The biggest problem I have with heavy rain is what it washes onto or out of the track. That is, it may wash away some of the track bed gravel - which then needs to be replaced, or it may wash stuff [leaves, twigs, mud, seeds, pollen, dead insects, or whatever] onto the track - which will probably need removing. In particular, if you have points and point motors, you may need to make sure all the moving parts still move and have not been obstructed by any sort of washed in debris. Also don't overlook the wheel guides near the points - a lump of grit washed between them and the track can quite easily derail your train.
This can be caused by other things too [eg wind and birds and even trees]. The sliding switches on signals can get gummed up too - usually by a thin layer of dust, after the water has evaporated.
It's all a part of track maintenance, which really depends on the environment around your layout. I have a lot of trees around mine - which are great for shade, but play havoc when it comes to depositing unwanted rubbish on the track - especially after windy or rainy days.
A leaf blower will get the superficial stuff, but you will need some pointy tools, tweezers, and a can of compressed air to clean the points. I also spray the moving joints with WD-40 and/or cleaning lubricant, after all the dirt has been cleaned out - though NOT the motors.
Very occasionally it may be necessary to open up the motor casings, to clean the inside around the motor. I only use compressed air for this job. It is fairly easy to open these casings, by removing the 4 screws located on their top side {which are very easy to lose, if you aren't careful!]. It is very important to carefully reseat the lever that connects the motor to the track, after the cleaning has been completed. You will note that the cogwheel on the motor shaft has a small pin on it to stop it fully rotating. This must be left in a position that limits the rotation of the cog to a back/forward motion. Then the lever must engage properly with the cog, so that the whole assembly switches between 2 positions that represent the two positions of the point. This sounds a bit tricky, but it isn't very difficult to achieve.
If the motor has to be lifted out of the casing [not usually necessary] be careful to note there are two small strips of loose plastic either side of the motor, that hold it in place. These must be put back in the correct orientation - so it is important to note what that is, before lifting the motor. Do not try to dismantle the motor itself, and be careful not to damage the thin bare copper wires that connect the motor to the external terminals. The aforementioned sharp pointy tools are definitely NOT for use when cleaning inside the casing!!
This same process may sometimes be necessary for signal motors.
I should point out that opening up these casings is only necessary, if external cleaning fails to get the mechanical parts moving. It is usually not required. Most problems will be fixed by simply cleaning the external moving parts. [I even found a colony of tiny ants inside one of my motor casings, along with the fine dirt they kindly imported to feather their new home!]
Needless to say, it is most definitely NOT a good idea to have the track connected to live power, while these cleaning processes are being performed!
.For rails I use a simple foam block with fine wet and dry paper fixed,about 50p from DIY store and works fine with a quick rub.If your stock does get wet then make sure all is totally dry before putting away,normally the only time I get this problem is when snow plowing but not this year so very rare for me as normally only run in fair weather.When we start out in this hobby there are many questions we ask ourselves and someone on here will know the answers as the members on here helped me(and still do)when I started,just ask
Wet Rail this morning after dew, hope you can make it out.
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