# Cleaning soot from train



## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

Well I almost burned my house down. I was burning a glass candle and forgot to blow it out when I went to bed. The glass broke and the candle spilled on the floor and caught my laptop bag on fire. Fortunately, the floor is tile so the fire burned itself out. Now my man cave is covered in soot. The smoke was pretty well contained in the room so the smoke detector in the next room did not go off. Most of my trains are behind glass on display shelves. The smoke did not penetrate the glass cases but 2 engines and some rolling stock were left on my shelf layout. How should I go about cleaning them?
-Art


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Artieiii said:


> Well I almost burned my house down. I was burning a glass candle and forgot to blow it out when I went to bed. The glass broke and the candle spilled on the floor and caught my laptop bag on fire. Fortunately, the floor is tile so the fire burned itself out. Now my man cave is covered in soot. The smoke was pretty well contained in the room so the smoke detector in the next room did not go off. Most of my trains are behind glass on display shelves. The smoke did not penetrate the glass cases but 2 engines and some rolling stock were left on my shelf layout. How should I go about cleaning them?
> -Art



Man, you got to get a detector for that room!
Your lucky.

Did you try just a damp rag?
HO right?


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

I havent really tried anything yet Big Ed. A damp soapy rag on other things in the room gets a bunch off but still looks dirty. I've been too busy cleaning the furniture, painting the walls and ceiling. Yes the 2 engines are HO. A Lionel HO Challenger and a Broadway limited E7A&B and some rolling stock. 
-Art


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Read this,
http://www.ehow.com/way_5406096_smoke-soot-stain-removal.html


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

This,
http://www.stain-removal-101.com/soot-stain-removal.html

or this,
http://cleaning.tips.net/T004206_Removing_Soot_Stains.html

Try a mild Dawn dish detergent on the trains?
I can't find anything about getting soot of your trains, I can find a lot on adding soot to them.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

Well, a story about glass candles. The locomotive crew on a local tourist steam line borrowed one of the jack-o-lanterns from their station area and had it sitting on the tender deck for fun. They all had glass mason jars with candles inside to light them up. They tossed in a piece of burning coal which charred the inside of the pumpkin, but looked really cool with the blue flame shooting out the top of the pumpkin.

Anyway, the heat from the fire broke the glass and fused it back together again.


Not really any help with your question, but you mentioned the candle broke.

As Ed said, about all you can do is use some soapy water and a soft tooth brush. Be careful around decals.

The locomotives may be a bit tricky though with the electronics inside and all the detail parts outside.

Glad to hear everything was contained.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hey Art,

Sorry for the snafu. You should consider yourself, and the trains, lucky ... it could have been much worse.

Mild soapy water (via rag, q-tips, etc.) sounds like a plan, to me.

Be safe!

TJ


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## Alphaman (Dec 30, 2012)

http://www.ehow.com/way_5406096_smoke-soot-stain-removal.html

interesting article on soot removal Big Ed.... I would have gone straight for the wet rag


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Alphaman said:


> http://www.ehow.com/way_5406096_smoke-soot-stain-removal.html
> 
> interesting article on soot removal Big Ed.... I would have gone straight for the wet rag



I would have gone for the wet rag also.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

Cleaning soot from a train? I use mineral spirits on a rag followed by some spray on polish for the paint and some brass polish....










Oh wait, you guys were talking about models?


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## Fleischmannman (Jun 8, 2013)

i normally use a little bit of white vinegar on a microfibre cloth, that get rid of any dirt
including grease buildup


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