Steel Wool and Magnetraction

Soon the train will stop running. Then they will ask you to fix it. Then it will not be so cool. Good luck.

When I see something like this, I'm reminded of the horrible degrees of abuse I gave the Heavy Iron starter set I had as a kid.

The fact it continued to run for years was not only a resounding testament to the product, it was nothing short of a miracle.

A little Simple Green will take care of the carpet!

Gunny

Quite an interesting read, Lee. You tell good stories. I rarely miss a posting by you.

Frank M

Based on what I have seen over the years, the steel wool bits will work their way up to the axle bearings.

I typically use masking tape or duct tape to pull the metal bits off of the wheels and anywhere else it might be stuck.
In tight spots, I fold the tape over a thin metal ruler.

Once in a great while, usually for debris wrapped around the axles, I'll pull the wheels.

Hi Lee, C.W.'s idea of using tape to pull the steel off of the wheels sounds like a good idea. But, your friend should run a vacuum cleaner over his layout to make sure he gets all the steel wool up. In fact if I where him I would get one of those little Stinger shop vacs with the small attachment kits, that would work on the engine as well.

Might a strong magnet be effective, also?

I don't believe that

That's a good idea Moonson. I use an industrial grade magnet in a deep well flat car, you would be surprised at the stuff it finds.  I found old track tacs to a Lionel Shoulder bolt from the bottom of the engine, used as a guide for the rear truck.

That is why I like the above mentioned Stinger. It is a simple process to open it up and check for things we don't wont to throw away after every use.

Even when I was a kid, about a thousand years ago, I knew better than to use steel wool or anything similar around my track and locomotives.  It wasn't even something I read in a book or magazine (there was, of course, no Internet at the time).  It was just common sense knowing that magnetized axles would attract metal particles--big and small.

quote:

Might a strong magnet be effective, also?

I have the tape sitting on a shelf above my workbench.

I also have some magnets, their shape prevents them from getting to most of the places the tape goes.

As an added benefit, the tape will pull away alot more than just bits of iron filings.

There are very strong magnets that you can epoxy to the head of a finishing nail.

 anywhere that that tape can reach and would probably be more effective.

I like GG1's idea for a car with a magnet in it to "sweep" the rails. I have a stack of large ring shaped speaker magnets that I've taped into a single magnet 6" in dia. and 13 inches long. This thing will pull the fillings out of your head! I had to keep it at least 20 feet from any tube type televisions since its field was so powerful it would distort the picture, bet it would pick up all of the steel wool on that layout!

Jerry

I once lifted a locomotive equipped with magne-traction, which was sitting on a single length of 0-27 track, and had the track lift right up with it, affixed firmly to the bottom of the loco. That was the first time I ever saw that; maybe, because locomotives were usually set down on an entire screwed-down loop of track. Somehow, I hadn't realized previously in my life that it was that powerful a feature.

My thoughts go back to Lee's opening comments within this post.  I have a rather creative and somewhat vivid imagination so try to follow me with the picture that was forming in my mind's eye as I read on; tears running down my cheeks...

... the only thing Lee left out of his scenario was a trailing tank car leaking some type of combustable liquid 

Originally Posted by Dave Garman

 ... the only thing Lee left out of his scenario was a trailing tank car leaking some type of combustable liquid

Now that's funny!  Bo 

Visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com

Or a track cleaning car that uses lighter fluid as the cleaning agent.

There is a postscript.  My friend called last night and said his train was "running funny."   I gathered up some Fastrack (new - and never Simple Greened - I've bought four remote Thomas sets and that track has collectedg in a closet - and a older (MTH) Warbonnet F3 in fair condition along with a honking big neodymium magnet and went over to his house.  His track was really worn and looked terrible, but it was shiny it was so burnished by the steel wool.  The loco was not well - I think steel wool had worked up into bearings and gears, etc. 

We removed his old track and used the magnet to attract all the odd pieces of steel wool down in the carpet.   I was surprised.  It grew a beard in just one sweep of the carpet and it took several cleanings of it and further passes before it came back clean.   

What did surprise me was the amount of steel wool that had worked its way up into the trucks of the passenger cars, etc.  His boys used the magnet and tape to get out all they could. 

Anyway, we set up the Fastrack, I explained about steel wool and track finishes,  and suggested pyrotechnics be banned.  The F3 I bought ran well and I left them too it.  He gave me the old loco which I will not try to fix, and old track which i just pitched.

He's a good guy, and normally smart if not too technical, but just has no knowledge of toy trains and views them only as a holiday type thing.

I imagine his boys will play with the train a lot less often now that it isn't as spectacular to watch.

Lee: your a good guy for helping out. This was a great story at the right time of the year. Boy, The only thing that could have been better would have been a video. Thanks for the story.

Common sense and deodorant are a lot alike.

those who need it most use it the least.

But Allan, a thousand years ago we had common sense!!!

quote:

He gave me the old loco which I will not try to fix

Does it have bigger issues than the steel wool in the mechanism?

Wisdom. Yep.

I used steel wool, then sparks came flying out of the engine!  I forgot.  in fact, they caught on fire a little (steel fibers)!   a little crazy action

Chris

Hah!  Laugh all you want, but I have clean rails and no steel fibers! 

OMG!!! That guy over there has a TANK OF LIGHTER FLUID IN HIS POCKET!!!!!

Jon 

Maybe the rails are clean, but you still need a placard for your track cleaning car, perhaps something like this?

Only when it is in-service.  The fluid evaporates quite quickly.

Jon 

Hi Lee, your a good man and I wish I had you for a neighbor.

But, I have a steel wool story that I'll never forget. When I was replacing a 9v battery with a BCR at my work bench I placed the battery in a junk can that sits on a shelf above my bench.

Well about a year later I was cleaning some old brass at said bench and placed the extra peice of steel wool in the same can.

All of a sudden flames came up out of the can. The steel wool shorted out accross the battery post and even started to burn a pencil.

Naturally I forgot all about that battery and that is how dumb things happen.

To this day I never store, or throw away an old battery without putting tape accross the top and steel wool goes in a bin by it's self, as dose my batteries go into a plastic container.

I do the same thing (tape a terminal on any battery I store or dispose of), but I never thought about the possible reason that it could start a fire.  I do it because I worry they will short out against metal they contact and that will cause internal problems and they will leak the acid/gel/corrosive gunk out of them. I'll be doubly sure now.  I never knew steel wool could burst into flame so easily - I'll be double sure from now on.

Lee.....have them buy a Lionel Hotbox Reefer. 

Rick

I have one of those, it's great with TMCC control added.  You can fire it up any time for the unsuspecting.

John

Didn't that Lionel Hot Box car come with roller bearing trucks?

If only someone could provide data on a experiment involving steel wool, track cleaning fluid and a car of 2400.

Of course no ordinary person should be allowed to try that at home, only a licensed professional.

Steel wool particles can also get into the motors magna traction or not. Never use it on trains or track.

It is a definite bad idea in retrospect, but Lionel used to recommend steel wool to help clean the tracks.

You might note, and I did'nt see it mentioned above.  The steel wool pieces, metal filings and for that matter any magnetic metal will be sucked-up by the fuel tank mounted speaker on your diesel locomotives.  I've seen my Atlas SW's grow beards, and eventually the small speakers failed. A Crackling speaker may be an indication of foreign magnetic material on the speaker face.    Yes, I don't do that anymore, but the Atlas track sure was pretty and shiney.  It is amazing a couple years later, engine speakers are still picking-up metal.   I use Scotch-brite pads for cleaning and a Trackman 2000 cleaner that uses a pad very similar to Scotch-brite.  Most of the time mechanical cleaning is sufficient.   I rarely use any solvent, which IMO appear to soften traction tires even more causing more residue. I could be wrong and often.  Mike CT

Trackman 2000 track cleaner beside the engine house.

Weaver markets a mechanical track cleaning car.

Good point about the speaker magnets picking up the steel wool fibers.  Amazing, isn't it, how long those fibers stay around and continue to be a nuisance, isn't it?

I have no idea why so many folks on these forums wish to tempt fate on such a regular basis.  Is it an effort to seek affirmation for their "experiments" or just an effort to save a few cents at the risk of eventually having to shell out far more for repairs?  Be it track cleaning, smoke fluids, or any of a dozen other things, I'm just not sure how the risk is considered to be worth the possible long-term costs.

Gunrunnerjohn...that is exactly what I do.  The noise starts up and I say..."what is that...I never heard that before."  Then the orange flickering occurs and smoke starts pouring out.  At that point...I wonder aloud what it could be and wait until the unsuspecting person sees it and points it out to me...at which point I 'panic" and announce the thing must be on fire!   Always good for a laugh.

When I first pulled this stunt on my family years ago...my young daughter high-tailed it out of the basement and ran upstairs!  If only I had captured that on video.  

It kind of brings to mind the old joke about the patient telling his doctor that it "hurts when I do this" and the doctor replies "well, don't do that."