I have a track cleaning car of unknown provenance that I want to buy new cleaning pads for but do not know who made it etc. Any leads would be appreciated. See photos.
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Kinda looks like the one from Northeast Trains.
Definitely Northeast Trains. You can use thin scotch brite pads too.
I customized mine.
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Northeast trains, netrains.com.
It appears that NE Trains doesn't sell the pads, at least they aren't on the website.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:It appears that NE Trains doesn't sell the pads, at least they aren't on the website.
I made a bunch of them myself using swiffer pads I believe.But here is NE trains ebay listing for the pads. I found the car cleans the track the best using Goo Gone on the front pad and leaving the rear pad dry.
I'm sure they're knockoffs, but I suspect they'll do the job. 
@Bruce Brown posted:Here is another seller of the pads. Frankly, I never had an easy time replacing the pads. A few years ago in a magazine article, someone came up with a modification to make it easier to swap pads but I never quite understood it!
I wonder what makes that dozen pads worth $5 more than the two dozen in the other ad! 
I picked up some additional pads about 6 months ago, and if I remember correctly they were from NE Trains. I may have called them. Their new track cleaning cars come with a dozen replacement pads, so they do have them in stock.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I wonder what makes that dozen pads worth $5 more than the two dozen in the other ad!
Profit !!!!
Thanks for all the replies.
I looked at my pads. They seem to be a heavy gauge felt.
A pair of scissors and some felt from a local sewing goods store and roll your own. Much cheaper.
I bought sheets starched felt . You can get them from craft stores. Regular felt is to flimsy.
It takes a little longer for the liquid cleaner to absorb into the starched felt but they work well and they are cheap.
You can also reverse the pads and use them twice.
Take a pad to a store that sells fabric and match it to a fabric and WHAM! You cut to size and have lots of pads CHEAP. That is what I did for my CMX car after talking to place that manufactured it and having them tell me what to do.
Do most of you use goo gone, alcohol or something else on the front pad? I just bought one a couple days ago and would appreciate the info.
I generally use alcohol drys fast with no residue.
I use Goo Gone on the front pad, dry back pad. I washed the pads and reused them a couple of times.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I'm sure they're knockoffs, but I suspect they'll do the job.
No the link I added is NE Trains ebay listing but I bought some packs of the Dollar Tree version of Swiffer Pads and cut enough replacement pads to last a lifetime.
@Nov posted:Do most of you use goo gone, alcohol or something else on the front pad? I just bought one a couple days ago and would appreciate the info.
I use Goo Gone and also added a couple of adhesive wheel weights to the two top plates to increase pressure on the rails. Weights are available at Harbour Freight as well as auto parts stores and ebay.
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Ditto to what Curtis H said. Fabric store or Walmart. Cut your own fabric pieces.
Strikes me that several of the polar solvents would leave an undesirable film on the rails. I have been using CRC brakecleen, but it has evaporated before I complete one turn around the layout. Years ago, I used some solvent that dissolved the one of the trucks that came on my NR trains car.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Have you seen this chart? The best solvents for track cleaning are the non-polar solvents, the cleaning job lasts much longer. There's a whole article that describes the chemistry of the issue.
John,
It took me a little time to find this, I have copies but thought I would post a link to the article in MRH, it starts on page 9. I have used this, with mineral spirits, with good success.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws...ay/online/index.html
Ray
I will admit to using kerosene to clean pretty much anything that needs cleaning. Carbs, chains, sprockets, even old traincar and locomotive wheels and pickups I get from places. It works well at getting gunk off of pretty much everything.
I use that NE track cleaning car and found that it does a better job with a little extra weight on it.
@Rayin"S" posted:It took me a little time to find this, I have copies but thought I would post a link to the article in MRH, it starts on page 9. I have used this, with mineral spirits, with good success.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws...ay/online/index.html
Ray
I had an old-timer tell me once that mineral spirits were the way to go for track cleaning, effective and very cheap, and he couldn't understand why anyone would use anything else. Looks like the chart shows him to have been right - very effective, reasonably usable in household settings (with odorless mineral spirits), and cheap.
An observation about the above posts. Non-polar solvents may be better from the perspective of keeping track clean, but I would expect that many of these will provide a lubricant between driving wheels and track, which does not aid traction. Some of the solvents---I don't know which---MAY affect traction tire life.
Deoxit D5 or Mineral Spirits doesn't leave anything behind and won't affect traction or traction tires, nothing there to affect them.
There is no universal agreement in the O, HO or N-Gauge world on the best track cleaning methods. After 100+ years of operating model trains, there is still is no consensus.
Track cleaning falls into two broad categories: 1) abrasive and 2) chemical solvents. Within each group, cleaning can be accomplished manually or with a track cleaning car.
All the methods listed below are proven to work with normally dirty track.
Abrasive Track Cleaners:
- Lionel eraser: http://www.lionel.com/products...tenance-set-6-62927/
- Walthers Brite Boy eraser: https://www.walthers.com/brigh...leaner-standard-grit
- Klingspor Sandflex 240 Grit Block or fine-grit sanding products: https://www.klingspor.com/Sand...-4-with-Sleeve-53618
- 3M Scotchbrite pads (various degrees of abrasiveness): https://www.scotch-brite.com/3M/en_US/scotch-brite/
- Dremel tool (or equal) with fine cleaning wheel: https://us.dremel.com/en_US/ac...y-tool/905/all/27386
Chemicals & Solvents. There are plenty of argumentative tradeoffs to be made with cleaning effectiveness, odor & noxious gases, evaporation time; flammability, residue, effect on rubber tires & plastics, tendency to attract dirt, cancer and reproductive warnings, degreasing ability, conductivity, and ventilation ability in train room. Some cleaning methods may require two steps—one solvent initially cleans the track and a different solvent removes any of the initial cleaner residue. Here the more popular ones. Each one has its proponents and detractors. Some may be banned in California. The spray solvents should be first sprayed on a cloth or pad to prevent accidental contact with non-metal surfaces.
- Lionel Track Cleaner: http://www.lionel.com/products...tenance-set-6-62927/
- Bachmann E-Z LUBE® Rail & Road Track Cleaner: https://shop.bachmanntrains.co...amp;products_id=6488
- Life-Like 1415 Track Cleaner; DISCONTINUED production.
- Goo-Gone (and other citric-based cleaners): https://googone.com/
- Zap Rail Zip Cleaner: https://www.zapglue.com/corrosion-inhibitors
- Isopropyl Alcohol 91%
- Denatured Alcohol
- CRC Lectra-Motive Cleaner; non-flammable: https://www.crcindustries.com/...leaner-19-wt-oz.html
- CRC QD Electronic Cleaner; EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE; Cancer & Reproductive Harm Warnings: https://www.crcindustries.com/...leaner-11-wt-oz.html
- CRC Contact Cleaner & Protectant; EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE; Reproductive Harm Warning: https://www.crcindustries.com/...ectant-10-wt-oz.html
- Deoxit-D5; EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE: https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/
- Mineral Spirits; FLAMMABLE
- Acetone/Nail Polish remover; VERY FLAMMABLE
- WD-40
Track Cleaning Cars:
- Lionel Track Cleaning Car (6-26835); uses chemical and rotating sponge: http://www.lionel.com/products...leaning-car-6-26835/
- Northeast Trains; uses two skid pads; different solvents can be added to each: http://netrains.com/northeastt...gcarandsupplies.aspx
- CMX-O-HR Clean Machine; uses two skid pads and solvent: https://tonystrains.com/produc...ale-3-rail-high-rail
- Trackman; out of production; used one weighted abrasive skid pad like Scotchbrite
- Centerline Kit; uses one large roller requiring solvent; https://www.centerline-product...product-page/o-gauge
GRJ, I had never heard of Deoxit. A bit pricey, but what is interesting is that it doesn't evaporate quickly.
https://hosatech.com/products/...ers-conditioners/d5/
BJB: Thanks for advising forumites of flammability.
@RJR posted:BJB: Thanks for advising forumites of flammability.
Well, he missed a few of those notifications. I've added them in red.
@Bruce Brown posted:
- Lionel Track Cleaner: http://www.lionel.com/products...tenance-set-6-62927/
- Bachmann E-Z LUBE® Rail & Road Track Cleaner: https://shop.bachmanntrains.co...amp;products_id=6488 FLAMMABLE
- Life-Like 1415 Track Cleaner; DISCONTINUED production.
- Goo-Gone (and other citric-based cleaners): https://googone.com/
- Zap Rail Zip Cleaner: https://www.zapglue.com/corrosion-inhibitors FLAMMABLE
- Isopropyl Alcohol 91% FLAMMABLE
- Denatured Alcohol FLAMMABLE
- CRC Lectra-Motive Cleaner; non-flammable: https://www.crcindustries.com/...leaner-19-wt-oz.html
- CRC QD Electronic Cleaner; EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE; Cancer & Reproductive Harm Warnings: https://www.crcindustries.com/...leaner-11-wt-oz.html
- CRC Contact Cleaner & Protectant; EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE; Reproductive Harm Warning: https://www.crcindustries.com/...ectant-10-wt-oz.html
- Deoxit-D5; EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE: https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/ (briefly flammable in aerosol form)
- Mineral Spirits; FLAMMABLE
- Acetone/Nail Polish remover; VERY FLAMMABLE
- WD-40 (briefly flammable in aerosol form)
@JPS posted:I have a track cleaning car of unknown provenance that I want to buy new cleaning pads for but do not know who made it etc. Any leads would be appreciated. See photos.
I have the same car:
Track Cleaning Car North East
Trains 18 Main St. Peabody,
MA 01960
I don't know if they are still in business or whether they sell pads. I use microfiber rags cut to fit and soak one with cleaning fluid. Seems to work fine. It's a PITA to get the cloths in the holder....
Mr. Clean white stain remover/cleaning pads work great. Easy to trim to size, no solvent required. Attach to car leave pads dry... Excellent results'...
