What do you soak your brass track in?

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Boomerps2

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I just bought a pile of LGB 1500 and 1600 curved track and it is filthy. Track went from brass to black. I've seen videos of people soaking track in Del Taco mild sauce (would Del Taco Del Scorcho work better), ketchup, citric acid or white vinegar.

I'm looking for a solution that I can put in a 5 gallon bucket and have soak for as long as it needs.

Anybody have any tips?

Thank you
 
Cola has been recommended, but once out in the garden it will tarnish again. My usual way was to clean the ends where fishplates (rail joiners) go at bottom and webb edge. Put some LGB graphite paste on, pinch the fishplates in the middle to give a good tight fit. If you are using Massoth clamps that is not necessary as the screws bite into the brass making their own connection. Surface best cleaned with an LGB track rubber.
 
Personally, I prefer the tarnished look. In my case, it better suits the look of a slightly neglected narrow gauge railway set in the UK in the 1930s.
But each to their own. My wife says the whole of Switzerland looks as if everything has been recently spring-cleaned.

Rik
 
I have had to jet wash track once with disinfectant, following a sewage leak....
 
When I first joined this group I think I asked about cleaning up a job lot of filthy LGB track I had acquired. I was told dilute brick acid and as I had a large plastic barrel I poured half of a 5L container of it in and topped up with water. The barrel was big enough to suspend the long LGB straights. An overnight soak and a hosing down worked wonders.
Brick acid is dilute hydrochloric acid so don't leave track to soak for more than a day or so.

Paul
 
You only need to clean the rail head and its ends for conductivity and to keep its functionality. The former with an mild abrasive block (couple of "Garryflex" at the end of a broom stick) and the latter, as Jon says, with a mild acid, like cola (think of what it does to your tooth enamel :fearscream:) Otherwise you are fighting a loosing battle. Unless of course you are building a nice shiny indoor layout. But then again you will still be fighting a loosing battle, just more slowly. Max
 
Boomerps2 said:
I just bought a pile of LGB 1500 and 1600 curved track and it is filthy. Track went from brass to black. I've seen videos of people soaking track in Del Taco mild sauce (would Del Taco Del Scorcho work better), ketchup, citric acid or white vinegar.

I'm looking for a solution that I can put in a 5 gallon bucket and have soak for as long as it needs.

Anybody have any tips?

Thank you
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As has been said, the rail head can be cleaned with a mild abrasive block - the LGB hand track cleaner.

I use white vinegar on the track ends - 24 hrs does the trick.

However, I have no idea how any of the mild acids will affect the plastic track base.
 
dunnyrail said:
Cola has been recommended, but once out in the garden it will tarnish again. My usual way was to clean the ends where fishplates (rail joiners) go at bottom and webb edge. Put some LGB graphite paste on, pinch the fishplates in the middle to give a good tight fit. If you are using Massoth clamps that is not necessary as the screws bite into the brass making their own connection. Surface best cleaned with an LGB track rubber.
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You still need a bit of "insulation" against water/dirt ingress Jon even with rail clamp screw to rail or clamp body fitting, of any make. I.E. Use some LGB graphite, Coppergrease or similar to insulate. Took the screws out of the first clamps I ever fitted, Hilman overjoiner (!), some 20 years ago after 10 years. Screws were not brass and plating had corroded and reacted with everything in contact, inside and out of the screw body :fearscream: Massoth not much different in material content and the brass bit that is doing most the conductivity (and alignment) bit, thier screw's finish does not help either. Max
 
maxi-model said:
You still need a bit of "insulation" against water/dirt ingress Jon even with rail clamp screw to rail or clamp body fitting, of any make. I.E. Use some LGB graphite, Coppergrease or similar to insulate. Took the screws out of the first clamps I ever fitted, Hilman overjoiner (!), some 20 years ago after 10 years. Screws were not brass and plating had corroded and reacted with everything in contact, inside and out of the screw body :fearscream: Massoth not much different in material content and the brass bit that is doing most the conductivity (and alignment) bit, thier screw's finish does not help either. Max
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I can only say how I found over the years that I was track with power, I have recently removed the idd Massoth Clamp and the rail where the screw was was relatively untarnished, certainly enough to keep power on the go. But and here is my but, many po po my method of splitting my line into zones and having track power at each end of those zones. Worked for me.

Of course now I do not care a fig being dead rail, but I will be doing my auto track powered railway at a Street Party in my Road in 4th July, I will only squeeze fishplates in slightly in the middle to make good power supply.
 
Not wishing to start an argument but........:devil::D One thing I have learnt over the years here at GSC, and on its predecessor forum GSM, is this - A lot of advice on maintaining electrical conductivity on your line is very much down to its disposition. I.E. Some lines are elevated from the ground, some are laid direct to the ground, with variable drainage, and even some just a bit above ground. Then there are long lines with "complex" configurations and alignments to maintain and the short simple ones and the ones in between. And not quite last nor least, what's your local climate like and is your line predominantly in full sun, part sun, mostly shade or just indoors ? There is one more the bit, at what point and how did you start clamping it up, if at all, and what prep' did you do to the track ends/fishplates....at all stages. Mixing all the permutations of all of this will finally affect the rate, if any, at which your line's continuity of electrical conductivity will ultimately degrade. Not easy.

So, if like me, you started 23 years ago with fishplates and paste and as my line grew swiftly I went to "overjoiner" clamps (Hillman). Then I continued with direct to rail (both Hilman & Massoth), adding in more of the magic "paste", you might have a particular take on the subject. Some solder might have got involved too. Do everything you can to make sure every bit was clean and bright before you started connecting it all up and do everything you can to stop water/dirt ingress to those rail joints. Just because it's got a bolt/screw in it does not mean the other bits of metal attached are not involved in the process or that bolt's/screw's duff spec' won't screw it all up.......And in the end you then realise its was all a bit futile and after and 18 years you give in and decide to go all battery power :mad: (and/or live steam:devil:)

Oh, and railhead cleaning, the other bit where your loco will actually get its electrons from. Don't talk to me about LGB track cleaning locos, no good on a full shade line like mine. And their track cleaning rubbers, great indoors and for a bit of in session "spot" cleaning but too fragile for a good full track railhead scrub. Trust me. But I did use one of their 50050 track cleaning attachments fitted to a wagon, in a consist standard practice.while my rails were live. Very useful, in my situation. The wagon they were attached to in more ways too.

It's all a bit horses for courses really. No right or wrong, just down to what you run on and how you keep it running. And my line is a "worst case scenarioh" here. Sorry, gone off on one a bit there, no offences intended. Quite theraputic really. Rant over :)
 
maxi-model said:
Not wishing to start an argument but........:devil::D One thing I have learnt over the years here at GSC, and on its predecessor forum GSM, is this - A lot of advice on maintaining electrical conductivity on your line is very much down to its disposition. I.E. Some lines are elevated from the ground, some are laid direct to the ground, with variable drainage, and even some just a bit above ground. Then there are long lines with "complex" configurations and alignments to maintain and the short simple ones and the ones in between. And not quite last nor least, what's your local climate like and is your line predominantly in full sun, part sun, mostly shade or just indoors ? There is one more the bit, at what point and how did you start clamping it up, if at all, and what prep' did you do to the track ends/fishplates....at all stages. Mixing all the permutations of all of this will finally affect the rate, if any, at which your line's continuity of electrical conductivity will ultimately degrade. Not easy.

So, if like me, you started 23 years ago with fishplates and paste and as my line grew swiftly I went to "overjoiner" clamps (Hillman). Then I continued with direct to rail (both Hilman & Massoth), adding in more of the magic "paste", you might have a particular take on the subject. Some solder might have got involved too. Do everything you can to make sure every bit was clean and bright before you started connecting it all up and do everything you can to stop water/dirt ingress to those rail joints. Just because it's got a bolt/screw in it does not mean the other bits of metal attached are not involved in the process or that bolt's/screw's duff spec' won't screw it all up.......And in the end you then realise its was all a bit futile and after and 18 years you give in and decide to go all battery power :mad: (and/or live steam:devil:)

Oh, and railhead cleaning, the other bit where your loco will actually get its electrons from. Don't talk to me about LGB track cleaning locos, no good on a full shade line like mine. And their track cleaning rubbers, great indoors and for a bit of in session "spot" cleaning but too fragile for a good full track railhead scrub. Trust me. But I did use one of their 50050 track cleaning attachments fitted to a wagon, in a consist standard practice.while my rails were live. Very useful, in my situation. The wagon they were attached to in more ways too.

It's all a bit horses for courses really. No right or wrong, just down to what you run on and how you keep it running. And my line is a "worst case scenarioh" here. Sorry, gone off on one a bit there, no offences intended. Quite theraputic really. Rant over :)
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Yep, in our garden in Midhurst, after I'd cleaned the track at lunch time, early evening would see locos stuttering.

Here in Norfolk, if I clean the track one day, I can still run a loco a week later :eek:
 
Vinegar, tomato juice. Both should remove oxidation. You may well need to rub a bit for super heavy oxidation. Both should be thoroughly cleaned, probably with detergent.

I agree, just get an lgb track cleaning block and clean the rail tops. Elbow grease will do it.
I have used liquid soldering flux to clean the inside of joiners and corresponding rail ends. That and pipe cleaners to remove joiner crevice dirt.Rinse off after it brightens. Pita, indeed, but worth it.

The joiners are, imho, critical. They must be clean, oxidation free, and tight. Then use conductive grease. As mentioned, keeps out micro grit.
Ive had very good luck. IME, once the clean tight join is made, provided that it isnt disturbed /moved, it will last years

Rail clamps, however, are unequalled. Expensive, a bit of a pita, some are unsightly, but operation is on an entirely different level. If you can afford them, …definitely. I use split jaw, and some hillman. With 300ft of ROW, it really adds up!. Once done, weather is of no concern. Still have to clean…

Having no experience with brick acid, my reservation is its effect on plastic sleepers.

I live in a very high UV area.

I have some first run aristo track. Noted for poor plastic.
Over about 5 years, in mile high summer sun, It deteriorated. I have to say that when the chairs start to break, its a drag, and the track isn’t well seated any more. Replacement lgb sleepers/ties are expensive. Thus my concern for acid possibly making the sleepers brittle.

I have 2 lgb track cleaning locos. I love them. They clean up sap, oxidation, etc. they are, imho, a luxury. But also a convenience.(never leave unattended).
One or 2 swipes with a track cleaning block produces the same amount of removal as 6-7 go rounds, at slow speed, with the track cleaning locos.
Otoh, i use them once weekly. Works very well. Way more entertaining than the track block, lol. The cleaning block works much much better, however. Much cheaper too, lol.

My experience with the lgb pads for cars…worthless. Probably fine for indoor regular maintenance. I found the can hang up on points and rail joints. More or less the same for my ‘sled’ mounted, rolling frame for and lgb track cleaning block. Ymmv.
 
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