Do you....
- Thread starter CN1
- Start date
Yes, and although I am constantly cleaning my track, I keep an eye on wheels of rolling stock. A Q-Tip with alchohol works good. Seems to help keep things rolling good, but it may just be in my head.
I have converted everything to metal wheels. Sounds nice on the tracks.
DOG
I have converted everything to metal wheels. Sounds nice on the tracks.
DOG
Yes.
I just pulled a half dozen coaches out of storage and cleaned all the wheels before they went on the layout. There was a mix of metal and plastic wheels and most of them had some gunk.
No matter what you do, all wheels will pick up dirt. The plastic ones hold it better, but it still spreads to the metal ones. Even loco wheels pick it up, and you can tell when the locos start to sputter down the track.
To ride my hobbyhorse, You get more gunk in an unfinished room (especially a basement with an open ceiling) and in a house where someone smokes. I've operated in a house with one smoker (the MRR) and we often had to clean loco wheels a second time in the middle of a session.
I just pulled a half dozen coaches out of storage and cleaned all the wheels before they went on the layout. There was a mix of metal and plastic wheels and most of them had some gunk.
No matter what you do, all wheels will pick up dirt. The plastic ones hold it better, but it still spreads to the metal ones. Even loco wheels pick it up, and you can tell when the locos start to sputter down the track.
To ride my hobbyhorse, You get more gunk in an unfinished room (especially a basement with an open ceiling) and in a house where someone smokes. I've operated in a house with one smoker (the MRR) and we often had to clean loco wheels a second time in the middle of a session.
All metal wheels (when possible, older stuff can't take Kadees), electrical contact cleaner and a Q-tip, preferably in an unventilated room. Makes for some serious 70s flashbacks......just kidding
F
Fred_M
I'm lazy and I found the easy way to clean wheels is with a 1 inch strip of paper towel soaked with 70% or stronger (90% works better) rubbing alcohol. Just lay it on the tracks and run the train over it a while. When it gets some nice black skid marks on it move it a tad. Since i started doing this every couple of days I have not had to clean the track with a briteboy. DASH10
Not too lazy...that's the way we do it on the club layout:thumb: I just prefer the surer method with contact cleaner when I do regular maintenance on my own equipment.