Colorado Midland Railway Engineering Report

[Dave V]

Finished Aspen at last:

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Looking good now but am frustrated by how quickly the rails seem to gather dirt and oil.  Then I burnished them so shiny that #51 had some traction issues...  Pulled a heavier car out of the consist and everything was well again.

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I know I'll be cleaning rails and engine wheels hourly during the show.

[davefoxx]

It might not hurt to clean the rolling stock's wheels, too.  Otherwise, you're going to continue to spread that dirt and oil around the layout and back on to your locomotive wheels.

Interestingly, I was thinking about track cleaning the other day.  I had a lot of problem keeping my Atlas Code 55 N scale track clean in my basement.  It was better in the wintertime when my furnace was running and the humidity dropped significantly.  So, I attribute the problem to moisture.  I was cleaning it weekly in the wintertime and almost daily in the summer months.  Meanwhile, my Atlas Code 83 HO scale track gets minimal cleaning, despite not yet turning on the furnace this fall for more than a few days and being somewhat lazy about emptying the dehumidifier to keep it running.  There must be a different alloy between the Code 55 and Code 83 rails.  Something to think about.

DFF

[Dave V]

It might not hurt to clean the rolling stock's wheels, too.  Otherwise, you're going to continue to spread that dirt and oil around the layout and back on to your locomotive wheels.

Interestingly, I was thinking about track cleaning the other day.  I had a lot of problem keeping my Atlas Code 55 N scale track clean in my basement.  It was better in the wintertime when my furnace was running and the humidity dropped significantly.  So, I attribute the problem to moisture.  I was cleaning it weekly in the wintertime and almost daily in the summer months.  Meanwhile, my Atlas Code 83 HO scale track gets minimal cleaning, despite not yet turning on the furnace this fall for more than a few days and being somewhat lazy about emptying the dehumidifier to keep it running.  There must be a different alloy between the Code 55 and Code 83 rails.  Something to think about.

DFF

Good call on the rolling stock wheels!  I don't think it's moisture here in Colorado...

[peteski]

I had a lot of problem keeping my Atlas Code 55 N scale track clean in my basement.  It was better in the wintertime when my furnace was running and the humidity dropped significantly.  So, I attribute the problem to moisture.  I was cleaning it weekly in the wintertime and almost daily in the summer months.  Meanwhile, my Atlas Code 83 HO scale track gets minimal cleaning, despite not yet turning on the furnace this fall for more than a few days and being somewhat lazy about emptying the dehumidifier to keep it running.  There must be a different alloy between the Code 55 and Code 83 rails.  Something to think about.

DFF

I think what you are seeing is likely not a better track alloy but one of the advantages of H0 scale: the locomotives are much heavier than N scale ones and the extra weight on on the wheels allows them to break through the dirt and make good electrical contact with the track.   

[davefoxx]

I think what you are seeing is likely not a better track alloy but one of the advantages of H0 scale: the locomotives are much heavier than N scale ones and the extra weight on on the wheels allows them to break through the dirt and make good electrical contact with the track.   

No, there was physically more of that black substance that had to be cleaned from the Code 55 track that is practically nonexistent on the Code 83 so far.

DFF

[Dave V]

It's more than that too...  Remember the CMRy isn't my first N scale layout either.  I also haven't had to clean the Juniata Division's code 80 track nearly as frequently either in spite of having even more dirty-wheeled rolling stock per train.

I did clean the wheels on the rolling stock.  Yeah, they were gross!

[DKS]

It might not hurt to clean the rolling stock's wheels, too.  Otherwise, you're going to continue to spread that dirt and oil around the layout and back on to your locomotive wheels.

Interestingly, I was thinking about track cleaning the other day.  I had a lot of problem keeping my Atlas Code 55 N scale track clean in my basement.  It was better in the wintertime when my furnace was running and the humidity dropped significantly.  So, I attribute the problem to moisture.  I was cleaning it weekly in the wintertime and almost daily in the summer months.  Meanwhile, my Atlas Code 83 HO scale track gets minimal cleaning, despite not yet turning on the furnace this fall for more than a few days and being somewhat lazy about emptying the dehumidifier to keep it running.  There must be a different alloy between the Code 55 and Code 83 rails.  Something to think about.

DFF

I believe the rail profile plays a much bigger part in the problem than the alloy. From what I've seen, Atlas Code 55 rail tends to have a flatter head than that of Unitrack. A rounder head allows the dirt to be shed more easily because the surface contact area between wheel and rail is much smaller, which increases the amount of pressure applied by the wheels. I've likewise had to clean Atlas track much more than Unitrack (as well as the wheels), and I'm pretty sure this is why.

[Dave V]

For cleaning wheels I usually roll the car back and forth over a paper towel draped on the rails soaked in airbrush thinner or alcohol (although the latter reacts with Dullcote which I use prodigiously).  Is there a better method?

Wondering if there's a better product out there to clean wheels that still won't attack delrin plastic.

The right answer is FVN wheels, I know.  At some point!

[C855B]

For cleaning wheels I usually roll the car back and forth over a paper towel draped on the rails soaked in airbrush thinner or alcohol (although the latter reacts with Dullcote which I use prodigiously).  Is there a better method?

Wondering if there's a better product out there to clean wheels that still won't attack delrin plastic. ...

I've been using CRC "QD Contact Cleaner", using the paper towel method as well. It is labeled as "plastic safe", and no problems yet. I picked it up at a local car parts place, but I think Lowe's and Home Depot carry it, too. It happens to be 85% naphtha, so take that for what it's worth. I use this particular brand because it is non-lubricant, which is harder to find in generic contact cleaners. Evaporates very quickly, however, so you've got to be quick.

I also use it for track. No problems there, either, other than it doesn't do much with the C55 black crust. Recently I've been using a quick swipe of 5000-grit sandpaper for that, and, oddly enough, the problem has diminished in the process. YMMV.

[davefoxx]

I also haven't had to clean the Juniata Division's code 80 track nearly as frequently either in spite of having even more dirty-wheeled rolling stock per train.

I love that my HO track is only 0.003" taller than the JD's rails.   

DFF

[peteski]

Wondering if there's a better product out there to clean wheels that still won't attack delrin plastic.

That is one thing you don't have to worry about. Delring (POM) is very resistant to most organic solvents (pretty much everything you can get your hands on).  And pretty much the entire drive train uses that kind of plastic.  But (as you already experienced) it is the other parts of the model and paint you have to be worried about.

For wheel/track cleaning I usually use 99% IPA (Isopropanol or aka Isopropyl Alcohol). I get it in a gallon cans from a hardware store. Basically the same stuff that is used in rubbing alcohol but in higher concentration. Friend of mine uses Denatured Alcohol. I'm careful but I suspect that both will interact with Dullcote.

 You can also use Naphtha (Ronsonol Lighter Fluid or VM&P Naphtha from hardware store).  It should  not affect Dullcote but it might swell up traction tires.  It also a bit more of a health hazard than alcohol.

[peteski]

I believe the rail profile plays a much bigger part in the problem than the alloy. From what I've seen, Atlas Code 55 rail tends to have a flatter head than that of Unitrack. A rounder head allows the dirt to be shed more easily because the surface contact area between wheel and rail is much smaller, which increases the amount of pressure applied by the wheels. I've likewise had to clean Atlas track much more than Unitrack (as well as the wheels), and I'm pretty sure this is why.

That also makes sense. Early Arnold catalogs touted their self-cleaning track profile where the rounded rail head is being shown to shed the dirt.

[Hamaker]

I've been using CRC "QD Contact Cleaner", using the paper towel method as well. It is labeled as "plastic safe", and no problems yet. I picked it up at a local car parts place, but I think Lowe's and Home Depot carry it, too. It happens to be 85% naphtha, so take that for what it's worth. I use this particular brand because it is non-lubricant, which is harder to find in generic contact cleaners. Evaporates very quickly, however, so you've got to be quick

I too have used CRC to wheels with excellent results.  I bought my can of it about ten years ago in the electrical department in Lowe's.

[Angus Shops]

I wonder if the dirt problem has anything to do with the fact that the Colorado Midland is a new layout. I noticed that on my old layout the  dirt problem seemed to be lessening over time. I assumed that freshly ballasted and weathered track still had some residue of paint and glue on it despite what I thought was a thorough cleaning prior to use. Cleaning the track with a clean cloth soaked in alcohol would leave black marks on the cloth. My theory was that while the top surface of the rail was polished well by the 'bright boy' type cleaning pad, this left substantial paint and glue residue on the inside of the rail head that could be picked up by the flanges of the wheels and spread around the layout. A more rigorous cleaning method that addressed the inside of the rail head seemed to reduce the problem.
Geoff

[Dave V]

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