Track cleaning

[minimans]

It was Overhead railways in Mission viajo California but they are long out of business................................

 

[pugwash]

Okay, shame they're gone. It looks like something that can be made at home with parts from the DIY store and some spare wheels, could one of you put up a picture of the truck without block, and what did they do for wheel bearings? nphone:
This really looks like something for Frank (coyote97) as he is the aluminiuminuminum expert.

 

[trammayo]

I have experimented with various methods of cleaning and have finished up with a works cleaning train; a Rail Broom kit; Ebay from the US fixed onto a 20 foot flat car, looks a bit Heath Robinson but works rather well with power taken from the loco battery connector, loco, Norms Model Supplies track cleaner, fixed under an old baulk head 40 foot flat car (with marker lights added), short 20' gondola with Brand Bright cleaning pad and Aristo cleaning car which I have turned into a caboose, with clean pad removed (they don't work all that well) working marker lights added. It looks good out on the grade doing its stuff, takes a lot of back ace out of cleaning and means I can start a running session straightaway with a train.

Geoff the garden navvie

Like your extensive set-up Geoff - particularly the rotary brush. Reminds me of the Brill Snow Brooms used in Leeds on the tramway system!

Mick

 

[Madman]

I know everybody raves about there LGB cleaning Loco BUT mine has not been a 100% happy experience Until today!!
My problem was the loco had a hard time picking up current even on clean track I stripped it and cleaned and lubricated it just like your supposed to but 2 min's into another run it would start bucking and stopping. So today I thought I would do something about it. Stripped the drive bloc and rear body and fitted a LGB Loco aux. socket on the back wired directly to the main board at the Power in wiring from the motor block. Now when I put it on the track it has double the pickups and at last is a happy bunny, no stopping bucking just a smooth clean...................................

AH, someone after my own heart. I have been advocating the auxilliary pick up idea for years. All of my trains run with all of the cars backfeeding power to the loco this way. They say that I'm a legend in my own mind

 

[themole]

Tram 47 Votre system c'est tres bien. Alyn

 

[Neil Robinson]

For about 15 years I've used GRS' track cleaner (their ref FG401) with Garryflex cleaning blocks.
As I run analogue and don't care for warp factor speeds track cleanliness is important and probably not helped by a shaded garden with overhanging trees in an area with active quarrying and a large coal fired power station.
The GRS track cleaner is fine for me but is best used when the track is dry, otherwise it spreads a black gunge on the track. I understand the LGB track cleaning loco is also best on a dry rail, I guess for a similar reason.
Wanting to run in the current damp weather I finally decided to do something about this. I fixed a Wilkinsons' mini paint roller handle together with an emulsion roller to the other end of the broom handle from the GRS cleaner.
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Wilko-...cDPfxIrYzUvEu76RzzM6wutKTeo9AOCB tDs76aYYKg== < Link To http://www.wilkinsonplus....OCB%0AtDs76aYYKg%3D%3D
It works well cleaning the gunge left by the abrasive block.
When it gets a bit too dirty it's very easy to swap the roller for a fresh one and also easy to wash the soiled ones for re-use. I decided against the gloss roller as these appear to be made of synthetic sponge and I suspect this may suffer chunks ripping out from contact with rail joints and pointwork.

 

[oldoak]

Hi all

I am a newbie here, not really new to the model railway scene but i have had a little experience in the past. What im after is a bit of advice about general upkeep and cleaning of the track. How often do you clean yours? I have a lot of LGB track which does get dirty failrly quickly. I also have a little bit of aristocraft track which does get dirty but cleans much easier. I have a hand cleaner which brings the track up to a lovely shine, i also have just bought a addon for my LGB truck that cleans as it is pulled by a train.

Another question is how do you clean the fishplates that connect the track?

Thanks in advance!

My Dad was an HGV driver for Unigate & often drove Milk Tankers, unlike oil tanks, milk tanks were not allowed to have baffles, so if the tank was not full, when he put on the brakes the milk kept going!! (remember this if you have one behind you on the M1). I have had the LGB small under wagon cleaner for years & remembering what he told me I have fixed it under a tank wagon 1/2 to 3/4 full of water, this keeps it on the track and when the loco stops the water keeps going and gives the loco a push. By no means foolproof but good fun and very cheep.

 

[C&S]

Tried some track-cleaning yesterday using a sponge-backed pan-scourer, which does not seem too abrasive. It took some scrubbing, but certainly shifted the dirt. On very bad patches I tried wetting the scourer with a little meths, which helped a bit.

Also used the pad to clean the wheels on my one loco that does not have pick-up skates - huge improvement.

I did notice in places there was a sort of morse-code pattern of dirt, with clean spots between the sleepers. What might cause that? This is on an indoor layout, though some second-hand track was probably ex-garden.

 

[trammayo]

I did notice in places there was a sort of morse-code pattern of dirt, with clean spots between the sleepers. What might cause that? This is on an indoor layout, though some second-hand track was probably ex-garden.

Could it be wheel flanges causing a minute lift at each sleeper - causing arcing? I have noticed this effect on a tunnel section on my garden line. Or could it be a wheelset has picked up some dust?
In 1 to 1 situations, corrugations in the rail head occur through traction and braking dynamics - the number of corrugations will grow if not checked by rail grinding. Just thoughts.

Mick

 

[mike]

its more likely to be the plastic flange hiting the plastic rail chair, lifting the wheel momentry of the track, leading to the soaf abrisive pad missing that section of rail..

 

[C&S]

Mick, I think you've hit it. It was the loco without a skate that was stuttering badly and probably caused the uneven marks. All claeaned up now and working smoothly.

Mike, I suspect the answer is as above - the soft pad was being applied manually or do I mean digitally?

 

[minimans]

[/quote]

My Dad was an HGV driver for Unigate & often drove Milk Tankers, unlike oil tanks, milk tanks were not allowed to have baffles, so if the tank was not full, when he put on the brakes the milk kept going!! (remember this if you have one behind you on the M1). I have had the LGB small under wagon cleaner for years & remembering what he told me I have fixed it under a tank wagon 1/2 to 3/4 full of water, this keeps it on the track and when the loco stops the water keeps going and gives the loco a push. By no means foolproof but good fun and very cheep.
[/quote]

I remember once I was waiting to pull out into traffic on a road test in a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertable top down enjoying the sunshine when a milk tanker came around the bend. The top hatch on the tanker was not locked down and me and the interior of the car received gallons of a milk shower! It took a huge amount of cleaning and new under felts and carpets to get rid of the smell.........................But my skin was as smooth as a baby's bum for weeks!!!!!!

 

[CoggesRailway]

Re track cleaning.

From recent experience the easiest way is to fake a bad injury that means friends and family take pity and clean it for you.

Obviously I have a real injury but probably easier to pretend....

 

[trammayo]

I remember once I was waiting to pull out into traffic on a road test in a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertable top down enjoying the sunshine when a milk tanker came around the bend. The top hatch on the tanker was not locked down and me and the interior of the car received gallons of a milk shower! It took a huge amount of cleaning and new under felts and carpets to get rid of the smell.........................But my skin was as smooth as a baby's bum for weeks!!!!!!

Like that one Paul!

I have a similar tale (in a way) to tell involving a milk tanker. Over forty years ago, I worked as a Handyman on a big Yorkshire estate's Home farm. In between jobs I would help out on the farm driving. We had a small fleet of ex-army lorries converted to various uses. Two were converted into tippers with extra plus greedy boards around the body.

One task was to transport slurry to the fields during winter. One fine day, I was asked if I would help out. So off I went down the road with my liquid load. It was so sunny, the canvass cover was off the "lookout" hole in the cab roof. As I passed the cottage where we lived, I looked out to see if the wife was in the garden. Suddenly, the milk tanker turned the corner towards me on the single-track road. The passing place was opposite our cottage and I braked hard and steered into that side of the road. The lorry stopped, the load didn't! The cab filled with slurry (and the road too), I got a ticking off from the farm manager and the wife wouldn't let me in the house until I had been hosed down!

And the name of the cottages? Stank Cottages - and I truly did! I can honestly say that I have been in deep s**t.

Mick

 

[duncan1_9_8_4]

not cleaned my track for weeks, will defo need a going over before the next run.

 

[steven large]

not cleaned my track for weeks, will defo need a going over before the next run.

aslo i havent clean my tracks for about approx 3 months!! lol...BUT WILL clean it with gerryflex block,....awesome...aslo got my track clean wagon from tony tht i did re-wiring and aslo paint up...best way clean the tracks with block and then use the tracks cleanin wagon..them when it done..wipe off with clean cloth to pick up the dirts as u wish...