RELCO type track cleaners and WD40
With respect to MASON JAR's query: Plastic wheels are
not going to do it, but locos and tenders all have metal
wheel treads (or at least most do). In any event, given
the differences in both operational quality and the
relative comparitive cleanliness of operations with
brass or stainless steel wheels - it is advisable to
replace the nylon or other plastic truck (bogie)
wheels with same as you go along.
For a brief period in the 1960s
some sintered iron wheels were used by several
makers in car bogies. These are also, like plastic
ones, problematical. However, I don't imagine
that those buggers, are still around causing trouble
today. Most have grey or black plastic axles
and are not RP25 contoured.
WAHL Clipper Oil is a specialized lubricant , made
for use with their barbering/hair salon electric
clippers.
WD40 contains solvents to cut through
rust or oxides, and is analogous to penetrating oil
such as LIQUID WRENCH in its function. It provides
greater lubricity after the solvent evaporates or
degrades than the latter. Using it will require your
removing it in some way after the track gunk is
put in suspension, if you want to get benefit from
it.
WAHL OIL is friendlier stuff environmentally
(as its use on barbering tools would indicate),
but it also allows good conduction of electricity
through the oiled rail that has the gunk in
suspension.
If you have an especially dirty environment
you are going to have to remove the insulating
dirt/oxides by chemical or electronic means at
some point. Mechanical means, such as BRITE
BOY abrasive blocks or emery/sandpaper
techniques are BAD NEWS if you have such a
dirty environment !
They abrade the track surface and only exacerbate
the problem, because they will decrease the time
interval between cleanings.
This is because the ever more coarsened track
running surface that is created, makes it
possible for the dirt to build up at ever shorter
time intervals.
Using masonite skids ( under a track cleaning
car, as several commercially sold models do),
is the least pernicious form of mechanical cleaning
that is available. They work, but again you have
to keep up with the dirt removal on the masonite
skids. You must go slowly over the track the first
times used to see how your track work takes it.
We sometimes have scenery items (e.g
switch stands, or pseudo track items - like curve
greasers, block indicators, signs for: speed limit,
whistling, flanger, clearance etc.) that are too
close to the track; or we have uneven track which
we still can run over, but might result in
damage to track and cleaning car if a point gets
picked, and so forth.
I hope this comment helps, and to some extent
future developments will change the matter,
but will comment about that separately, since
it is essentially another matter which incidentally
helps with the dirty track problem.
Candidly, if you are operating in a garage in
the Outback, and can't seal it - DCC,DBC or
similar train control systems are beside the
point. This is especially true if you are the only
operator. What do you care if a lot of trains can
operate at once? Concentrate on realistic
operations and running them one at a time.
Us DC and an electronic track cleaner so you
can operate whenever you want, and supplement
it by whatever minimally abrasive form of
cleaning you need to take care of staging yards
and such.
Good-Luck, Peter
