Cleaning old track
Keith Macdonald
years ago. Now it's my son's turn!
Any way, it's all on good condition, but the rails have tarnished and so the
locomotives are quite slow and jerky.
Does any one have general advice on how best to renovate the track, locos
and rolling stock?
Regards
Keith
Jim Guthrie
<keith.m...@core-support.co.uk> wrote:
Keith,
If it's 35 year old Hornby track then it's probably plated steel rail.
Since it sounds as if you are getting some form of running on the
track, it looks as if the steel rail hasn't rusted too much so a good
session with a track cleaning rubber might be sufficient to get it
back into good running order.
You could use more aggressive methods to clean the track - like using
emery cloth or wet and dry sandpaper - but if the plating on your
steel track is still in fair condition, more aggressive methods will
score the plating with minute scars and just give you more problems in
the long run.
A less aggressive cleaner which works well is a glass fibre brush or
stick. You can get them at good model railway shops or trade stands
at exhibitions. They are about half an inch in diameter and consist
of a bundle of thousands of fine glass fibres bound with a heavy green
tape. This will clean the rail head and also polish it, which will
help to prevent further oxidisation. If you do use a glass fibre
brush, go round your track with a vacuum cleaner afterwards since you
will have left behind lots of minute bits of glass fibre which can
cause irritation if they get onto your skin.
But, if your track has steel rail, you might be better advised to
look at changing it for more modern track which uses nickel silver
rail. This track has the very minimum of oxidisation compared with
the old plated steel track and it will be a lot easier for your son to
acquire additional track if he wants to expand his empire. You will
just have to be careful to buy track which is compatible with the
wheel standards of 35 year old Hornby equipment and you would be well
advised to try your locos on any new track and point work before you
lay out a lot of money. Others on the newsgroup who have 35 year old
Hornby stock might be able to advise you on what track will be
suitable.
To clean your rolling stock wheels, you should use non-agressive
methods as well so that your wheel treads are not scarred with the use
of coarse abrasives. If there's a lot of muck on the treads, scrape
it off with a "soft" scraper - by soft, I mean something that is
softer than the metal of the wheel tyres so that you don't damage the
wheel tread when scraping. You can use something like cocktail
sticks carved to a sharp point similar to a screw driver blade. Once
you've got the muck off, you can polish the treads up with something
like a track cleaning rubber or a glass fibre brush.
Jim.
Wolf Kirchmeir
=>Any way, it's all on good condition, but the rails have tarnished and so the
=>locomotives are quite slow and jerky.
I've read Jim Guthrie's response, and second his advice. Here's a couple
other things to try:
Plated steel that still conducts may have more dirt than rust on it. You
could try a good quality metal cleaner.
Jerky/slow locos: I'm afraid you will have to disassmble these, and clean
them. __Use proper precautions, whatver cleaner you use - especially eye
protection!__. A large wide-mouth jar filled with cleaner will do nicely -
just clip leads to the motor, immerse the engine, and turn on the pwoer. Then
remove the engine, and turn on the power again briefly, to spray the cleaner
and any dissolved gunk out of the motor. _Eye protection! And best to do this
outdoors.__
When everything has dried, use a modern, plastic compatible
lubricant/contact cleaner on the motor's commutator and the wheel contacts
(including axles, if that's how the engine gets power.) Aerocar makes a very
good one, but I don't know if it's available in the UK. You will need some
other plastiic-compatible lubricants for motor-bearings and power-bogie
gears.
If all else fails, find a friendly soul at a nearby model railway club. :-)
Good luck!
Wolf Kirchmeir
If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on the train?
(Garrison Keillor)
Tom Houston
Hi Keith,
This is a bit of an old chestnut which comes up pretty
regularly in one form or another. Have a look in the archives
such as deja-news etc. for loads of tips on cleaning and
keeping track clean.
Now if the track is thirty-odd years old, I'd consign it to the dust-bin
or back into the attic and buy some new stuff. Modern OO/HO
track is made from Nickel-Silver, a (mainly) rustproof material.
The older track is steel which could be cleaned, but isn't really
going to do as good a job as N-S....and we do want to give the
younger generation a good impression, don't we?
Try a magnet on the track, if it sticks you've got steel.
BTW, don't ever be tempted to use wire-wool to clean track, it gets
into the motors and kills them..
Rgds,
Tom Houston
Just West of Ballyboley Junction
David Frew
2 things to do:
buy a rail cleaning rubber. PEco make one. Its like an eraser but with some
extra abrasve materials. This will remove tarnishing and let the current get
through.
if loco wheels are tarnished, try using rubber on them. Alternativel a fibre
glass burnishing pen will do a good job.
Hope this helps
David Frew
Chris Petty
First try using a cleaning agent such as metholated spirits with rag. If the
dirt is stubborn then use a track rubber, this should be avoided as over time
the coating on the rails is removed.
May be worth checking that the fish plates are making good contact, quite tight
to join together or check with a meter.
Clean the wheels of the trains with cleaning fluid as above. If the track is
Super 4, which is likely as this was in production in 1965, then it will not
connect to code 100 track and the flanges of the trains may be too deep for code
100 track, try buying a small piece of code 100 to try on.
For the insides oil as per Hornby instructions and take a look at the commutator
to see if it is dirty, clean with electric contact cleaner as necessary. Check
that the brushes are not over worn and replace as necessary. Test the loco of
the track to see if its OK.
Hope this helps.
Chris
Colin Meredith
stain/grease remover.....mineralised methylated spirits are sort of o.k. but
leave a stronger odour and could be more flammable...don't think IpA is
flammable..but don't smoke near it because of mixture of
fumes.....DEFINITELY DON'T smoke/use naked flame near meths.
"Chris Petty" <chris...@bt.com> wrote in message
news:3B96246C...@bt.com...
Christopher A. Lee
from American models, with some of the manufacturers producing specific
chips for popular locomoives.
Is there anything like this available for British locomotives? Either from
a British supplier of sound systems, or a supplier who does custom chips
for one of the US systems? Maybe a special interest group?
In the US the best of these are tied in with DCC. I haven't gone DCC yet,
but if/when I do, the choice will be determined by support of sound.
Cheers...Chris
Anthony New
>
> On Mon, 3 Sep 2001 16:22:48 +0100, "Keith Macdonald"
> <keith.m...@core-support.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Keith,
>
> >I'm just setting up the Hornby OO my father first bought for me some 35
> >years ago. Now it's my son's turn!
> >
> >Any way, it's all on good condition, but the rails have tarnished and so the
> >locomotives are quite slow and jerky.
> >
> >Does any one have general advice on how best to renovate the track, locos
> >and rolling stock?
>
> If it's 35 year old Hornby track then it's probably plated steel rail.
> Since it sounds as if you are getting some form of running on the
> track, it looks as if the steel rail hasn't rusted too much so a good
> session with a track cleaning rubber might be sufficient to get it
> back into good running order.
> You could use more aggressive methods to clean the track - like using
> emery cloth or wet and dry sandpaper - but if the plating on your
> steel track is still in fair condition, more aggressive methods will
> score the plating with minute scars and just give you more problems in
> the long run.
Good advice (as always) from Jim. If want to re-use old steel track
which has gone rusty, it can be effective to spray WD40 on it and leave
it, but you must clean it all off again - WD40 is horrible for locos and
is (of course) a good insulator.
A better fluid for cleaning track (and locos) is Peco's electrolube -
pricey but essential IMHO. You still need to clean it off again - I use
old wynciette pyjamas for this. Only use the track rubber (Peco again)
if the track is very tarnished. For regular cleaning I always use a
piece of cork sheet (normally used as track base) which rubs the grime
off without roughening the surface, which (as Jim says) can make it get
dirty more quickly in the future.
Triang Locos:
remove the body, check the commutator: if it is dirty, clean between the
commutator slots with a dressmaking pin, and (if it has been over-oiled)
clean the brushes with cloth.
Oil the felt pads (if present) and all bearings with Peco electrolube,
trying hard not to get it on the commutator (this lube *does* conduct
electricity!). A tiny drop on the motor bearings, and each axle is
enough - don't lube the wheels or valvegear.
Let the loco run around a trainset oval for a few minutes at near full
speed and without any load, and it should speed up and quieten down
noticeably.
If the loco takes a long time to run properly next time, you've probably
over-oiled it, and will have to clean it again.
Track: If you have Triang or Hornby with tension lock couplings (ie none
of the older couplings without the turned over ends), then it should run
ok on recent Hornby track and anything older; you may find it derails on
modern Peco points which have wider back-to-back measurements, but this
can be sorted if you want to use Peco track.
> But, if your track has steel rail, you might be better advised to
> look at changing it for more modern track which uses nickel silver
> rail. This track has the very minimum of oxidisation compared with
> the old plated steel track and it will be a lot easier for your son to
> acquire additional track if he wants to expand his empire. You will
> just have to be careful to buy track which is compatible with the
> wheel standards of 35 year old Hornby equipment and you would be well
> advised to try your locos on any new track and point work before you
> lay out a lot of money. Others on the newsgroup who have 35 year old
> Hornby stock might be able to advise you on what track will be
> suitable.
Curiously, despite the dismissive comments made about Traign series-4
track, it is actually much nearer correct 4mm scale than Peco track
(Peco is actually to 3.5mm scale)! Only the height is really wrong, and
this isn't so noticeable after ballasting. However I prefer Peco track
myself, and use it for my (very) many locos up to around 40 years old,
with few problems.
Nickel Silver track is generally reckoned not to tarnish as quickly as
Steel, but this is something of a delusion IMHO. I have both and the
Nickel Silver needs cleaning just as often as the steel (more often if
the steel track is unused and hasn't had the plating worn off), though
cleaning is quicker and easier to do than on steel. Steel also give much
better adhesion for locos fitted with Magnadhesion, and is highly
recommended for "Lord of the isles" on steep gradients!
> To clean your rolling stock wheels, you should use non-agressive
> methods as well so that your wheel treads are not scarred with the use
> of coarse abrasives. If there's a lot of muck on the treads, scrape
> it off with a "soft" scraper - by soft, I mean something that is
> softer than the metal of the wheel tyres so that you don't damage the
> wheel tread when scraping. You can use something like cocktail
> sticks carved to a sharp point similar to a screw driver blade. Once
> you've got the muck off, you can polish the treads up with something
> like a track cleaning rubber or a glass fibre brush.
Don't forget to clean the plastic wheels too - they can collect a lot of
dirt! In fact, a neat way of cleaning your track is to run a small 0-6-0
tank loco around very fast with a short rake of bogie coaches behind it
- the steel wheels of the loco disturb the dirt and the plastic wheels
collect it. Don't ask me why, but steel wheels don't collect dirt IME -
they clean themselves and the track! (Note, I'm talking about *dirt*
here - not oil, or grease, or rust. Running locos around oilt track
usually makes things worse IME).
Have fun!
Anthony.
Anthony New
>
> This ex-pat the other side of the pond has heard some beautiful sound
> from American models, with some of the manufacturers producing specific
> chips for popular locomoives.
>
> Is there anything like this available for British locomotives? Either from
> a British supplier of sound systems, or a supplier who does custom chips
> for one of the US systems? Maybe a special interest group?
Hornby made a spectacularly feeble attempt at this some years ago, and
Wren made something similar too. Don't bother with either . . .
Anthony.
Anthony New
> May be worth checking that the fish plates are making good contact, quite tight
> to join together or check with a meter.
Good point.
> If the track is
> Super 4, which is likely as this was in production in 1965, then it will not
> connect to code 100 track and the flanges of the trains may be too deep for code
> 100 track, try buying a small piece of code 100 to try on.
This another myth. All Triang locos made after 1960, and all Hornby
locos will cope with code-100 track. Hornby Dublo 2-rail locos will
usually cope with finescale track. The problem with Triang and Hornby is
wheel back-to-back which is generally too coarse for most modern track.
Only Lima wheels or much older Triang, Trix, etc are generally a problem
on code-100
Anthony.
K.D.Ba...@lboro.ac.uk
Colin Meredith <Colin.M...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>Get to know your chemist and try Isopropyl Alchohol (IpA).....excellent
>stain/grease remover.....mineralised methylated spirits are sort of o.k. but
>leave a stronger odour and could be more flammable...don't think IpA is
>flammable..but don't smoke near it because of mixture of
>fumes.....DEFINITELY DON'T smoke/use naked flame near meths.
Neat IPA is flammable, less so than meths, but don't do
anything silly with it. It appears in car windscreen wash
additives and some disk/tape cleaners.
For routine track cleaning don't forget a small piece of
hardboard (rough side down) works as well as anything.
HTH
--
Cheers, Keith. elm/lynx staffi
Daniel Dacey
the cited author.]
>Track: If you have Triang or Hornby with tension lock couplings (ie
none
of the older couplings without the turned over ends), then it should run
ok on recent Hornby track and anything older; you may find it derails on
modern Peco points which have wider back-to-back measurements, but this
can be sorted if you want to use Peco track.
Hi Jim,
Since you mentioned that you had a number of older loco's, do you know
if the old Hornby Blue Pullman and Jinty (First of the Hornby branded)
can handle the newer Peco points? Like the original author I am looking
at digging out the old Hornby trainsets from the cupboard for my son and
will need to make some choices on track. I already know the Jinty won't
handly Peco 85 finescale, because of it's wheelflange size. I had
assumed the Peco 100 would be fine, but hadn't thought about the newer
points being an issue.
Any advice appreciated.
Regards,
Daniel Dacey
Ian Havercroft
The only experience I have is of a DCC product by SoundTraxx
(www.soundtraxx.com), They have a chip with 'British L1 Tank' sounds,
it is wonderful to listen to, but I don't have an L1 Tank n my layout
(N-Scale) so I have mounted the decoder in a passenger carriage which
I couple behind whatever locomotive I want.
I beleive Ted at Sunningwell Command control (UK Digitrax dealer) is
negotiating with SoundTraxx to produce a Class 37 version, also
SoundTraxx make decoders for various GM designs so it might be
possible to use one for a 57, 59 or 66.
HTH Ian
Christopher A. Lee
On Thu, 6 Sep 2001, Ian Havercroft wrote:
> On Wed, 5 Sep 2001 14:10:02 -0700, "Christopher A. Lee"
> <chri...@winery.garlic.com> wrote:
>
> >This ex-pat the other side of the pond has heard some beautiful sound
> >from American models, with some of the manufacturers producing specific
> >chips for popular locomoives.
> >
> >Is there anything like this available for British locomotives? Either from
> >a British supplier of sound systems, or a supplier who does custom chips
> >for one of the US systems? Maybe a special interest group?
> >
> >In the US the best of these are tied in with DCC. I haven't gone DCC yet,
> >but if/when I do, the choice will be determined by support of sound.
> >
> >Cheers...Chris
> The only experience I have is of a DCC product by SoundTraxx
> (www.soundtraxx.com), They have a chip with 'British L1 Tank' sounds,
> it is wonderful to listen to, but I don't have an L1 Tank n my layout
> (N-Scale) so I have mounted the decoder in a passenger carriage which
> I couple behind whatever locomotive I want.
Thanks. It's an unusual prototype - I'm not too well up on the LNER
classes but isn't that a Thompson 2-6-4T, which is an unusual one to
do.
If it was a custom job for a customer then maybe they can be persuaded to
do a GWR 2-cylinder engine with slide valves. A Dean goods, a Pannier and
a Dukedog won't sound all that different. Do piston valves and you've got
a Hall, a Manor, a Grange etc.
> I beleive Ted at Sunningwell Command control (UK Digitrax dealer) is
> negotiating with SoundTraxx to produce a Class 37 version, also
> SoundTraxx make decoders for various GM designs so it might be
> possible to use one for a 57, 59 or 66
A good place to start but the whistles etc will be different.
Soundtraxx use digitised sound which they stretch and synchronise with
wheel rotation (steam), plus recorded blowing off, Westinghouse pump etc.
Some of the more esoteric systems have diseasels idling (or even rattling
off) when stationary, turning over on the starter etc and even the driver
and control talking to each other.
Anyway, thanks for the info.
Colin Meredith
flammable........can't even trust a pharmacist these days..!
<K.D.Ba...@lboro.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:9n7arc$ofl$1...@sun-cc204.lut.ac.uk...
Patrick
<chri...@winery.garlic.com> wrote:
Take a look at the LocSound DCC sound decoder from ESU. (Germany).
You can even download your own sounds in the decoder
Never used the decoders because they don't fit in my Loc's, but they
certainly look good.
Patrick
Chris White
<Colin.M...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>Get to know your chemist and try Isopropyl Alchohol (IpA).....excellent
>stain/grease remover.....mineralised methylated spirits are sort of o.k. but
I was given to understand that meths leaves a deposit when it
evaporates whereas IPA or lighter fuel (another alternative) don't.
--
Chris White
http://www.bentleymrg.org.uk/
Wolf Kirchmeir
=>The label on the IpA which I purchase states it is not
=>flammable........can't even trust a pharmacist these days..!
It's probabaly 25% or more water. That would certainly reduce its
flammability. :-)
Mick Bryan
"Chris White" <white...@bcs.not.org.uk> wrote in message
news:3b981132...@news.blueyonder.co.uk...> >Get to know your chemist and try Isopropyl Alcohol
(IpA).....excellent
> >stain/grease remover.....mineralised methylated spirits are sort of
o.k. but
>
> I was given to understand that meths leaves a deposit when it
> evaporates whereas IPA or lighter fuel (another alternative) don't.
>
> --
> Chris White
> http://www.bentleymrg.org.uk/
The deposit is usually the remains of the colouring that is put in. The
uncoloured meths is known as "Surgical spirit" and leaves less residue.
Surgical spirit also tastes better - allegedly.
The purple colouring is also a flavouring that is supposed to make it
bad to taste and therefore discourage it being used as a source of cheap
falling down water............ not that it stops some people still
trying to consume the stuff.
Cheers,
Mick
Ian Havercroft
site seems to only be available in german though. However, they have a
catalogue in PDF and English at
http://www.loksound.de/download/esu2000.pdf
Ian
Tony Darrah
> Get to know your chemist and try Isopropyl Alchohol
(IpA).....excellent
> flammable..
Don't you believe it Colin, IPA is Highly Inflammable, and should say so
on the bottle.
This morning I did a couple of comparison tests, and found it too be
more inflammable than Meths. And it has a hotter flame.
But IPA is a good cleaner, as you say, for greasy marks - it also will
clean Epoxy Resin excess off your fingers etc before it sets! Also, when
diluted with water (as in screenwash,) it is a good thinners for Acrylic
paints, when you want to airbrush with them.
Tony Darrah
Chris White
wrote:
...
>diluted with water (as in screenwash,) it is a good thinners for Acrylic
>paints, when you want to airbrush with them.
I'd be interested in some more information about this, i.e. what
sort of dilution do you use and what benefits does this yield?
Jonathan Hall
>
> On Fri, 7 Sep 2001 15:01:22 +0100, "Tony Darrah" <tda...@epulse.net>
> wrote:
>
> ...
> >diluted with water (as in screenwash,) it is a good thinners for Acrylic
> >paints, when you want to airbrush with them.
>
> I'd be interested in some more information about this, i.e. what
> sort of dilution do you use and what benefits does this yield?
>
I've used IPA as a thinner for the Tamia acrylics, (i'm pretty sure
thats what the 'real' thinners are), either neat or using water as well.
The advantage that I've seen is in drying time, the propanol flashes off
very quickly, so you dont flood out details or saturate absorbant
materials.
Jon
--
Jonathan Hall
Thames Ditton
My railway website is at http://www.jonhall.mcmail.com/Railways.htm
Tony Darrah
> ...
> >diluted with water (as in screenwash,) it is a good thinners for
Acrylic
> >paints, when you want to airbrush with them.
because he asked:
> I'd be interested in some more information about this, i.e. what
> sort of dilution do you use and what benefits does this yield?
Well, Chris, a few years ago there was a good article in 'Fine Scale
Modeling' IIRC on airbrushing acrylics. It was a sort of consumer test
on various makes of US Acrylic paints. The author used several types of
thinners - distilled water, IPA and the manufacturers thinners. Most
worked fine with IPA.
I tried IPA - because I had some, but found I needed to use 25% -50%
water with it. Then I was reading some plastic modelling mag on WHS
shelves and discovered that screenwash uses IPA in it, and the author
used that for his acrylic thinners. So I've used it. It's a lot cheaper
than pure IPA - which I now reserve for certain other jobs.
All that said, I don't use a lot of acrylics - I'd rather use colour
matched enamels for my models.
Tony Darrah
Christopher A. Lee
On Fri, 7 Sep 2001, Ian Havercroft wrote:
> Fascinating product, www.loksound.de for anyone who is interested, the
> site seems to only be available in german though. However, they have a
> catalogue in PDF and English at
> http://www.loksound.de/download/esu2000.pdf
Thanks. I pulled that one down and rinted it. It looks good - but probably
fiendishly expensive in the USA.
Elliott Cowton
I have recently been trying to spray acrylic Desert Sand on to a model
(OK, so it was a StarTrek model, but it might have been one of my
52s). The problem is I keep on getting a c**p finish. The pigment is
anything but evenly distributed and I wind up with great puddles of
messy wet paint, and I am only doing a light spraying each time.
My kit is a Badger 200 series with a medium needle. I am diluting it
about 50% with water but I have tried much lower amounts of water with
the same results. Dave in Wicor Models has looked at some other
things I have sprayed with enamel, and also with an acrylic aerosol,
and confirms that my technique is good, so what am I doing wrong? and
would diluting it with India Pale Ale cure the problem?
I have to say that I was thinking of swapping over exclusively to
acrylics on environmental grounds (plus the fact that 250ml tins of
Humbrol thinners are becoming ever harder to source) but this
experience has rather put me off.
Elliott.
"Tony Darrah" <tda...@epulse.net> wrote in message
news:tpjuv8o...@xo.supernews.co.uk...
Andrew Cocker
acrylics. Rubbing alcohol or meths that is. The problem with water is
that it has too much surface tension to spray cleanly on a model. Even
distilled water isn't a good solution. I've heard of people using
water with Fairy Liquid to cut the surface tension but never had the
guts to try it myself.
BTW are you still planning on extolling the virtues of the modular
system at Warley?
Andrew
Elliott Cowton
"Andrew Cocker" <acockers...@home.com> wrote in message
news:3b9ecc25.303186899@shawnews...
> Elliott, if it helps at all I've always used "rubby" for diluting
> acrylics. Rubbing alcohol or meths that is. The problem with water
is
> that it has too much surface tension to spray cleanly on a model.
Even
> distilled water isn't a good solution. I've heard of people using
> water with Fairy Liquid to cut the surface tension but never had the
> guts to try it myself.
Thanks
>
> BTW are you still planning on extolling the virtues of the modular
> system at Warley?
>
Yes.
Got to rush, due at big briefing shortly!
Elliott