# Track cleaner boxcars



## Blue North (12 mo ago)

If I want to run my track cleaner car even after cleaning track, should I remove the pad apparatus? Is there something abrasive that would hurt the track if overused, or would I wear out the pad?
It is this one


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

You will eventually wear a track mark in the pad, but running with the pad creates an incredible amount of drag on the locomotive. Don't plan on pulling or pushing many wagens with a cleaning car and pad on the rails.


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## Blue North (12 mo ago)

MichaelE said:


> You will eventually wear a track mark in the pad, but running with the pad creates an incredible amount of drag on the locomotive. Don't plan on pulling or pushing many wagens with a cleaning car and pad on the rails.


Thanks, that makes sense. I was running it by itself with an A/B set so it didn't seem to slow it down but it makes sense that it would. I like the beautiful boxcar with its feather art, so to keep running it I should unscrew the apparatus holding the pad? I thought about taping it up but that constricts the trucks.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

I would just take the boxcar off the track, no need to clean something that much!


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Any way to buy a cheap box car and switch out the frame?


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Well…. Actually….

Yeah, I know, “fightin words.”

I’m in the process of building an entire track cleaning train, as a MOW train that does real life MOW. I opted for this because a Loram train is just too complex to make. Even with 3D printing it’d be a PITA. So… I don’t have a full manifest list yet, and not every car will be track cleaning, but there will be three different methods of cleaning.

40 ft boxcar (soft brush cleaning)
40 ft boxcar (liquid solvent cleaning)
50 ft boxcar (abrasive pad cleaning)
Difco dump car (non cleaning)
50 ft flat (non cleaning)
Crane #1 (soft brush cleaning)
Gondola (non cleaning)
Crane #2 (non cleaning)
Camp car (liquid or abrasive cleaning-undecided)
Caboose (soft brush cleaning)

Now then; if 1 RS3 cannot pull that, I’ll try using 2. If that’s not enough, I’ll use 3 C30-7s. But the helix may summon Murphy (he’s on call 24/7). Worst case scenario lash up will be C30-7, C30-7, C30-7, RS11, RS11, RS11, SD38-2, SD24. That should pull em!


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

If you like the pretty boxcar, why not just purchase another track cleaning car for $25 and remove the apparatus from the one you'd like to place into a consist and run?


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

I have come up with my own mow consist since I had a nightmare with fouling out my track and wheels a couple weeks ago with no-ox. My track is now PERFECTLY CLEAN as well as burnished. I use an atlas track cleaning box car behind a locomotive to knock the big dirt off the rails then my dapol track cleaning car to apply rail cleaner and use it as a vacuum. Then I have another box car I modified to have a felt pad under it to wipe up the excess cleaning solution and a caboose behind that. I have only pulled this train with an sd40 from bachmann and it’s got plenty of pulling power to make it happen. The track cleaning consist has close to as much “drag” as a 25-30 car consist so if you have sharp curves or tight turnouts on your layout this may not work out well. And as far as the original question I would just buy another car that matches it and remove the cleaning pad to make it have less drag. If you found one you can always find another if the model was factory produced and not scratch built


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I have a shelf layout and I have a Walthers track cleaning boxcar which I keep coupled to a Walthers GP9. It pulls various additional three car consists and caboose. I have not noticed any drag or problems doing this but there are no grades on the layout and the only curves are through the turnouts.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

I think those cars are good for a quick 'dusting' if one hasn't been in the train room for a few weeks. To actually 'clean' the tracks, you need a solvent, a non-polar one like kerosene, WD-40 Contact Cleaner, or CRC Contact Cleaner and Protectant....by those very names. These remove surface contaminants that a quick scrubbing with a finger, a cloth, or the scrubber padded boxcar won't clean well. 

Accordingly, if I have been away, I run a scrubber ahead of my pusher, a PCM Y6b, and behind the Mallet I run a CMX car with kerosene. That leaves a light coating of kerosene, but not kerosene and dust.


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## MohawkMike (Jan 29, 2018)

Blue North said:


> If I want to run my track cleaner car even after cleaning track, should I remove the pad apparatus? Is there something abrasive that would hurt the track if overused, or would I wear out the pad?
> It is this one


why put the unnecessary strain on your engine?


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I think the track cleaning cars are over rated and probably don't clean much at all. Take the cleaning part off and enjoy box car!


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I don’t know if they’re over-rated, but they’re for sure over priced. 
I’ll create a topic tomorrow on my DIY cleaning cars.


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