How To Clean Electric Train Tracks
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| Rubbing alcohol as track cleaner? I recently completed laying track for the mainline on my layout, and I was eager to run some trains. I didn't have any commercial track cleaner fluid or tools, so I just applied some rubbing alcohol with Q-tips. It seemed to work well--the Q-tip came up with dirt on it, and the trains ran fairly smoothly afterwards. So I'm just wondering if this is a good idea or not. Is rubbing alcohol bad for nickel silver track in any way (corrosive etc.)? Have others tried it and had good results? Thanks! http://longleaf-rails.blogspot.com/
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| Posted by Autobus Prime on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 9:50 AM
FP:
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FloridaPanhandler wrote: 
Currently president of: a slowly upgrading trainset fleet o'doom. |
| Automatic Transmission Fluid does the job as well. There were a couple of mentions about it in Scale Rails a few months back. Come to think of it, I have a bottle of "track cleaner" that I always thought looked like ATF... Hmmmmmn.
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| Posted by NS2591 on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 10:45 AM Lots of people I know use Rubbing alchol as tracak cleaner. we use it at my club on centerline cars, run a pair, the first one with alchol and the second one dry. works great. Jay Norfolk Southern Forever!!
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| Posted by gmcrail on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:01 PM I would stay away from anything labeled as "Rubbing Alcohol", as it would probably contain glycerine (a rubefactant - to keep skin from drying out). The glycerine can remain on the rails, and attract more dirt. The Isopropyl Alcohol (91% or 70%) is the way to go, and it's usually cheaper, as well. --- Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com =================================== "Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins =================================== http://fhn.site90.net
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| Posted by R. T. POTEET on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:34 PM
I've never used this but you raise a good point; one needs to make sure that they are not, in essence, just spreading dirt around! I would say that cutting some lint-free cloth into small squares and then impregnating these with rubbing alcohol might be the best way to insure that dirt is not being left behind. From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
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| Posted by Rotorranch on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 12:44 PM I use 70% Iso-Alky with one of my Life-Like track cleaning cars. I don't fill the tank, I just wet the wiper pad. Works for me! Rotor Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often you won't even notice ...
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| Posted by dstarr on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 6:45 PM Niot to worry. Organic solvents like alcohol won't harm metal at all. Alcohol won't eat plastic. Shellac thinner from the hardware store is pure alcohol, and likely cheaper than alcohol packaged and sold in a drug store. I have had good luck with alcohol for cleaning tracks, although I have switched over to GooGone 'cause I think it works a little bit better.
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| Posted by CTValleyRR on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 7:38 PM Personally, I use DENATURED alcohol -- basically ethanol (grain alcohol) with a little benzene or gasoline in it to make it undrinkable -- rather than isopropyl alcohol. However, any organic solvent should work just fine. Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
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| Posted by Walleye on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 8:01 PM At a quart for 89 cents at Wally World's pharmacy department, 70% isppropyl alcohol is about as cost-competitive as they come. I use a Q-Tip or a small piece of disposable shop-rag and you can see the dirt come off. When a fresh swab stays clean, the job is done. For loco wheels, I flip the hog on its back on a foam mat, spin the wheels with a DC power pack, and press a Q-Tip to the running surface. 70% isopropyl alcohol won't harm most plastics, either. I doubt that it will lift the oxide layer from nickel silver, but I understand that the oxide is conductive. I use GooGone for lots of purposes, but GooGone is never gone! I've always worried that the residue it leaves behind will collect gunk, and like most organic solvents, won't conduct electricity. So I never tried it for track cleaning. Has anyone used it successfully? BTW, I'd worry about ANY organic solvent - even the alcohols - chewing up traction tires. Anyone have any experience, good or bad? -Wayne Ryback "Illegitimi non carborundum!"
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| Posted by Mr. SP on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 10:35 PM Stay AWAY from using Goo-Gone. We used it on our club's layout and it did clean the track but left a film that attracted even more crud. We switched to mineral spirits and that works OK. Alcohol should be OK too and it should leave minimal residue. The Mt. Hood club in Portland uses Naptha for track and wheel cleaning. Some years ago I was a member of the Columbia Gorge Club in Portland and we used Dexron ATF for cleaning track. The Dexron was applied to the rails and was spread by the trains. Wheels picked up the dirt which led to a lot of wheel cleaning.
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| Posted by modelmaker51 on Thursday, July 10, 2008 7:15 AM I have been using CRC 2-26 electronic cleaner for several years now, I only have to clean track twice a year compared to other methods that all had to be done once a month. It's available at HD & Lowes. I can't remember the last lost DCC signal and the passenger car lights hardly flicker. ...and definitely DO NOT use GooGone for the aforementioned reasons! The same goes for WD-40 for other reasons. Jay C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1 Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
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| Posted by JeremyB on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 1:07 PM Hi guys I have asked track cleaning questions a million times but I just happen to be walking through walmart today with the wife and found they sell 99% isopropyl alcohol ( I have never seen anything higher then 75% here in Canada ) I assume this would clean better with a light coating of wahl clipper oil after?
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| Moderator
| Posted by tstage on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 1:51 PM Jeremy, With a lower water content than 91%, 75%, or 70% Isopropyl alcohol, it should work just fine. Personally, I would omit any oil application (Walh, ATF, etc.) but that 's me. I understand why folks do it. However, oil is oil and oil attracts dirt and dust. I clean my track once...maybe twice a year with either 91% Isopropyl or lacquer thinner. My Tom
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| Posted by twhite on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 2:29 PM I find it excellent for cleaning wheels, but not so successful cleaning track. However, my MR is in a 1/2 insulated garage here in California (the infamous "California Basement", LOL!), and smack dab in the middle of the Central Valley Pollen Belt, so 'wet' cleaning the track isn't a very successful solution at all. I generally 'dry' clean the track with two of the Atlas track-cleaning cars, the first with a miniature vacuum attachement, the second with a light rotary attachment. It works quite well, though during the summer, I usually have to run the 'cleaning' train before each operating session. Just one of the little joys about garage model railroading, LOL! But as a wheel-cleaner,the 91% alcohol is terrific! Tom
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| Posted by GP39 on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 7:39 PM I sold chemicals years ago. IPA is the common industrial cleaner in that family. NOT rubbing alcohol. Good wheel cleaner for locos too. Hey, make sure to use in a well ventilated room.
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| Posted by GP-9_Man11786 on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:01 PM I switched to using denatured alcohol also because it can serve double duty as a paint stripper. I usually use it with an Aztec track cleaning car.
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| Posted by JeremyB on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:08 PM But the 99% alcohol cant hurt the track in any way right?
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| Isopropyl alcohol is a fantastic track and wheel cleaner as well as a very good paint stripper. I've used the 91% for years. Just don't leave the rails wet. As anyone who has used the stuff for stripping paint can tell you it leaves a whitish haze on the objects if allowed to simply evaporate. A quick wipe with a dry cloth after applying the alcohol will take care of much of that. After stripping models I generally wash them under warm water and that takes care of the haze of them. Running Bear, Sundown, Louisiana Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running Bear
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I don't know. I've never used the 99%. I've been using 91% for years and I've never seen any damage from it. Just a light haze that can easily be cleaned off. Running Bear, Sundown, Louisiana Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running Bear
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| Posted by gandydancer19 on Friday, June 1, 2012 9:48 AM
No,it won't hurt the track. However, it will leave the metal 'dry'. A small amount of some type of THIN lubrication works wonders. CRC 2-26 works the best, in my opinion. Apply it by finger to a couple inches of track and let the trains carry it around to the rest of the layout. Elmer. The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961. (Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
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| Posted by ksax73 on Monday, June 4, 2012 6:58 AM Isopropyl Alcohol is perfect for rail and wheel cleaning. It's probably one of the best areas in the hobby where you can save the most money. I personally never saw the point in purchasing the "track cleaning solutions". I've never tried them so I'm not knocking them, I just like the fact that I can pay way less for something that can last me way longer and it's always available SOMEWHERE at multiple locations other than just a specialty store that may or may not be on your way home but closes at the same time most folks get off of work, lol. I could go on, but as you can see, the benefits of isopropyl alcohol over the alternative are endless. Oh and as everyone else has stated, not only does it work but it causes no harm or damage to your equipment (JUST BE NEAT WITH IT, ESPECIALLY the 91% as you will run the risk of damaging the paint on your models.). You should be asking what's the most effiencent way to clean your rails with it ~Kyle The Mary Lindsay Railroad - Featuring Amtrak Model Trains www.marylindsayrr.vze.com (Last Update: 5/31/12)
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. I personally use the CMX track cleaning car. It's worth the investment and if you shop around you can find a good deal on it.|
| Posted by richg1998 on Monday, June 4, 2012 8:36 AM That is all I have used for many years. Just make sure, no additives in it. Rich If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say "sorry it's been a while since I inhabited a body." And just walk away.
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| Posted by GP-9_Man11786 on Monday, June 4, 2012 9:12 AM The one area where alcohol doesn't always work in after ballasting track. For whateever reason, the matte medium solution I use is pretty much impervious to it. That's when I bring out the bright boy eraser.
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How To Clean Electric Train Tracks
Source: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/131972.aspx
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