Cleaning Track In Tunnels

[Drew1125]

Gauge member Rory Glasgow posted a thread earlier about the headaches of maintaining track in tunnels...
Since I have a couple of tunnels on my new layout, I decided to try a variation of an idea I saw in MR mag. a few years back...
I got these little clamps at a flea mkt recently, thinking I might find a use for them, & I just did!
I tool one of those plastic sticks off an old mini-blind, & screwed the clamp to the end of it with a couple of small sheet metal screws...

 

[Drew1125]

...now this will hold one of those abrasive track cleaning blocks...

 

[Drew1125]

...and I can reach waaay into those pesky tunnels to clean the track!

 

[Vic]

Hi Charlie, That is "some kinda slick" I'm gonna have to make me one of those....I've seen those little clamps too at the Big Lots store...And...In fact I just replaced some mini blinds yesterday...Headed to the trash pile just as soon as I post this to get the sticks 'cause the trashman comes about 7AM tomorrow

 

[Drew1125]

That's funny Vic...we must have the same trash guy! Mon. & Thur., right?
I forgot to mention, that small dowel stock would probably work too (1/4, or 5/8 or so) I just happened to have that plastic stick layin' around.

 

[kf4jqd]

Neat idea!

Charlie:

That is a great idea. However, I use a track cleaning car that seems to do the job well.

I have an "island" layout. My back side of the tunnels are open. So, I can get in there very easly with my Bright Boy. I will remember your idea for the future!

Andy

 

[Woodie]

I have very rarely (if at all) had to clean the track inside tunnells. Not sure what the reason was, but I was forever cleaning the track on the rest of the layout to get good electrical connections to the locos. Once a week at least. The tunnells? Nup. Didn't need it. I have no idea why. The only difference is tracks in the tunnels were covered (by the tunnell), and not ballasted or weathered. hmmm....

 

[Mike R]

Woodie, you are right on about the rails in tunnels not needing cleaning as often. That's mainly because a substantial amount of the goop that gets on our track is airborne contaminants, like smoke in a smoker's house, or trace amounts of oils & greases in the air in most houses....you know, from cooking, or excessive Brylcreem usage, or cat dander, whatever.

There's also dust, and dust with a bit of humidity forms an adhering material which in turn attracts those traces of oils, greases, paint vapors, what have you. All these things tend to settle vertically onto the tracks, so in tunnels there's some protection.

That being said, the goop that is carried by our wheels gets everywhere, so the tunnel cleaning device of Charlie's looks pretty good...that type of device also works well for cleaning track on truss bridges, where your hand won't fit between trusses.
Mike

 

[N Gauger]

Originally posted by Charlie
Gauge member Rory Glasgow posted a thread earlier about the headaches of maintaining track in tunnels...
Since I have a couple of tunnels on my new layout, I decided to try a variation of an idea I saw in MR mag. a few years back...
I got these little clamps at a flea mkt recently, thinking I might find a use for them, & I just did!
I tool one of those plastic sticks off an old mini-blind, & screwed the clamp to the end of it with a couple of small sheet metal screws...

Great Stuff Charlie - I made one of them in 1986 - I never thought to post it - Now I'm gonna have to rethink all my other seemingly usless inventions !!

 

[babydot94513]

Very intelligent solution to a serious dilema.

I will be passing this along to my fellow railroad club members that may have similiar problems!

 

[alkcnw]

I use my track cleaning car in my tunnels with no problems, but that would work great on my bridges!!