Lionel fastrack

What do you use to clean your track with? Is the room your layout is in very humid? In the four years my layout has been up, I've never had a problem with rust.

I first wiped it down with 90% rubbing alcohol, then I used Lionel's eraser followed with Lionel's track cleaner fluid, then I wiped it with a piece of dry paper towel. the room it was in was a little humid but I have sensed moved and the room I want to set it up in I am Using damp-rid and it as taken the humidity down to almost nothing.

I have never had a problem with rust.   If your basement is prone to humidity I would invest in a dehumidifier for the room.  

The track was set up in my bedroom on the main floor of the house in my bedroom were i also had a fish tank when the rust accrued. I now live in Florida with two containers of damp-rid and three bags of damp-rid hanging in the room were i want to set up the track. So humidity is no longer any problem. Now i'm trying to find away to remove the rust from the track so i can us it again. if anyone as any ideas on how to remove it without sanding the track (i don't want to sand the track unless there is no other way to remove the rust) i would really like to Know.

First, I would try a small dab of metal polish. I used Happich SemiChrome on some used track that I purchased. Motorcycle shops will have it. Lots of rubbing makes your figures sore. Perhaps Mothers Wheel polish would work if you can't find semichrome. Heck, I'll bet some tooth paste would work. (not gel type)

Then, I wiped the top with Alcohol.

I had to emery cloth on a few stubborn areas, followed with the polish and then the top of the rail with alcohol. This sands the track, but is like 600-800 grit. If you have 400 wet/dry, be very gentle to minimize the removal of the plating.

Controlling the humidity will be the answer to preventing the return and a regular cleaning of the top of the rail with alcohol.

I don't think you should sand or rub fastrack with an abrasive.   The coating is relatively thin and the steel underneath will rust indeed.

I use WD-40 sprayed on a paper towel.   It loosens gunk so that it comes off easily without a lot of rubbing.   Leaving a light film (very light) of oil protects the track from rust.   I clean my track every 6 months or so. 

Interesting aside:   a number of years ago I had an accident that spilled coca-cola drops on part of my temporary fastrack layout.   I cleaned the track, missed two sections.   The droplets there ate into the top coating of the rails, resulting in little circles of rust on the steel underneath.   I junked one piece and still use the other where the droplets were mostly on the side of the rails not the top surface.    

I clean the rails with rubbing alcohol. Try a bright boy on the rust.

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Don't use simple green to clean your track with!! Another member on here did that and it did some really bad stuff to his Fastrack.

Lee Fritz

Thank your all for the suggestions i tried using wd-40 and rubbing alcohol but with no luck the rust is there to stay. What i am thinking of doing is sanding the tops of the rails with the finest sand paper i can find then wiping them down with wd-40 to put a protective coat on them and just leaving the rust on the sides of the rails( it doesn't look to bad) as long as it doesn't effect the electrical performance of the track. if anyone as an alternative to this idea (other then replacing the track) please let me know as i'm not to sure this is going to work.

you can use vinegar, get a bucket drop it in, the other is that rust remover  evaporust,

vinegar, use baking soda after, then light machine oil,

I had the same problem when I used rubbing alcohol. Rust everywhere the next morning. What I found that works perfectly is a scotch brite pad under a flat car followed by a Mr. Clean magic erase pad under another flat car. I will run a couple passes and the truck looks brand new. 

Mrhobby052 posted:

...I now live in Florida with two containers of damp-rid and three bags of damp-rid hanging in the room were i want to set up the track. So humidity is no longer any problem....

Hang whatever you like, but only a dehumidifier will cure the humidity problem.

As for track cleaning, I use what Jason suggests -- a Scotchbrite pad fastened under an 027 passenger car.  When I need a liquid cleaner, I use 91% rubbing alcohol.