Strange Track Cleaning Observation

OK, I'll bite;

Is it really dirtier or is the cleaning car not working as well on the tighter curves?

And just which car and method are you using?

I have found that the dirt is more of a function of time running, not what is running.  The more times a train rolls on it, the dirtier it gets.  Being an inner loop, it's smaller, so if you run a train on each loop for the same time, the train on the inner loop has gone around more times than the train on the outer, and thus it'll have more dirt on it.

OK - Inner loop has 0-72 curves - outer loop 0-80 curves - The track cleaning car is the one made by Northeast trains with two cleaning pads. I use denatured alcohol as a cleaning fluid on the first pad and the second pad is dry.  The loops are level - neither loop has a grade. 

Inner loop is perhaps total distance wise about 4 feet shorter.

Should have taken some pictures - next time I will.

I have found certain areas seem to get dirty sooner than the rest of the layout.  All Atlas track.  For me, it's in bridges and for awhile I thought the bridges were causing signal issue.  They're not easy to reach but after a close look, I saw the build up.  Another area was a curved section.  The rest was not a problem.  It's a double elevation, two loop 13X6 holiday layout.  I need to clean it now.

Good luck,

John

Sorta on topic: I could NEVER understand or believe those that claim that the more you run your trains the less it is that you will need to clean the track.  Jim B. makes that claim all of the time, just to name one.

- walt

This has to do with dirty track as well, when the track is dirty sometimes a whistling tender sounds off for no reason at all except for dirty track. This happened to me with a Williams steam engine and tender, using an older Lionel 250 watt Z transformer with no whistle feature the tender sounded off at certain spots on the track, found out it was dirty track conditions after talking to a few fellow hobbyists nearby. 

Another reason that track gets dirty quicker then other tracks, a smoking engine or smoking caboose, as they leave smoke fluid residue on the track no matter how good a unit it is.

Lee Fritz

I've also found it seems like the more one cleans the track, the more dirt and grime it collects!

So it seems ...

So, as phillyreading mentioned, where do you run the smokers more often?

You have two events (inner and outer loop) with differences.

I would clean both loops to establish a baseline.

I would run smokers on one and non-smokers on the other.

I would look for other factors, as well.

You are looking for causation and you have to experiment to find the answer.

Sounds like it time to pull out the old "Design of Experiments" notes.

Kerrigan,

It may seem crazy, but I agree with you. I rarely ever have to clean my track. I do it maybe every 4 months because I 'think' my father taught me that back in '47 and I do not want to let him down if he is up there looking down at me! That is not a joke!

Since operating with electronic control systems (DCS & TMCC) and engines with rubber tires on old tinplate track, the outside rails never really get dirty. I also do not at all buy the idea that smoke causes the tracks to get dirty either. You would have to fill the room with smoke 24x7 to force that to happen.

Now! all that having been said, I can run my finger down the middle rail and pick up 'smut'. Outside rails clean, center rail 'smut'! I think there maybe an electronic reaction between the control systems and the engine through contacts causing this smut buildup on the center rail. It, I must say never seems to effect the operations of the engines. It is because of this smut, that I clean about every 4 months.

I have a track cleaning setup which works well, and I use denatured alcohol to saturate the cleaning car operation. I use a magna traction engine to haul the track cleaner (no rubber tires!)around and follow up with cleaning pads and rags after soaking the rails. Never use coarse paper on the rails.

Here is my home crafted Lionel track cleaning car.

http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/BlogShowThread?id=825

I found that my pickup rollers needed cleaning more often.  It has helped.

From the Centerline Products website:

"The number-one producer of rail & wheel crud is the electrolysis effect of passing current through dissimilar metals. Where our current-drawing locomotive wheels (of one metal) meet the rails (of another metal), a very fine powdery oxide is formed."

Centerline Products dirty track and how to clean it

Tighter curves give more friction to the rubber tires.  Maybe that is tire wear you are cleaning. 

.....

Dennis

do you clean the outer loop first then do the inner loop? and is so do you re wet the pad before moving into the inner loop?

"Never use coarse paper on the rails."

Why!

Very Good question!

There are all kinds of abrasive papers. I suppose I should have been more specific.

#1 never use and sandpaper or in general paper designed to be used on wood. They have bonding material which bonding agent and resultant residue is an insulating agent

#2 Other paper, usually dark grey and not light brown is made for use on metal. Mostly it of silicon carbide and all paper comes in 'grit' density. This paper is may be OK but nothing bigger that a 400 grit or what is often called tri-mite. This leaves no residue.

I guess without this explanation, it is easier to say don't use any coarse paper, mainly because you do not need it, you can only possibly do damage rather than help. A good cleaning agent, I like alcohol and a soft rag changing the rag surface often.

Once again, about every 4 months.

I clean the rails on my tubular track by running the train.  This cleans off rust and corrosion but not oil or grease.  If I need to clean oil or grease off of the rails, I use some folded up paper towels attached to a heavy car with rubber bands. I put rubbing alcohol on the paper towels and put the car behind the engine or tender and run the train. Periodically, I will fold the towels to expose a clean surface of the towels.  My track doesn't seem to get much oil or grease on it, maybe because I am careful (most of the time) to not over oil the locos and cars.

You should be very careful with abrasives on tin plate track.  Tin is a soft metal and can easily be removed from the steel that it was plated on.  One you remove the tin the track will rust more easily and the conductivity will be reduced (tin is a better conductor of electricity than steel).  

Tin oxide is a) conductive, b) slippery, c) dark gray.  The stuff you're removing as dirt may actually be part of the track.

Well said Chuck!