Cleaning track - BEFORE laying.

[Zerogee]

The track bed for my new line is nearly finished, and before long I'm going to start laying some track down - but while some of it is new and shiny, other bits of the track I've collected over the last few years are well-used (VERY well-used in some cases) second-hand lengths. Some of it is simply tarnished/weathered from use outside, but some bits that I bought very cheaply are quite gritty with cement dust and other stuff, presumably from where they've been removed from their old ballast. Obviously I want to give all of it a thorough clean-up before I lay any of it down; what would you good folks here recommend? A good scrub with soap and water, or any type of proprietary cleaner? I'm hoping to get at least some of the tarnishing off the rails, but also to get any collected crud off the sleepers.

As always, any constructive ideas gratefully received!

Jon.

 

[Nemo]

Dishwasher's make a good job of it, just make sure swmbo is'nt in when you do it......

 

[Zerogee]

Good idea Steve, unfortunately we don't have a dishwasher - SWMBO's view is why buy one when she married one....

Jon.

 

[bobg]

Tricky one for me as I don't do "electric", but if it's clean metal you want, has anyone out there tried Solvol Autosol chrome cleaner. It is very very mildly abrasive and I've even seen it put a shine on matt black paint. I always use it on the brass parts of "Jill" (avatar). It gives a good, long lasting finish.

 

[Wobbleboxer]

A jetwash might be a suitable alternative if you are the dishwasher. Definitely one not to do after you've laid and ballasted it though.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Presumably you're going to use electric track power. If so and there's some tarnishing between rail and fishplates you may have a problem.
Solutions vary from replacing fishplates with clamps after cleaning the rail to inserting self tapping screws through rail and fishplates without any prior cleaning.
Take a look at the topic below.

http://www.gscalecentral.net/m1245

 

[beavercreek]

Hi Jon
For tarnished rail I scrub the top with a pan scourer pad (a bit like the sctotchbrite stuff) or even a Brillo pad but not too heavily!
For gummed up rail I spray it with the same stuff that I use to keep algae and mould off my patio and other stone work (PatioMagic be its name). It seems to soften up most stuff ready for.....scouring.
For really stubborn stuff I have used a drill fitted with a scouring pad or even just hand done sand paper ( I know I can hear the moans of sand paper will scratch the surface and more dirt will get into the scratches..etc...etc but my track has not suffered any more than the stuff without the scratches).

In all cases I only scratch, scour or treat the top pf the rail as I like the darker 'patina' of the when it tarnishes on the the sides.

 

[Nemo]

If your laying the track outside I wouldn't bother cleaning the sides of the rails to much as within a year or two they will be back as they are. Clean the tops of the rails with an LGB track cleaning block or loco if you have one. If your planning on ballasting the track then this will hide most of the dirty sleepers anyway.

 

[Zerogee]

Thanks for all the ideas so far - I think I might first of all try laying all the track on the patio and turning the pressure washer on it, and see how much that gets off - it should at least help clean up the sleepers, then I can tackle the rail by hand. Is an LGB cleaning block worth buying - is there anything special about its cleaning surface, or are there other things that do the same job without paying for the LGB logo?

As far as connections go, as discussed in another thread I started a few days ago I've decided to clamp everything, and have just received big bag of mixed Massoth and AMS clamps from Jeremy for that very purpose.

Jon.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Jon,
I'm in much the same position as you, currently laying track on my first railway, using a mixture of new and second hand.

I've been using an LGB cleaning block to clean the top of the rails, and it really does a good job.
Where I'm using old track, I've pulled off the old joiners, and I clean the sidesottom of the rail at the end with a pen-style glass-fibre brush.
I then clamp the joins with Hillman Rail Clamps.

I've also found soaking the brass track in vinegar helps to break down the crud (though obviously this is only practical for small sections)

Daniel

 

[Gizzy]

Jon,
I'm in much the same position as you, currently laying track on my first railway, using a mixture of new and second hand.

I've been using an LGB cleaning block to clean the top of the rails, and it really does a good job.
Where I'm using old track, I've pulled off the old joiners, and I clean the sidesottom of the rail at the end with a pen-style glass-fibre brush.
I then clamp the joins with Hillman Rail Clamps.

I've also found soaking the brass track in vinegar helps to break down the crud (though obviously this is only practical for small sections)

Daniel

Brown or red sauce works just as well Jon....

 

[Wobbleboxer]

As someone else said, don't worry about the sides as they will tarnish anyway. Give it a jetwash to remove the crud, then use an LGB block on the rail head. Yes it is worth buying the LGB block (IMO), certainly don't use anything abrasive like sandpaper or wet and dry as this will score the metal, although I believe some use this method, I wouldn't. Pan scourers are another, cheaper, option but not as good as the LGB block.

 

[Zerogee]

Or invest in the LGB track cleaner, great bit of kit

Already got one!
Yellow MTS version, bought a few years back, all ready for duty once the line is laid - but what I wanted to do was ensure that the track was as clean as possible before it went down, especially the joins - then the cleaning loco can take care of the regular maintenance tasks.

Jon.

 

[minimans]

Is an LGB cleaning block worth buying - is there anything special about its cleaning surface, or are there other things that do the same job without paying for the LGB logo?

Jon.

I don't know about special? But it works and works well and takes years to wear out. I have used them for years and still do even after the Track cleaning loco has done it's job to get the stubborn bits clean

 

[Gizzy]

Forgot to mention Jon.

I've had occasion to power jet wash my track, or rather Anglian Water did?

Don't ask why though!

No sections of my LGB track were harmed during this process....

 

[Gizzy]

Oh, and let's see a track plan mate....

 

[Zerogee]

Thanks Gizzy! I have taken some photos of progress, but need to find some time to download them from the camera and then upload a few here!

Before Christmas I finally acknowledged the "inconvenient truth" I'd been trying to avoid - no, not Global Warming, but the fact that if I waited till I could build the line myself, it simply wouldn't get done. Ever. So, I decided that if I was to ever have a line to run my collection on, then DIY had to give way to GALMI (Get A Little Man In).....
Knowing that a good local builder/handyman that we've known for years didn't have great deal of work on, I had a good chat with him, showed him some of the books on layout building, and we agreed a plan - I now have a continuous loop trackbed all round the garden at ground level, with a concrete-lined and gravel-filled trench edged on both sides with grey paver blocks, waiting for me to put the track down and top it up with limestone chipping ballast on top of the gravel. I'm really pleased with the result - the job cost me about the same as a decent high-end loco would have done, and has saved me a huge amount of time, effort and back pain!
Pictures will follow in due course.....

Jon.

 

[Cliff George]

We want to see the pictures!

I would have thought a blast with the pressure washer before laying to get any large bits of crud off and only worrying about cleaning the top of the rails as others have suggested is a good way to go.

One thing I did is before I clamped the rails was to clean where the clamp was going to fit, to get good electrical connectivity. I did this with this attachment for my Dremel:

It is important to use the brass variety of brushes, others such as the carbon steel ones are too hard and scratch the softer brass track.

 

[Zerogee]

OK, you asked for it.... here we go with an attempt to attach some pics......

Testing some track in fine limestone ballast:

Hot Tub Curve!

Passing loop/station area, in front of conservatory:

Jon.

 

[Zerogee]

A few more pics....

Short siding by patio edge:

Between station loop and wide curve:

Long straight by new wall:

I should mention that the cost of the work that I alluded to earlier included the building of several yards of new 5-course brick walling to enclose the conifers - the cost of the wall was probably half the total job!

Jon.