Faux-Rusted But Conductive?

[Dave V]

One of the newer videos on MRVP (Model Railroader Video Plus) showed David Popp modeling a industrial spur. He mentioned that Cody Grivno painted the sides of the rail, and then used NeoLube on the top.  it sounded like a great idea to me.

Lubricant on the railhead, huh?  Hmm...   

[peteski]

Lubricant on the railhead, huh?  Hmm...   

You do have a point, but there are also plenty of modelers who swear that using No-ox-Id, Wahl clipper oil or even transmission fluid works wonders for improving electric pickup reliability.  Those are all lubricants.   Hey, whatever works for them. 

I personally think that weathering the hell out of the rail (even with paint) and using idler cars to spot that occasional set-out (so a loco doesn't have to go on that spur) would be a good solution.  But deep down inside I'm also thinking whether all of this is really necessary - just weather the side of the rails (like you do on the rest of the layout) then clean the rail-head. It is not like many people will even notice (or care) that the rail-head is weathered or shiny.

[nscaler711]

@peteski I have the ME rail weathering solution, if anything I could try on some sections of atlas or ME flex I have and report back...
All I know the stuff is a light acid so it may not work...

[wazzou]

But deep down inside I'm also thinking whether all of this is really necessary - just weather the side of the rails (like you do on the rest of the layout) then clean the rail-head. It is not like many people will even notice (or care) that the rail-head is weathered or shiny.

Although, believe it or not, I agree with some things you say,     this is unequivocally the way I feel on this topic.
My solution is to weather track like this in a manner different than heavier traversed track. 
If you notice in the real world, seldom used track has a much heavier patina or rust than track that has higher volumes of traffic, where it seems in those cases to have a darker more oil soaked web.

[peteski]

@peteski I have the ME rail weathering solution, if anything I could try on some sections of atlas or ME flex I have and report back...
All I know the stuff is a light acid so it may not work...

It is acid-based but the coloring comes from something else in it.  I know that Blacken-It solution besides acid also  contains some sort of selenium compound and alcohol.

Bryan:  I believe you! 

[Denver Road Doug]

  Whew, good thing I never asked if y'all thought it was a good idea or not.   

[nsbob]

Just an update.  I tried BlackenIt and Gun Blue on different sections of flex track.  Both products had very little if any effect on the surface of the rails.  Since the track remained shiny, I did not bother to do a conductivity test on the sections.

[Denver Road Doug]

Just an update.  I tried BlackenIt and Gun Blue on different sections of flex track.  Both products had very little if any effect on the surface of the rails.  Since the track remained shiny, I did not bother to do a conductivity test on the sections.

Thanks Bob for attempting this.  It is appreciated.

[tom mann]

Interesting. Thanks @nsbob .

[peteski]

Just an update.  I tried BlackenIt and Gun Blue on different sections of flex track.  Both products had very little if any effect on the surface of the rails.  Since the track remained shiny, I did not bother to do a conductivity test on the sections.

Was the rail surface absolutely clean and free of oil and grease?  If not, dirt and oil act as a barrier and prevent the blackening solutions from reacting with the metal.

[GaryHinshaw]

I use ME pre-weathered track for all of the visible portions of my layout and I've had mixed results with conductivity.  On my concrete tie mainline, I've never bothered to scrub the blackening off the railheads and I've never had a conductivity problem beyond just normal dirty track.  The blackening has remained in place on the railheads over a few years of normal use now.  My wood tie track is another story.  I had to clean the blackening off with a brite-boy to get reliable conductivity.  There was no visible difference in the finish of the rail before the scrubbing, so I have no idea why they behave so differently.  I guess it's not a carefully controlled process.

You should give the weathered code 40 track a try, you might get lucky.  With a little weathering on the side of the rails, the pre-blackened stuff can be lightened up a bit to look less used.  The stock weathering is pretty good for heavy duty mainline rail though.

[peteski]

I use ME pre-weathered track for all of the visible portions of my layout and I've had mixed results with conductivity.  On my concrete tie mainline, I've never bothered to scrub the blackening off the railheads and I've never had a conductivity problem beyond just normal dirty track. 

You mention initially not cleaning the weathering off the track, but how do you clean the "normal dirty track" when it gets to that point?

IIRC, the Micro Engineering track weathering liquid sold in hobby shops is the same chemical they use on their pre-weathered rails.  Maybe it is slightly less potent?

[GaryHinshaw]

For a long time I used a wood block and elbow grease.  Lately I have switched to a combination of a Tomix car with a rotary cloth pad (and a second one with a vacuum for good measure) and a CMX wet pad with lacquer thinner.  None of these treatments has made a significant dent in the pre-blackened rail.  But the trains run silky smooth after that treatment. 

I have a few sections of track I have weathered myself with the ME solution and the finish is not quite as robust, probably because I didn't pre-clean the rails as well as I should have.

[robert3985]

When you look at how model railroad wheels, flanges and railheads are contoured, the electrical contact patch is only on the inside edges of the railheads.

If I were intent upon weathering the tops of the rails, I'd start with Micro Engineering weathered flex...lay the rail, weather the ties up (ties on a low-trafficked section of track are spaced further apart, are more uneven and usually a more weathered color than mainline ties)...then de-grease the rails (using Bestine) and spray lightly with a rusty-brown enamel based paint, masking the ties with tape, but leaving the tie-plates exposed so they get the same treatment as the sides and tops of the rails.

After this paint has cured for a couiple of days, then I would carefully scrape both the stock blackening and paint off the top inside corners of your railheads, using either a razor blade or sharp #11 blade...using multiple light strokes rather than heavy pressure.

Then, see if your engines run reliably on it.  Most of the tops of the railheads will be left weathered, with just a strip on the inside corners being bright.

Remember that model rail has a much straigher profile on the railheads than prototype rail...which is much more curved.

Although I haven't tried this, I think it has a good possibility of working...and if it doesn't at first, then scrape a wider section of railhead bright until your engines run reliably.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore