Dirty Atlas Code 55 Track

[Chris333]

I slide out the rail and insert Kato rail, that way you never have to clean the track.   

[peteski]

Has anyone on Railwire tried using No Ox. I have not used it, but have heard of a few people having good results with it????

I suspect that the Railwire is just like all the other forum: for every track cleaning method you ask about, you'll find probably equal amount of people who swear that it works wonders and ones who just swear at it.

[davefoxx]

I got the opportunity to get into the basement this evening, and, of course, I needed to clean the track again, since several days had passed since I last ran a train.  I didn't notice it at first, but a shiny spot on the rail caught my eye after I moved a locomotive.  A closer inspection revealed eight shiny spots where a B23-7 had been parked.  I could see how the rails around these spots were dull.  Clearly, something is being deposited onto the rails, and the wheels kept the deposit from settling on the rails in those eight spots.  I unplugged the dehumidifier in the layout room.  We'll see if that makes a difference.

Thanks, guys!
DFF

[nkalanaga]

Do you, or others, smoke in the train room?  If so, it could be tars from the cigarettes.

[davefoxx]

Do you, or others, smoke in the train room?  If so, it could be tars from the cigarettes.

No, I quit smoking fifteen years ago, so nobody smokes inside our house.

DFF

[Kev1340]

I use a high frequency track cleaner unit and provided I run trains once a week or so I never have to clean the rails: http://www.gaugemaster.com/modules.html

If I don't get a chance to run for a month a little oxide builds up, correct it does add resistance, so I use a trick I read in a very old UK model railway magazine and use a piece of heavy cardboard to polish the rail head. It is rough enough to lift the oxide but too soft to scratch the rail.

I can honestly say I have cleaned my track about three times in the last 10 years. Works for me.

Should say I'm using standard DC, I don't know if a high frequency set would be compatible with DCC.

Cheers,

Kev