No, really. I really don't believe you used your socks in this experiment. Also what are we to conclude, did the IPO clean the track better because the sock used to clean it was dirtier or was less gunk left on the track employed by the WD40? Also metal or plastic wheels on the cars?
LOL. Yes clean old socks...lol. Old socks are tightly woven cotton and make excellent 'rags' when they get worn out at the heels. By comparison the track treated with WD 40 showed little or no 'gunk' after 300 circuits as compared to the track treated with IPA after the same 300 circuits in my experiment. There where 8 cars each train. 4 cars with plastic wheels...4 cars with metal wheels in each train. The cars where hooked up alternating between metal wheel cars and plastic wheel cars on each train. As advertised... WD-40 Stops squeaks, loosens rusted parts and drives out moisture. Removes grease, grime and gunk I admit my concern was more on how much 'gunk' would be on the rails in the end as opposed to on rolling stock wheels whether plastic or metal. I havent ran the trains since doing my little experiment...they are parked in the yard. I suppose I could go out and check the locomotive wheels on each train and check the wheels on each car. Sealing roof leaks on THERR RV was/is a more pressing matter at this time. .
Just had my first experience with CRC Contact cleaner. I was correct in that I needed to wet the roller a lot more than with mineral spirits or GooGone. Made three passes, on of them with all five rollers moist. There was some pickup, but then again the track was pretty clean to begin with. The biggest difference was when I rubbed a rail with my finger - nothing. Can't get much cleaner than that. I don't recall that happening with anything else I've used. I plan to continue use of the CRC and monitor over maybe a year. So far, so good.
Jim, Do you think that the CRC or WD40 will damage my Kato FEF traction tires? I use diesels 90% of the time but do have this one steam engine! - Tonkphilip
The issue is not to leave the cleaning solution wet on the rails but to apply it and then wipe dry. That way traction tires are safe.
@tonkphilip and @John Moore - This stuff (CRC) evaporates very fast and there is NO residue. I see no possibility of damaging the tires - and it is supposed to be plastic safe also...can't speak to the WD40, though. The only problem I have is keeping the roller wet so it can do the job, it dries that fast...
From what I read about WD40...it depends on the composition of the traction tire rubber. Same with plastic. As John said...its not left 'wet' on the rails. You apply it and wipe it dry again. Like Jim says...CRC evaporates and leaves no residue. That is also something to consider. My thought is...what cleans the rails the best and in the long run...wont allow gunk buildup again. WD40 has shown itself as a strong contender in both areas. IPA has shown its not so great in the long run from preventing buildup so I wont be using it again. It all comes down to personal choice.
From WD40 Technical data sheet. https://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf/wd_40tec16952473.pdf •WD-40 Multi-Use Product Surface Compatibility For all variations : WD-40 demonstrates none to negligible deleterious effect to plastic, rubber, and metal hard surfaces. This includes Acetal, neoprene/hard rubber, HDPE, PPS Copolymer Polysulfone, Teflon, Viton, steel, galvanized steel hot dip, electroplated, copper, brass, magnesium, nickel, tin plate, titanium, and zinc. Surface Cautions: Nearly all surfaces interact with WD-40 as they would any high grade ali-phatic petroleum spirit. Certain types of rubber will swell upon prolonged immersion. Wax polishes and certain wax coatings may be softened by WD-40. Clear polycarbonate and polystyrene may stress craze or crack. Always test surface first. If anyone knows first hand what rubber compositon traction tires are made of...they can check it against the data sheet.
I have run across two types of traction tires. Those made from a clear plastic similar to aquarium air line tube, and those made from a black material similar to a rubber band.
Just read through this entire thread (not sure if that a plus or a minus ) and now will add my 2c. A member at my club swears by Wahl oil, but uses it in a different way. They put some on a spot on the rails....and that's it! Run trains as normal. Not a fan myself, in fact after it was used at an expo I had a large portion of my trains mysteriously stop running properly. According to the article it would work better used when combined with some mild elbow grease, no surprise there. I've been using isopropyl for a little while (100% diluted 3:1 with demineralized water), and after some events yesterday + reading that article I think I may now consign it to the Round File. I was at the club layout, first run in months due to shutdown, and found my U25B was flickering and had grubby wheels. I put some isopropyl on my WS cleaning rig, wheels had a mirror shine after a minute or two, and it was put back to work. An hour or so later it was pack up time, and the wheels were filthy again! I think perhaps I never noticed the issues before because the track doesn't normally sit unused like that. I think I'll grab some WD40 contact cleaner and give that a go instead, as I'm not sure I trust kero with plastic wheels (and on that note, definitely not ATF).
The WD40 contact cleaner does have a dieletric constant of 1.9 I used regular WD40 simply because I always have a can of the stuff around. It has a dieletric constant of 2.4. Much lower then IPA at 18.0 !! But you are correct. You can not just leave it laying on the track. Wipe it on...wipe it off where its not even noticable. I imagine running thru a puddle of it would not be a good idea. The results I got where quite and eye opener for sure.
The only WD40 I have on hand is a wet PTFE (which doesn't seem to be produced anymore, only dry version on website). I had it in my head that this used graphite but it's actually Teflon, which is a fine electrical conductor according to the Internet. I'm wondering if this product (or the dry version) could be applied to the rails and left on there?
Anything in the light green area at the top of the chart Jim posted would be a good track cleaning product. IMHO. Stuff like kerosene....gasoline...diesel...or turpentine I think I would shy away from myself !
George our next Model Railroad Scientist. Give him time he'll figure it out. How beautiful and clean the world will be. Nothing is conclusive yet. Test is incomplete. EVB-U (Environmental Build-up) takes time to occur and it will. WD-40 has been known to attract particulate out of the air. Dust, hair, dander, pollen, dirt, smoke, lint, are just some examples. Time will tell. You'll get the roof fixed and then it will be time to take note of what happens to your track and wheels.
Rick my friend...et al.... I am convinced that clean track equates to clean wheels. Environmental Build-up will most likely always occur. But...will cleaner track prove environmental Build-up will take a longer period to rear its ugly head ? Yes....time will tell. I did my little experiment...prove me wrong.
Well after spending money on and trying various products all claiming to improve things I have found they cause more issue than improvements unless thoroughly wiped from the track after use. My track cleaning now consists of a train of track cleaner cars with abrasive and a bright boy followed by a good vacuum. For loco wheels I have been using the Tidy Track wheel cleaner which is either hooked to a spare power pack or a 9 volt battery. The loco sits on the rails which have stiff brush strips along the sides. Only the wheel flanges make contact with the inner rails and I apply power. The brush strips nicely clean the wheels and I do this about twice a year. IF I have to clean car wheels the ultra sound bath does the job with a clear ultrasound water rinse, and is something I rarely ever have to do. I have noticed a difference in the brand of track used. I was using Atlas track and turnouts along with Peco turnouts. The Peco turnouts got to be a bear with the power routing types I was using. Had to constantly clean the points with the power routing ones. The Atlas turnouts were not an issue but the track was in keeping it clean. Last year I made the switch totally to Kato unitrack and got rid of the issues almost entirely. Now I rarely have to clean track and have no issues with the Kato power routing turnouts.
George, I too am convinced that clean track leads to clean wheels. Keeping track clean all the time is the problem. I've been model railroading since I was 12 years old. I've cleaned my brass rails with all kinds of useless products... settling on Isopropyl Alcohol. Then Nickel Silver showed up and again IPA was my choice of cleaner. I don't have to prove you wrong. That would be in your job description. Or not. You need to prove this to yourself and you will. Our friendship runs deeper then this squabble, so I'm good if your good. As for everyone else here: You know, everybody else tuned in here. This discussion is older then we are and will continue on long after we are gone. We've only contributed a bump in the road. You are the experts on your layout. Time will tell on all of your layouts. Wish I could be around to hear and see the results... should we actually reach any agreeable resolutions. Enjoy your layout. At least you have one that is up and running, at the moment.
Whew, George had me sweating there. Didn't realize that I originally started all this hub-bub. So since I did! May I (oh boy) add these thoughts and experience? Would that be Okay? Let me say this: (Which will hardly be the conclusion. ) 1. Clean wheels are the result of clean track. No question there. Although, that can work in reverse, if your wheels aren't clean to start with. 2. Metal wheels (the original point of this thread) can get as dirty as plastic wheels. Yep that would be the point I started this thread on. See pictorial proof, first page. 3. Delrin wheels can get dirty but at a rate less then the original plastic wheels. Go ahead scratch your head over that one. 4. Delrin, plastic and metal wheels will show wear and tear. You'll see it at some point or another, I guarantee it. Cleaning: Through-out the years I've tried various products and track cleaning compounds with little to no positive results. Learning that most make promises but don't deliver. Did I already say, with little results? Most of which is on a list previously presented. See Polar (Express) above. My favorite track and wheel cleaner is a 90+% Isopropyl Alcohol utilizing a paper towel or cleaning rag. **The reason track does not stay clean. Aside from constant use, which may be expecting to much or is overrated. No I didn't say that did I? For a second or two focus on Environmental Build-up. The air around us carry's thousands of dust, dirt, dander, hair, smoke (to name a few) particulates. Gravity takes over and all of that wonderful stuff will eventually land on your layout. In Hospital Cleaning Circles, Cultures (where some of this is coming from) has proven this point more times then not. Did I say that's Science? There is another issue and that's the Negative and Positive Ion's. Dirt attraction or not. Mostly because of a Detergent Residue, left on the wheels and rails in the cleaners or oils you use. Oh No! Oh Yes! IPA leaves it clean as a whistle but isn't responsible for a repeat performance. You knew I was going to tell a Uncle Arthur story here. So here it comes. I had a Con Cor SP GS4, with traction tires. I just got it back from ConCor with new traction tires. A note from Mr. Pat at ConCor said, "Don't allow it to run through (what else) WD40." I usually do good with the advice I'm given, just not this time. What did I do? I was trying to clean some paint off the top of rails in my Helexi. With the dreaded WD40. Oop's. I lost traction and wheels started to slip. Those Traction Tires, took forever for the WD40 to dry out. Today, it doesn't perform as well as it did with brand new Traction Tires. It hasn't run with the same determination since. Wheel slippage on my 2.2 percent grades. Nope, I'm Not about to send it back to ConCor, after I screwed it up. Now what conclusion and advice do you think I'm going to give? I thought you'd get it. My favorite Electrical Contact Cleaner is Radio Shack's, Tuner Cleaner. Available on the internet. It will clean out those points on any switch. All switch points (now someone wants to call them blades) needs to receive... routine maintenance. I did say ALL? Yep, I did. Remember, the excess tuner cleaner needs to be removed or cleaned off. If you can find any. I can only hope that helps. Again, you'll figure it out on your own. You are the expert on your layout. God help us all !!
