart!  I gotta get some!

Alcohol prep pads are convenient but the alcohol may not be as concentrated.  Killian's pads, for example are 70% as opposed to 91% out of the bottle.

Still...  a good idea.

I use denatured alcohol. What I don't understand is why you would want to spray TV tuner cleaner with lube in it on your wheels? It has oil in it. I tried it in the past and promptly threw the can away.

Rob

It's like using the cleaning soap on those rental carpet "steam cleaners". You leave lots of soap in the carpet. The more times you clean the faster they get dirty again. It's the soap attracting the dirt and you can't vacuum it out because it sticks in the carpet. Don

I wipe my track down with a clean rag saturated with LGB Cleaner and Smoke Fluid.  Has always worked great and keeps the rails clean for a long time.  Expensive, but worth it.

I use Goog Gone on the first pass (It takes everything off the tracks) then I follow that up with a second pass with a clean rag soaked in Denatured Alcohol.

Never have a problem.

I have been operating a large layout for 25 years plus, and I have never tried to clean the track. I operate DCS, TMMC and conventional and I do not have signal problems. I do not operate the smoke units in the engines.

If you're going to use Simple Green to clean your tracks you're going to have to follow up with a clean damp rag to get the soap film off the track.  Of course after the damp rag you'll probably want to go over it with an alcohol wipe to dry the track so just use IPA to start with and save the extra steps. The soap film is what's attracting the dirt and over a few days time it will set up like a thin film of glue. We used to use it at work to clean wax and grease off of lenses but we ran into the same issues. Simple Green does not evaporate away like alcohol does. 

Jerry

Rob...I said you wouldn't believe it!!  Honestly, the brand I use has so little lubricant in it that you don't notice.  It is designed to increase the conductivity and the "oil" does just that.  For many years the HO folks used Wahl oil, hair clipper oil, on their track and it did wonders for operations.  The trick is, use it sparingly....

Alan

There is no "one size fits all" solution to track cleaning because there are so many variables involved, including how often one cleans the track and how one cleans and lubricates the equipment that runs on those tracks.  Keep in mind that the "gunk" that accumulates doesn't just build up on the track; it also builds up on the wheels of locomotives and rolling stock.  Few O gauge modelers I know of really take the time and effort to clean wheels on a regular basis and take care not to over-lubricate their locomotives.

Some of the "gunk" is actually the oxidation layer on the track.  Nickel Silver and tin have oxides that are actually conductive (not as conductive as the metal but not an insulating material either).  Tin oxide is dark grey and has a slightly greasy feel to it.  This material tends to attract other debris.  Smoke fluid (which is usually some kind of mineral oil) and excessive lubrication are the principal "culprits".  This "stuff" can cause the traction tires to wear down faster and add even more crud.  Since the track is now used for signal communications purposes either directly or indirectly the need to keep track clean has increased dramatically.

Abrasives should be avoided, e.g. sand paper or emery cloth as they can remove protective coatings (like tin plate) and leave debris (particles that can mess up gear trains).  Steel wool is also a very, very, very bad idea (the iron fillings will get into anything magnetic and mess up gear trains as well).  Any solvent should be checked for compatibility with the materials it will come in contact with and human safety factors like prolonged skin contact, inhalation issues, and/or ignition issues.  You want something that doesn't leave residue.

Count me in with the group that uses high percentage Isopropyl alcohol (90%).  Splash some on an old tee shirt "rag", wipe down and then done.  This is not the same as the usual 70% that's typically found in the medicine chest.  99% stuff is available but you can watch it evaporate from the bottle and it's pretty good at pulling water out of the air so it doesn't stay 99% very long.  It's not worth the extra cost plus it's really flammable. 

Actually, there is one. Rechargeable battery power. Probably not the answer you wanted or expected, but it works and is an option that is out there now!

Simon

Has anyone tried the Mr Clean Magic Eraser?   It cleans almost anything and has no odor and almost zero residue (which a quick wipe with a dry rag should take up.)  I haven't used in on track but with my hottub it did wonders removing the iron scale from the water level.  I used to scrub and scrub with a sponge scouring pad but with the Magic Eraser, a quick wipe and it's gone.

Chris

The only thing I use Tuner Cleaner with lubricant on is pick-up rollers. It flushes the dirt out of the bearing hole and lubricates at the same time. For other things, like E-unit drums, wheels, etc.,  I use Electronic Contact Cleaner with no lubricant.

For track cleaning, denatured alchohol and a blue Scotch Brite pad on a sponge.

Chris...I had not thought of the magic eraser.....I wonder how it cleans?  Does it have any kind of chemical in it...like a dry clemical?  OR...is it just another kind of abrasive pad???

Alan

Alan,

Magic Eraser is melamine foam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam) which apparently has been known for awhile but it wasn't until recently that it was found to be a great cleaner.  It's for all practical purposes an EXTREMELY fine and very hard abrasive pad.

Chris

I won't use Soylent Green for track cleaning, either.  Too much residue.

Simple Green + a follow-up wipe with a dry cloth is my cleaner of choice.  It's worked so well for me, I've never even tried anything else.

I also get the black buildup, and relatively quickly... but it seems to be directly related to how much I'm running trains, and which ones.