Track cleaning car

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Mine is cheap and easy.

Existing freight car, Velcro, Mr. Clean pad.

Dampen the Mr. Clean pad with water or Isopropyl alcohol if you are concerned with mold/rust.

Well you mentioned fluid type. I like the one from CMX. It is far from cheap. But it works very well with easily changeable pads.

I've found that Lionel's Postwar #3927 does as good a job as any. I was lucky enough to find one on eBay a couple of years ago in excellent condition with the original box. The circular discs and trailing pads are also available from after-market vendors at reasonable prices.

Using the Lionel's Postwar #3927 there are issues, The first is that the speed of rotation of the disc is dependent on the voltage. Second, at a high rotation it tends to polish the rails way too much grinding off the surface coating that protects the rail from rusting.

If you pause the engine while keeping the power on, the disc keeps on rotating in place.  Thus, the cleaning cars with rotating discs can be a problem.

I like the cleaning cars that sweep the track without a lot of in-placed rotation.

A long time ago.   Trackman 2000, I've fabricated pads from local stock.

I have large layout with lots of track to clean.I purchased a CMX track cleaning car  a year ago and have been happy with its performance. I was laid up for almost two years while the layout sat idle. It is in my basement which is a little dusting and humid. I used the CMX car a few times around changing the pads on each revolution. I was able to successfully run trains after that. When I was able, I did conclude a complete cleaning with a brite boy and alcohol. The car is absolutely built like a nuclear submarine. Very good construction.

I use 90% alcohol in the car because of so many potential issues with stronger cleaners. A drawback is the cost of the pads at $15 for 8 changes. You could possibly find something else for a pad. And the pads themselves require some work to change.

In conclusion, I would purchase this car again without reservation.   Bill

@AlanRail posted:

Using the Lionel's Postwar #3927 there are issues, The first is that the speed of rotation of the disc is dependent on the voltage. Second, at a high rotation it tends to polish the rails way too much grinding off the surface coating that protects the rail from rusting.

If you pause the engine while keeping the power on, the disc keeps on rotating in place.  Thus, the cleaning cars with rotating discs can be a problem.

I like the cleaning cars that sweep the track without a lot of in-placed rotation.

That has not been my experience using it. I have all command control, so there’s a constant 18 volts to the track eliminating the variable voltage. With the locomotive pulling it at a moderate constant speed, there’s no “grinding off the surface coating” and its rotation speed isn’t THAT high. These are the sponge discs, not abrasive pads. I don’t stop it until the trip around the layout is complete, then turn it off. Easy Peasy.

This one seems to do a better job than any other track cleaning car I’ve tried. Mine starts out with a clean disc and pad. Then after it has made its way around the layout, the disc and pad come back filthy dirty. So I know it’s done its job and the track is cleaner. Simple. 👍

I been using a NE Trains track cleaning car with Goo Gone on the front pad and leaving the second pad dry. I was shocked when I seen all the grease it cleaned off the track.

I have used a homemade Centerline tracking cleaning car for several years.  It used rubbing alcohol with good results.  Later information shows mineral sprites would be better.  An original Centerline car costs about $130 but mine cost about $3.

Recently,I have found a track treatment, NO OX ID Special A conducting grease, little used for O gauge track but used by many in HO,  that eliminates sparking, the major cause of dirty track.  Now all track cleaning has been eliminated forever, best find of the year and train operation is much improved also.

The homemade Centerline track cleaning car is now a shelf queen.

Charlie

@Ron045 posted:

Mine is cheap and easy.

Existing freight car, Velcro, Mr. Clean pad.

Dampen the Mr. Clean pad with water or Isopropyl alcohol if you are concerned with mold/rust.

I like that idea Ron.  Question:  We stopped buying them for home use because they seemed to crumble after only one or two uses.  Do you find that that not to be a problem with this application?

John

@Choo Choo Charlie posted:

Recently,I have found a track treatment, little used for O gauge track but used by many in HO,  that eliminates sparking, the major cause of dirty track.  Now all track cleaning has been eliminated forever, best find of the year and train operation is much improved also.

The homemade Centerline track cleaning car is now a shelf queen.

Charlie

Charlie., could you please elaborate on what you do. Is it the old "graphite on the rails" or something else? I'm sure other forumites would be interested.

I prefer dry. LGB TRACK BLOCK.

@Gene H posted:

I been using aNE Trains track cleaning car with Goo Gone on the front pad and leaving the second pad dry. I was shocked when I seen all the grease it cleaned off the track.

"NE" is Northeast Trains in Peabody, Mass. - really nice and well stocked brick 'n mortar store.

I use their track cleaning car with 91% isopropyl alcohol on the front pad and second pad dry, too. It comes with a few pads and there's a good substitute you can pick up on the big A.

@Richie C. posted:

"NE" is Northeast Trains in Peabody, Mass. - really nice and well stocked brick 'n mortar store.

I use their track cleaning car with 91% isopropyl alcohol on the front pad and second pad dry, too. It comes with a few pads and there's a good substitute you can pick up on the big A.

I made pads from replacement Swiffer pads available at any supermarket and one box will last for years. I added some 1 ounce adhesive wheel weights to the top of the place where the pads go to add pressure to the pads.  In the past MTH recommended using denatured alcohol to clean track which I tried and it caused the die cast wheels on my track cleaning car to crumble so don't use denatured alcohol. I do have plenty of spares so it was no problem replacing them. 

@third rail posted:

Charlie., could you please elaborate on what you do. Is it the old "graphite on the rails" or something else? I'm sure other forumites would be interested.

Not aware of what CCC uses, but here's a couple of 'solutions' popular with the 2-rail crowd..

Magic Track Cleaner

Wahl Clipper Oil

Rail-Zip Cleaner

...the latter even used by the R/C large airplanes guys...applied to their trailer umbilical cord electrical contacts.

The folks who use these 'magic' track elixirs swear by them (those discussions at the LHS counter...you know, 'counter-intelligence'!?)

But, this topic is truly a TEHO realm!

Perhaps someday when the hobby has fully embraced on-board power...battery, for example...maybe this search for the perfect rail cleaner/applicator will subside to tales of yore?  (yeah, right.)

--------------------

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I jumped on an idea that passed through the forum months/years? ago, and which most honorable forumite, GRJ, made simple.  It's a modification of an ol' Lionel 3927 to use Scotchbrite NON-scratching scrub pads (the blue ones) in place of the sponge rings to which your favorite goop-or-glop must be applied...

Those "Track Cleaner" Tanks are shortened aluminum cigar tubes, loaded with bb's for weight, painted, stickered.  The cleaner spinner is a sandwich of masonite and the Scotchbrite pad.  I use no liquid at all.  It does an excellent job all by itself.  The trailing wiper (dental cotton rolls) is also dry.  Not a perfect solution, but better than original...IMHO, of course!  And thanks, GRJ, for your suggestions!

BTW, I've since learned that 3M makes an even 'milder' version of the Scotchbrite pad...PINK in color...safe on glass/crystal.  Harder to find.  Haven't found it to be necessary, but I might try it someday.  (The pink version of the combined sponge and Scotchbrite I found to be just dandy for cleaning the hordes of dead/plastered horny Mayflies off the front of the SUV on a seasonal drive to Florida.  Nary a scratch evident to the finish.)

FWIW...

KD

I have a Northeast trains car. I bought the base model and build my own car body. The pads that come with it are washable and can be used several times. I also use Goo-gone. Wet the front pad and leave the rear dry.

I hate to admit this but I have 3 or 4 of the NE Trains cleaning cars and have never used them.  I thought they were neat looking and all were different looking.   I pick them up at York when they are cheap.  I also got a track man car and a centerline car at some York shows in the past.   I like cleaning cars, but have never used one so far. 

BTW, Mike all the data has been uploaded in a pdf file for you.

Bill T and KD, others

For a track treatment do a search here or anywhere and learn about NO-OX-id A special, a conducting grease.

CCC

I'm also a Trackman 2000 user, I bought mine years ago on eBay, and I use purple Scotchbrite pads cut for it.  For whatever reason, I find the Gargraves/Ross track doesn't require near as much cleaning as my old Fastrack, not sure why that is, but I appreciate it.

I have a couple other track cleaning cars as well, but they seldom see the light of day.  I have the 3927 modified for use with a Scotchbrite pad, and also with a diode fix to slow the motor down for command operation.  Finally, I have one of the North East Trains cleaning cars.

I was after two Sunset brass cars that came in a lot with three track cleaning cars; a North East Trains with the work caboose kit, a Trackman 2000 (already had one), and a R&L Lines car.  Probably will take a multiunit consist to pull it

I have only run the Trackman with the purple Scotchbrite pads and it did its job.  One of these days I will do a comparison of the three types.

I have the non-motorized Lionel track cleaning car, hardly use it now that I replaced the fastrack with k-line supersnap/shadowrail track. When I did use it I replaced the rotating foam pads with scotchbrite.

This recent thread has some more info on track cleaning cars. If you want to explore options beyond that, the topic of track cleaning has come up frequently. Just use the search function or do a Google search.

https://ogrforum.com/...track-cleaning-car-8