Has anybody used one of these? Do they work? https://www.ebay.com/itm/eSPee-N-Sc...D-KIT-Fits-Boxcar-Reefer-Models-/132222645628
I have one of those pre-installed on a box car. It works well at keeping the track clean but is not a replacement, in my opinion, for a bright boy. If I use it regularly I don't have to do much track cleaning but too often I let the maintenance go for too long.
Yes they do work and most people fabricate their own instead of buying a kit. It's just a piece of masonite that rub against the raisl. Works pretty well without the messy fluids, etc. If you are handy you can build something similar but if not, this kit will work.
Masonite with the rough side down. I have several that I run in a train with Aztec rail cleaning cars. They are better than nothing and good to run on a regular basis to keep the track cleaner, but a Bright Boy is always going to be the first line of defense with the Aztec cars being the second.
I took 4 Bachmann old time flatcars with the metal bodies and converted them to track cleaners with Masonite pads. I run them with the Predator and the Track Star cleaning cars by Aztec with a 4 to 6 diesel lashup for power spliced in the middle for heavy cleaning.
I have considered cutting some plain Masonite pieces, milling cross slots in them leaving raised sections and voids for cleaning, mounting couplers, and drilling four pins projecting to flange depth and width standards and just dragging them around. They could be weighted if needed or as desired. I think that could work as well as anything and could be weighted more aggressively, not requiring sufficient car weight to maintain wheel to track engagement. Maybe this has been done?
You are probably going to find that they will catch on something. I drilled out and counter sunk two nails lengthwise in the pad to match two holes through the metal under frames. A small spring slipped onto each nail holds a mild pressure down. The ends of the Masonite pads are beveled allowing them to slide easily over any mild projections such as re-railers etc. yet the force holding them down effectively scrubs the track.
