Wheel and pick up cleaning?

We use 1,1,1-trichloroethane that we are cherishing.  Its hard to find but is the best cleaning fluid around.  We use a Q Tip and clean the rollers and wheels with it.

ozone-depleting substance, the Montreal protocol banned it a while ago i think, no wonder why is hard to find.

Andre.

I use alcohol and Q-Tips, as needed.

I find that mechanical scuffing with a Scotchbrite pad leaves the contacts and wheels clean and bright. In my experience, every fluid cleaner degrades traction tires.

So who the heck needs ozone anyway  If you run more postwar you will create enough

I have found that it works much better if you follow the scotchbrite pad with a clean rag.  The pad will loosen dirt, but doesn't necessarily remove all of it.  The rag will still pick up a lot that was left behind.  Same goes for track cleaning.

I use a brightboy track cleaning eraser.

Hi Liam, Turn the engine upside down.  Attach the transformer leads from a small AC transformer to the pick up roller holder and the frame or some other grounded area using alligator clips.  Run the engine.

Use Q-tips and 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean the wheels as they turn.  Use a rotary tool (Dremel, etc.) with a non-magnetic wire brush (copper, etc.) to rotate and clean the rollers.  I also hold a Q-tip soaked in alcohol on the roller as it is rotated by the rotary brush.  

This is the fastest way I have found to clean wheels and rollers.  I run trains on the G&O garden railroad.  Our trains running outdoors pick up dirt faster than normal and need more frequent cleaning so quick and easy cleaning is a priority for me.

Joe

  Get some naptha (lighter fluid) from a hardware store. It is a superior solvent for cleaning and degreasing, and will not harm paint or plastics. If you clean your wheels and pickups with alcohol, go over them with naptha and see what the alcohol leaves behind. After cleaning with naptha, I have never needed to clean with an abrasive at all, except to clean up mild rust.

Larry

I was waiting the answer!

Depending on how bad they are, I sometimes use a miniature brass or steel wire wheel in a Dremel tool. Apply power to turn loco drive wheels slowly while doing this. Use safety goggles.

I use a rotary wire brush on a Dremel tool. This bypasses the sometimes not too safe solvents.

Alan

All those smelley chemicals give me a headache and make me want to hurl, even if I use them working out on the back deck in the open air. So, I've used very fine sandpaper on the wheels and pick-ups and found it to be very effective, making everything nice n' shiny!

FrankM

No your thinking of trhe wrong stuff  This would melt neoprene  All it does is take ozone out of the air  So I don't think the little bit on my Q tip will cause Ultravilet rays from getting to me  Don't need a respirator as it used to be used as a local anesthetic

I use alcohol first, and if that doesn't do it, I switch to my favorite standby.  It's a Scotchbrite "wheel" in my Dremel that I cut from sheets of the stuff.  It works great for all sorts of cleaning tasks, and excels in cleaning wheels and pickups.  I also flop the locomotive on it's back as a rule and run it to clean the wheels.  They're easy to make and work great.  The square edges round right out soon after you start using it.

I use Everclear and Q-tips.  It cleans them very well, and does not appear to negatively affect the traction tires.