Track and engine questions ???????
- Thread starter johnny b
- Start date
Who makes a good track cleaning car or train or whatever ?
I make my own, using a small masonite pad under a rail car. It is mounted to two roofing nails that protrude up into the bottom of a boxcar and then dragged around the layout with every other train.
What parts on an engine get oiled and what kind of oil ?
I only oil the motor bearings and any wheel bearings that are metal to metal. Make sure your oil is plastic compatible. I use a good plastic compatible grease on all gears and any plastic to metal or plastic to plastic wheel bearings. Remember---less is more---don't overdo it.
What kind of solder is best for the track ?
I use a 30 watt iron and a 50/50 tin/lead solid core solder and a good rosin paste flux.
I make my own, using a small masonite pad under a rail car. It is mounted to two roofing nails that protrude up into the bottom of a boxcar and then dragged around the layout with every other train.
What parts on an engine get oiled and what kind of oil ?
I only oil the motor bearings and any wheel bearings that are metal to metal. Make sure your oil is plastic compatible. I use a good plastic compatible grease on all gears and any plastic to metal or plastic to plastic wheel bearings. Remember---less is more---don't overdo it.
What kind of solder is best for the track ?
I use a 30 watt iron and a 50/50 tin/lead solid core solder and a good rosin paste flux.
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I do have the Centerline Products track cleaner, left over from my N scale days. I would highly recomend that. I want to get one for HO.
JC answered your other questions.
JC answered your other questions.
eightyeightfan1 said:
Hey I found one at cchobbies.co/trackcleaners/cleaners.html Is that the one you are talking about? I noticed they had them for HO too ..cchobbies.com/trackcleaners/cleaners.htm
Those are the new designs. Supposedly, you can adapt boxcar bodies to them. But they do work well
The one I have is the original design. Its a heavy brass(even in N scale), triangular in shape, with the roller in the center Micro-Trains trucks and couplers. It was well worth the price. And I was quite pleased with it.
Hence wanting the HO version.
The only problem with the original design was it didn't look protypical. I was thinking of painting it MOW orange and assigning it a CNE road number.
The one I have is the original design. Its a heavy brass(even in N scale), triangular in shape, with the roller in the center Micro-Trains trucks and couplers. It was well worth the price. And I was quite pleased with it.
Hence wanting the HO version.
The only problem with the original design was it didn't look protypical. I was thinking of painting it MOW orange and assigning it a CNE road number.
Thank you, John.
I'd like to see how that one works, I understand some guys recommend running 2-3 of them together for best results. It'd be pretty hard for me to justify $60-70 for a track cleaner x3 when the design I use is so time tested and, at roughly 10 cents each, hard to snuff at. I bought one of those MDC boxcabs with the cleaner pad setups recently...worked so well that those pads are heading to the scrap box as I type :thumb: (sigh)
At least it's comforting to know that, after 30+ years in the hobby, the techniques and technology of track cleaning still rages on. Remember those electronic rail zapper thingies in the early 80s?
I'd like to see how that one works, I understand some guys recommend running 2-3 of them together for best results. It'd be pretty hard for me to justify $60-70 for a track cleaner x3 when the design I use is so time tested and, at roughly 10 cents each, hard to snuff at. I bought one of those MDC boxcabs with the cleaner pad setups recently...worked so well that those pads are heading to the scrap box as I type :thumb: (sigh)
At least it's comforting to know that, after 30+ years in the hobby, the techniques and technology of track cleaning still rages on. Remember those electronic rail zapper thingies in the early 80s?Its pretty simple.
They come with a brass wheel(I'm going by the original). You wrap the wheel with a strip of Handi-Wipes that are cut to the same dimensions as the wheel(Mine came with some already cut). You then soak the wipe with Goo-Gone. The wheel just sits in the frame, so it drops right in. and tow it behind a loco.Backing up was a problem cause the wipe would start to un-wind from the wheel. But you can hold the wipe on the wheel with a rubber band.
Pretty ingenious I thought and did a great job. One wipe could do my whole layout.
When the wipe got dirty..Just throw it out.
I saw it being used at a show. They were running it around the modual layout. I went and bought one. Thats how impressed I was!
They come with a brass wheel(I'm going by the original). You wrap the wheel with a strip of Handi-Wipes that are cut to the same dimensions as the wheel(Mine came with some already cut). You then soak the wipe with Goo-Gone. The wheel just sits in the frame, so it drops right in. and tow it behind a loco.Backing up was a problem cause the wipe would start to un-wind from the wheel. But you can hold the wipe on the wheel with a rubber band.
Pretty ingenious I thought and did a great job. One wipe could do my whole layout.
When the wipe got dirty..Just throw it out.
I saw it being used at a show. They were running it around the modual layout. I went and bought one. Thats how impressed I was!