# track cleaner



## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

ULTRA PURE RAIL ROAD TRACK CLEANER:
if any one has bought this track cleaner and you are having trouble keeping your train running!

its this product. it puts a film coat on the track which the wheels pick up. makes them look like they have ran for years.

so please dont buy this product.:smilie_daumenneg::rippedhand:

skip


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## Blackout (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up!

What solvent is prefered for cleaning tracks? I have used Goo Gone and the blue stuff from the local train store on my O-scale layout, but am looking for other possible options to try. I run ballasted Gargraves track if that matters.


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

most on here go with alcohol and cotton swabs. thats what cleared my trouble.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol on a rag. I also have a track cleaning car for when I get some tunnels built, it has a Scotchbrite pad that cleans the track.


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

i to have a track cleaning car and that is what i was using. 
now i have to replace the pad so i can get away from that cleaner.

i have to say,, that i told the eBay dealer what it did and he is refunding my cost.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I like my track cleaning car, it's simple and requires no cleaning fluid. The pad has run around the club layout many times and is still in excellent shape, ready for many more laps. Replacement is easy, just cut a new piece of ScotchBrite and pin it onto the spring loaded weight.


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## Blackout (Jul 23, 2013)

What's the difference between isopropyl alcohol and denatured alcohol?

Thanks.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

There is a lot of difference!

Denatured Alcohol. MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

Material Safety Data Sheet. Isopropyl Alcohol

Which one would you rather use regularly?


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## Blackout (Jul 23, 2013)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> There is a lot of difference!
> 
> Denatured Alcohol. MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET
> 
> ...


O.K., so isopropyl alcohol gets the job done and is safer.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Blackout said:


> O.K., so isopropyl alcohol gets the job done and is safer.


One word answer yes. And the IPA won't hurt you if you get it on your skin. The only way it would hurt you is if you drink it or are smoking while using it and blow up.
Make sure (as with any flammable liquid) you work in well ventilated areas and away from heat sources.

Denatured Alcohol would be fine but it depends on what it is denatured with.
The MSDS sheet John shows has Methyl Iso Butyl Ketone (MIBK) and Ethyl Acetate in it.
It also has Methanol in it. (Methyl Alcohol) Methanol alone is classified as a poison.
These ingredients will/might harm paint and plastics.

Sometimes the denatured alcohol has just Isopropanol in it or just Methanol. 
It is denatured so people can't drink it, when they denature it, it poisons the alcohol.
We denature our 200 proof grain with Isopropanol and the 190 proof grain with Methanol. From there we make different blends from it. 
Sometime before denaturing we will drum a certain amount of the pure Grain alcohol for orders. Then we denature and tank the rest.

So if it just denatured with Isoprpanol it would be fine, just Methanol I say would cause no harm. (except it is a poison). But the MIBK (any type of Ketones) and Acetates (any type of Acetates) will cause harm to plastics and paints.

Like I said before, the 70% Isopropanol may be safe if it lists the other 30% as water, but most of the time the other 30% is a Ketone or Acetate in it.

So you are safe with 99% or 91% Isopropanol I would stick with that.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The 70% also frequently contains oils and fragrance, more stuff you don't want on your trains.


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

You don't want your trains to smell pretty?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Nope, I like them stinky.


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## Dug (Jun 9, 2013)

Gunrunner, I like the ScotchBrite pads. Probably more labor intensive than Iso. but I don't have much track to clean and it is normally unassembled. Does a good job on wheels too, but leaves bits and pieces of pad on the under carriage that need to be blown away. I used canned air for that.

What do you use to clean the holes (female end of a track section) in 027 track sections that the connector pins fit into?

Q-tips shed cotton. I tried toothpicks (the round ones) to scrub out the holes but they are a bit small and don't hold Iso. to well. I also used a track pin and pliers to "file" the hole a little. I worry that the track pin reams the hole and might cause a loose connection. Maybe re-crimp the holes after reaming?

Thanks, Doug


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Dug said:


> Gunrunner, I like the ScotchBrite pads. Probably more labor intensive than Iso. but I don't have much track to clean and it is normally unassembled. Does a good job on wheels too, but leaves bits and pieces of pad on the under carriage that need to be blown away. I used canned air for that.
> 
> What do you use to clean the holes (female end of a track section) in 027 track sections that the connector pins fit into?
> 
> ...


Tube track?
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=2433&highlight=cleaning+tube+track

Get one of these cheap enough, a welder's tip cleaner
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showpost.php?p=23528&postcount=33


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## Dug (Jun 9, 2013)

Big Ed. Yes tube track. I'm search challenged. Thanks for the thread link. T-Man thanks for the How-To, I hadn't considered WD40 to assist with removing cleaning residue. Not used as a lube, but rather as a grime attractant. Good info, digressed to 78 RPM stuff but I have a 78 titled "I'm My Own Grandpa".

Tube track hole cleaning techniques. Wire brushes good, but that requires purchase of something I wouldn't use much.

I have small tips. My ox/acet. torch cleaners are to small for the hole in the track ends. I did find my SAE Allen Wrench set has a size that works, but the track ends require readjustment after cleaning. I'll have to locate my Metric set to see if there is a better fit. The hex edges on the allen wrenches appear to clean without reaming out the hole.

Thanks, Doug


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I use these brushes: Twisted Wire Spiral. Click on the Twisted Wire Spiral on the left and select one of the SS ones. Here's the listing for the two I think are most appropriate for O27 and then O31 track.


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## Dug (Jun 9, 2013)

Gunrunner, Thanks. $6.68 for 2 SS brushes, great price. I ordered the .109 and .125.

Thanks, Doug


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

big ed said:


> One word answer yes. And the IPA won't hurt you if you get it on your skin. The only way it would hurt you is if you drink it or are smoking while using it and blow up.
> Make sure (as with any flammable liquid) you work in well ventilated areas and away from heat sources.
> 
> Denatured Alcohol would be fine but it depends on what it is denatured with.
> ...


On the other hand, I've been using denatured alcohol for years without trouble.m I think it has more 'ooomph" than isopropyl. Never harmed a plastic part or a painted surface, either.

As far as harming me, well, my basement is well ventilated, and I can tell you that an MSDS is written under OSHA guidlines for people who are using the stuff in large quantities, like painters cleaning brushes or the like, not the hobbyist who moistens a rag in it and runs it over his rails once a month. Use common sense (don't drink it, have adequate ventilation, wash hands after handling, avoid flames and embers) and it's perfectly safe.


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## Newtown Joe (Jan 30, 2013)

*Track Cleaning*

I use carburetor cleaner. Seems to work good.


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## Mr. SP (Jan 7, 2015)

*Track Cleaner*

To clean my track I use a Walthers boxcar that has a pad under it that is a kind of "Brite Boy" kind of pad.
I also use 95% Alcohol on a rag wrapped around two fingers.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I do not use any liquid. All of my track is nickle silver. I run a "Brite Boy" pad over it when I notice that the amp meter is not steady as the train moves around the track. Also for day to day maintenance some of my cars have "Dust Monkeys" attached. These are little pads that attach to the truck of almost any car other than hoppers and cars with low trusses.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

For 30+ years I have been using good old fashion rubbing alcohol from any grocery or drug store & I've yet to have a problem with dirty tracks in all those years. I find it even cleans up brass track making it look almost new again. I do however always buy a brand name bottle rather than cheap because as the old saying goes... you always get what you pay for!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I've been using denatured alcohol with a CMX track cleaning car.
Works like a champ with no damage to any other scenery, etc.
Bob


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