I have a pretty large double decker layout which I don't have time to run too often. I clean rails on the main and the tracks in my yards before a session but I am getting real tired of track cleaning, especially the many tracks at industries that may have cars sitting on them.
My nickel silver track seems to acquire that black oxidation real fast. When making the decision of using it 30 years ago, a factor was that it was supposed to conduct juice through the oxidation.
I am using Digitrax and I tell you that when a locomotive runs into even slightly oxidized rail, it stops.
I have every kind of track cleaners and track cleaning fluids but using a Bright Boy is the only solution for the tracks I can easily reach and it lasts for this session, but next month it is track cleaning all over again.
Thanks for letting me vent.
....Ott
As you have seen from the responses, every model railroader has his own pet system for cleaning track. Based on my experiences with brass, steel, and nickel silver track, these are my thoughts.
Climate and environment have everything to do with how often your track needs cleaning and what accumulates on it. This is much more important than the material used in the rail.
Warm, humid, and chemical-laden environments cause rail to oxidize much faster. Brass oxidizes the quickest, steel is next, and nickel silver is the slowest rail material to oxidize. Conductivity of the materials is in the same order; nickel silver doesn't conduct nearly as well as steel or brass. The oxide of nickel silver, unlike that of brass and steel, will conduct, but not nearly as well as non-oxidized nickel silver. Which means that nickel silver oxide is barely in the conductor category.
Dust and dirt varies widely from layout to layout. A basement or a garage with an unfinished ceiling will have a lot more dust and dirt than in a finished room. The plasticizers in new plastic wheels tend to leach out onto the rails. Excess lubricant in locomotives, oils from fingers, and so on, all contribute to the rails getting dirty. Sparking causes micro-pitting of the rails and wheels, which seems to accumulate the ash from the sparks.
There seem to be 3 basic approaches to cleaning and keeping track clean. Abrasives, such as Bright Boy, very fine sand paper, and the like, scrape the gunk and oxide off. Solvents such as alcohol, Goo-Gone, etc, dissolve the stuff, sometimes including (but not always!) the oxide. Polishing or burnishing the rails can remove the oxide and dirt, too.
Metal wheels, especially on heavier cars in the larger scales, do a good job of polishing the rails if used frequently enough. The prototype is the ultimate example of rail polishing. Some folks assist the natural polishing by burnishing the rails with a large stainless steel washer or similar device. The claim is that the burnishing wears away the oxide, and smooths the rail head surface, which makes it more difficult for dirt to stick.
I would include the Masonite pads hung underneath the car in the burnishing category. My issue with pads and car mounted cleaners is that they clean the top of the rail head, not the inside corner. If fitted with RP25 wheels with a fillet between the flange and tapered tread, it is at the inside corner of the railhead where the metal-to-metal contact of the locomotive drive wheels and rail take place. Only if the wheel has a flat tread or sliding contacts are fitted will there be contact across the top of the rail head.
The tiny crevices, scratches, and pits left by abrasive or electro-static cleaning techniques are thought by many to attract more dirt more quickly.
Burnishing, Bright Boys, alcohol, and similar non-residue techniques leave the rail clean, but with no protective coating so that the oxide reforms and the dirt accumulates if the rail is not used. In dry conditions, sparking is very likely, which accelerates the dirt accumulation process through the micro-pits and the ash.
Which is why so many swear by No-Ox, electrical contact cleaner, Wahl's clipper oil, and the like. The residue of these treatments eliminate the sparking. But the film can also lead to faster accumulation of dirt and dust, loss of traction, and eat up rubber friction tires. The key seems to be the absolute minimum amount of treatment to prevent the negative effects. You don't want a detectable oily film - that's too much.
Those who burnish their rails usually follow up with application of metal polish. Again, if done very sparingly, this seems to prevent sparking and somewhat seal the rails against dirt and dust accumulation.
Of course, wheels have to be clean or the rails and wheels just transfer the gunk back and forth.
My bottom line analysis reading through the reports and methods and my personal experience: clean the rails and wheels by the method that best suits you. Ensure you clean the inside corner, not just the top of the railhead. Burnishing probably provides the longest lasting cleaning. Then an application - very sparingly - of your favorite treatment will help keep the trains running smoothly, especially in low humidity (typical winter conditions). Again, the metal polish seems to have a longer-lasting effect than the other treatments, but they all seem to be better than no treatment at all.
my thoughts, your choices