whats a good N scale cleaning car?

nolatron said:
One thing I learned about the Atlas car is it's not DCC friendly. Which is a shame too cause I like the MOW look of the Atlas car.

So something to keep in mind if you're running DCC.
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Thanks Nolatron for mentioning that fact. I forgot about it.
Another point to take into consideration is the fact that tha Atlas track cleaning car is equiped with a "Rapido" style coupler.So I made an "intermediate" car with a rapido coupler on 1 side and a knuckle coupler on the other side.

Just a detail: while running it sounds like a bumble bee lol.
 
Just made a quick test: run the Atlas cleaning car 8 laps 1 way and 8 laps the other way. Then rub a wine cork on the track and it came all black ( meaning that the track cleaning car .. doesn't make a good job .
My experience, my opinion.
I hope I won't get sued by Atlas.
 
I noticed there's a CMX track cleaning car available... albeit a bit 'spensive... but perhaps worth it if used reasonably regularly. I don't have any sort of track cleaning system avaialble yet, but I know that I'm going to need to get one within the next year. What are some other suggestions on track cleaning that are DCC friendly?
 
nolatron said:
For DCC Friendly cars, basically anything that doesn't use a motor like the Atlas cars.

I was looking at these the other day (N-scale):

http://www.aztectrains.com/pages/TrackCleaning.html
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I got a couple track cleaning cars now. I'm nervous about putting the fabric one on my rails because i have a couple joints where one rail sits higher than the other rail. I've been advised not to sand down the high spot as it may mess w/ the profile of the rail, but won't the high spot tear my fabric?

This is of the cleaning cars i have: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&P=WR&I=LXP597
 
atlas track cleaning car Mow

My brother converted one to dcc and has had no problems with it, just give it an address of its own and it will work. Using bright boy depends on track accesability.
this is just my opinion so don't take me like I know it all I don't ,.., Alan Lambert
 
Biased turkey said:
Another point to take into consideration is the fact that tha Atlas track cleaning car is equiped with a "Rapido" style coupler.So I made an "intermediate" car with a rapido coupler on 1 side and a knuckle coupler on the other side.
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I had mine converted to Micro Trains couplers.
I prefer my Centerline track cleaning car. I don't use a bright boy 'cause it may cause scratches in the rail which in turn accumulates dirt.
I also have a metal cleaner/polish cream called Flitz, it works pretty well and leaves a coating on the rails to improve conductivity and resist dirt.
Even contact cleaner (for electrical stuff) on a J-Cloth or paper towel works well.
There are lots of good ways to choose to keep the track clean.
The best one is running the trains.
 
has anyone used the aztec car. I was looking at them but have never heard of anyone useing them. I need some type of cleaning car. I have extensive tunnels and a 3+ foot deep gorge 3+ feet long, 2- inches wide, that is hard to get to the back.
 
I've never cared for track cleaning cars. They seem to do only half a job. My favorite is elbow grease. Rub it good with a track cleaning eraser followed by wiping it all with 91% aclcohol with a soft painters cloth that doesn't leave fibers behind. I keep rubbing until little or no crud appears on the cloth.

My opinion is a track cleaning car is good for regular cleaning between elbow grease jobs.
 
I had an old Life Like track that I've had for a little more than 10 years that I just play around with (gave it to my brother), I actually just took a box car with opening doors and put a wipe through it then wrapped it around so it was on the track firmly then ran it around a few times readjusting the wipe every few times. I'm not sure how good it was for the track but it works fine now, never had any problems.
 
YmeBP said:
...because i have a couple joints where one rail sits higher than the other rail. I've been advised not to sand down the high spot as it may mess w/ the profile of the rail,
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You really need to take care of these rail joints. Do you have a rail flange that is sitting on top of one of the rail joiners. Or are you using different heights of track (i.e Code 80 joined to a 55 without a transition joiner? You are likely to have major operating problems (derails) in the future if these are not corrected. Just a thought. But the smoother your track is - and you should check this as you install each section, the better off you will be. You will enjoy your experience a whole lot more if you don't have to keep rerailing a car or loco.
 
I have the Centerline cleaning car in N scale,and i am very happy with results with it.I After i do a major cleaning by hand if my layout has been sitting for awhile i run the car for a few laps everyday wet or dry depending on the if i let the tracks go for more that a day or two.
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3railguy said:
I've never cared for track cleaning cars. They seem to do only half a job. My favorite is elbow grease. Rub it good with a track cleaning eraser followed by wiping it all with 91% aclcohol with a soft painters cloth that doesn't leave fibers behind. I keep rubbing until little or no crud appears on the cloth.

My opinion is a track cleaning car is good for regular cleaning between elbow grease jobs.
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I agree.

I recently claimed a homemade track cleaning car that my late grandfather made following a tutorial in an old MMR magazine. It's a SF stock car that's been modified with a weight and a small sanding block hanging down between the trucks. When I get home, I'll post some pics of it, and see if I can find the tutorial article.
 
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