# Track cleaner?



## Train1987 (Jun 8, 2014)

What's a good track cleaner product to get that is safe on lionel fastrack?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I use Isopropyl Alcohol on a rag, works great. I run the Trackman 2000 around with a scotchbrite pad on it for effortless cleaning.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Try to get Isopropanol 99 or 91%.

70% might contain chemicals that will eat plastic.
If you read the label it should tell. 

But you're safe with 91 or 99% the other part to it is just water.

HD/Lowes or even your drug store should have it, commonly know as rubbing alcohol.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Ed, where do you get it in nj? Ive asked , pharmacists, supermarkets, home depot( ours is the bigest in the world, costco , etc. Everone only has the 70 percent. Hasent been a problem, but I use it judiciously.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

CVS has 91%, I have gotten it there a number of times. They used to have 99%, that's the stuff that's hard to find nowadays.


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## GK Trains (Aug 10, 2013)

I agree. I also use 91% alcohol and also use the trackman 2000. The 2 work great


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Rite Aid carries 91 octane.


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## HMorgan125 (Jun 12, 2013)

Wal Mart has 91% as well.


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

Alcohol is only moderately successful to lift oils off the rails. Lacquer thinner does a much better job but you have to be very careful to not get it on anything other than the metal rails. It attacks most plastics. But it lifts all oils and other contaminant that adhere to the rails.

For O gauge a chalk board eraser wrapped with a lacquer dampened, tight fitting rag and slid on the top of the rails works good. The lacquer evaporates quickly so it has to be renewed with more fluid frequently. The part of the rag that was used gets black very quickly and has to be moved to expose a new surface. DO NOT GET IT ON ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN THE TOP OF THE RAILS!

But like any other cleaning solvent (from toilet bowl cleaners to auto parts solvents) everyone has a favorite. Lacquer thinner happens to be mine for rail cleaning and motorcycle carburetors. Use at your own risk.

LDBennett


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I never have any issue getting all sorts of gunk off the rails with Isopropyl Alcohol. You have hit the nail on the head about lacquer thinner, it damages many products, including your Fastrack or RealTrax base!


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

John:

Yes, you have to be mighty careful but lacquer thinner is effective.

I have a track cleaner car for my HO layout. It is tank of solvent with applicators continuously fed with fluid, controlled by a needle valve. It is very effective. The manufacture goes through a reasoning for using his solvent of choice in great detail in the instruction. It is a very popular track cleaning car with a reputation for really cleaning the rails. The manufacture insists on lacquer thinner and includes the warning I just posted:

DO NOT GET IT ON ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN THE TOP OF THE RAILS!

Apparently I am not out in left field with this suggestion of lacquer thinner.

LDBennett


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Either that or you and the manufacturer of the track cleaner are both in left field. 

It probably works very well, but I wouldn't want the chance of it leaking or being spilled and screwing up whatever it touched.


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

John:

That is why I suggested a dampened rag wrapped tightly around the chalk eraser. Not a dripping overly wet loose rag. A careful person will not have a problem. There is no accounting for a ham fisted nummy. I have tried the alcohol with poor results. Now, maybe I used the wrong one (??). 70% Isopropyl (??).

LDBennett


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

sjm9911 said:


> Ed, where do you get it in nj? Ive asked , pharmacists, supermarkets, home depot( ours is the bigest in the world, costco , etc. Everone only has the 70 percent. Hasent been a problem, but I use it judiciously.


I have some but I don't use it to clean track, I was told that you could buy it at HD.
I looked at their site and couldn't find it. hwell:
I researched a little and found out that most drug stores "should" have 99%. Most big food stores "should" have it too. But sometimes the 99% is kept behind the counters for some reason and you have to ask.

I haul it and most other solvents, I have not bought any chemicals since 1975. 
I have some Isopropanol 99% for using on ones body, as I pickup food grade IPA. When the lab man comes to take a sample I just grab a 16oz bottle if I need some. 

But I don't really use a lot of IPA. Food grade IPA and industrial IPA is the same stuff, it is just the way the product is packaged that is the difference. Food grade is supposed to be all sterile. The drums, the tankers and the filling process. But the IPA ships from the same tank.

The difference from 99,91,70 percent is the percentage of water, 99 is the purist form the other 1% is water, 91 the other 9% is water, 70 the other is 30% water. So you see that the stronger stuff will clean better as the others are diluted. But 91% should work just fine. All drug stores should have at least 91%.:dunno:

Now that being said you have to watch the 70%, sometimes it is denatured with chemicals that WILL eat plastics. They add Ethyl or Butyl Acetate or others that WILL melt plastics. I think it should state what is in it on the bottle? Like I said I don't buy any chemicals for use around the house. We sample almost any chemical there is and retain them for a while then all the bottles are dumped into our waste drums and eventually gets shipped out. I am doing them a favor taking some home as they don't have to pay to get rid of it.:thumbsup:

I use Ethanol, grain alcohol. I think straight grain ethanol cleans better and and smells better too. I love the smell of grain alcohol. :thumbsup: And like I said I grab sample bottles when I need some. 

I found this in HD,









This is supposed to be 90% ethanol with the other 10% methanol from some searching I did. This lists for $7.26 a can. We denature our Ethanol like this. We also denature different proofs with different chemicals.
I can't remember what exactly goes in what right now as it has been years since I blended out under the racks. But we get in 190 proof and 200 proof, comes in from the mid-west. We drum some for orders that are food grade then the rest gets blended and goes into their holding tanks. I think the 190 gets the methanol and the 200 gets IPA after we blend them in out tankers they get pumped into their holding tanks. Now you have to watch what denatured alcohol you buy too, some of those are denatured with stuff that will eat plastics.

That is why I would use the IPA/Ethanol mix on the tracks. But the Methanol/Ethanol is OK too.

Anything you buy like this should have an MSDS. If it is either methanol or IPA (Isopropanol) your safe using it.
If it contains any acetates it will still clean ( probably better) but will eat plastics.

Without getting into too much detail, there are a lot of other solvents that will clean well to.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

After reading the MSDS for Isopropyl Alcohol and Denatured Alcohol, I prefer using the Isopropyl Alcohol for my cleaning.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> After reading the MSDS for Isopropyl Alcohol and Denatured Alcohol, I prefer using the Isopropyl Alcohol for my cleaning.


I agree but that is why I stated that I use Ethanol, grain alcohol. Straight grain alcohol is the safest thing to use. So safe that you can drink it if you add it to another beverage.  I also said that between alcohol being denatured with either methanol or IPA I would pick the IPA mixture.
But I use straight grain for cleaning my tracks. If you ever had to remove some old bumper stickers glue residue you would know how hard it is to get off. Try some 99% IPA, then try some 200 proof grain, you will see the difference in removing the glue.
Ethanol cleans much better then IPA and is safer too.  And I love the smell! :thumbsup:
But the main difference is cost, for those who have to go out and buy it. I don't buy any.

There are hundreds of ways ethanol is denatured. Denatured alcohol that is intended for use as a fuel or solvent typically contains 5% or more methanol. 
That is why I prefer ethanol denatured with Isopropanol. Methanol is toxic.

Do a little searching and you will find that straight Ethyl alcohol naturally is less toxic than isopropyl alcohol.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I've been using denatured alcohol in my CMX track cleaning car exclusively for the past three years.
It cleans the track beautifully with no damage to anything it touches.
Works for me,
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

big ed said:


> Do a little searching and you will find that straight Ethyl alcohol naturally is less toxic than isopropyl alcohol.


No kidding! One is for drinking, and one is specifically altered to make it non-drinkable!

Another excellent solvent is Naphtha, it works where alcohol doesn't always work. Some label glues resist alcohol but dissolve quickly with Naphtha.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> No kidding! One is for drinking, and one is specifically altered to make it non-drinkable!
> 
> Another excellent solvent is Naphtha, it works where alcohol doesn't always work. Some label glues resist alcohol but dissolve quickly with Naphtha.


No, I am not kidding. :cheeky4:

" Are you getting your knickers in a knot over nothing? "

Some label glues resist alcohol, but not ETHANOL.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

My knickers are fine, but thanks for asking.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> My knickers are fine, but thanks for asking.


Your welcome, do you really still have Knickers?


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

AHH HA.....The latest Model Railroader Hobbyist Magazine-July 2014 has a complete article on track cleaning. He does an analysis of methods of cleaning track and looks at what the "black Goo" is that is on the track and what it is made up of. Here is his results for liquid cleaners but you really should read the whole article:

_"*Liquid Solvent Track Cleaners, worst to best:*

* Dry cloth – not very effective (as expected) Water – better than dry but the track is still pretty dirty after 10 swipes

 Windex – not very effective, but better than water

 Windshield washer fluid - not the best but will do in apinch. For those of us who live in the Northern parts of the world, there is always a jug of this stuff in the garage!

 Rubbing alcohol – moderately effective. The track was still dirty after 10 swipes. It took a few more before it was totally clean.

 Paint thinner\mineral spirits – lots of black gunk comes off with this stuff

 Acetone – lots of black stuff comes off and the track is clean

 Goo Gone – works well, but leaves a residue behind that has to be cleaned off.

 Lacquer thinner – track is pretty clean even with fewer than 10 swipes

 Varsol – the most effective cleaner. Track was clean before the 10 swipes were completed.

(Varsol is very similar to white spirit, mineral spirits, mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha and Stoddard solvent. It is a petroleum-derived clear,
transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating. Varsol is either difficult or impossible to acquire for non-industrial use in the US and particularly in California.)"*_

SO...............His conclusion is the best liquid cleaner is Laquer thinner as Varsol is not available to the masses. This is the second article that I have come across that came to this same Lacquer thinner conclusion but of course you have to be careful to not get it on anything but the metal track top surface. As an aside I too have the CMX Clean Machine he references except mine is in HO not O gauge as I would need for my MTH/Lionel layout. 

LDBennett


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I notice they didn't try Naphtha, a very good cleaner that I use when Isopropyl Alcohol doesn't have the desired cleaning properties. It's a lot less hazardous to plastics than Lacquer thinner.

OTOH, you're quite free to clean your track with anything you like, I'll steer clear of lacquer thinner for my trains and track.


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

He did say:

*"Varsol is very similar to white spirit, mineral spirits, mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha and Stoddard solvent."
*
LDBennett


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The odd part is that Varsol was the most effective, yet he preferred the lacquer thinner. If naphtha is actually as effective, I remain convinced that naphtha is a better choice. I can buy that all over the place, Home Depot, Lowes, and even lighter fluid is primarily naphtha.

Like I said, it's your choice, I'm just stating what I'd do...


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

John:

I thought it interesting that someone actually did a test on the various ones and published an article. There is a lot more to the article than what I cited. Like: one of the constituents of the black goo we remove from the track is skin from humans and animal as apparently that is one of the main constituents of house dust. To test that house dust was the problem he cleaned a section of track and put one end in a bag while letting the other end sit out in the air inside his home. I think he left it that way for months and months maybe even a year. The covered part of the track had no black goo on it while the uncovered part did.

If you can get a copy of the July issue of Model Train Hobbyist it is well worth the read. Too bad the magazine is mostly HO gauge.

Lynn.........


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> After reading the MSDS for Isopropyl Alcohol and Denatured Alcohol, I prefer using the Isopropyl Alcohol for my cleaning.


I should have added......I don't know what MSDS for denatured alcohol you read?
Alcohol is denatured with a WHOLE BUNCH of different things.
One would be Isopropanol 99%, so if you think IPA cleans good you ought to try denatured alcohol with IPA.

Now if the MSDS you read was denatured with say Butyl Acetate, or Acetone or many others, then yes IPA would be better.
Methanol is considered poison, so if I had a choice denaturing the ethanol with Methanol or IPA, mine would be with the IPA. And even then it is only 10% IPA.

If you had some 200% grain John you would see how it cleans, and is safe, and smells good too. :thumbsup:

So if you see can of denatured alcohol that was denatured with IPA try some.
The one I showed has methanol it was only $7 bucks, one with IPA should be the same price.
Like mentioned there are plenty of other solvents "naphtha" that will clean good too.

The best cleaners would be chlorinated.
Methylene chloride, Trichloroethylene, Carbon Tetrachloride, Perchloroethylene.

All clean great, takes paint off great too, read the MSDS on those. :smilie_daumenneg:

I have a bottle of methylene chloride, back in the late 90's the government wanted this banned. You can still get it today. They are finding substitutes for them, eventually they want ALL chlorinated solvents banned.

Nothing that they are making to replace them works better yet.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The Trichloroethylene was a great cleaner, I used to use it for circuit boards! However, it's pretty nasty stuff, and it's impossible to buy nowadays.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> The Trichloroethylene was a great cleaner, I used to use it for circuit boards! However, it's pretty nasty stuff, and it's impossible to buy nowadays.


You need a drum? 

You can get it, http://www.amazon.com/Trichloroethylene-High-Purity-Solvent-120ml/dp/B00AU9QWNK

First place I found, there are more, but it is nasty stuff like you said.

They do have a replacement solvent now, they claim it is just as good and non-hazardous.
I don't know I never had any, I never heard of this either,

http://www.abenterpriseindia.com/miscellaneous-chemicals.html#trichloroethylene-replacement


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

WOW, $18 for 4oz? I think not! Obviously, Uncle Sam is putting a hefty penalty for wanting stuff like this.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Leave the bottle open and it will evaporate in an hour. 

My plant has no chlorinated solvents, You can't even pull through the gate with an empty tanker if a compartment was labeled with chlorinated. 
We used to have chlorinated solvents till they had a spill, many moons ago. 
The company has changed names 3 times since then, but don't even think of pulling in with chlorinated placards on the property. 
Empty or loaded.
A big NO NO.


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## Lynn D Bennett (Jul 27, 2013)

I believe Carbon Tetrachloride and Perchloroethylene are controlled as well. Dry cleaners used it in large dry cleaning machines for clothes. But in the 1960's they were required to make the machines closed system, not allowing any of it into the atmosphere. I understand it had a "sniffer" on the system, whatever that is (??), to assure none got into the atmosphere. My Dad was a dry cleaner and ran those machines. So did my uncle. Both owned dry cleaning stores. 

I remember as a kid in the 1940's the washers used in dry cleaning used plain old cleaning solent in open washing machines (made for this purpose). Carbon Tetrachloride (a deadly poison, I believe) was the next solvent for dry cleaning followed by Perchloroethylene. All are controlled substances today. My son works as a service tech for Safety Klean where is has to pickup hazardous waste products. The Los Angeles basin AQMD does not allow solvent for cleaning car parts anymore, only a water based soapy product.

Lacquer thinner is readily available and works well for track cleaning. For home use it is not controlled (YET!).

LDBennett


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