Locating a lost screw between the rails solution?

The first thing I do is place a magnet (or magnets)  in a small plastic bag so I don't have to pick off any pins, needles or whatever off the magnet.

Maybe rubber band or tape the bag to the bottom of a plastic flat car or whatever and run it in the tunnel

Sometimes the fuel tank mounted speakers will pick metal from the track.  The speaker magnet can be relatively strong.   Check the speaker face of units.  IMO Mike CT. 

Thanks guys.

Like the idea of a bag around the magnet for keeping it clean.

Mike, you are correct! We'll have to check the engine that was running, run another diesel with low speaker housing on it.

Run a magnetraction loco slowly around your layout, preferably a 736 Berk or something that doesn't have spur gears which could be jammed and chipped by the screw.  Magnetraction is good for some things ;-)

Magnet.

We actually attached a magnet to the bottom of a gondola and use it to clean metal from our layout, it has a junk load in it so it fits right into a freight consist.

Now, losing a brass screw - when that happens, there's a tough nut to crack.

D500 posted:

Now, losing a brass screw - when that happens, there's a tough nut to crack.

That's gonna require a mini-vac or broom attachment!

Ron_S posted:

We actually attached a magnet to the bottom of a gondola and use it to clean metal from our layout, it has a junk load in it so it fits right into a freight consist.

I learned that trick from a club member as well but I use a flatcar.   Get two pieces of Velcro and attach one to the bottom of the railcar and the other to one side of the magnet.  Attach the Velcro together and send the car slowly on it's way.

-Greg

Use neodymium rare earth magnets in a gondola.  Here is an old thread.

https://ogrforum.com/...41#82804839940765841