Keeping Layouts Clean -- Not Track

Rick...One of my best investments has been an air purifier with a dust filter. I keep the doors to the train room closed at all times and the machine constantly runs 24/7. It has a hepa filter too, but most dust is caught in the pre-filter. On the layout itself I use a tiny vac extension from Micromark and sometimes a can or compressed air. One of the large, soft brushes for cosmetics from a beauty supply store helps too. Sometimes a little dust on the cars looks authentic too. The real world has lots of dust!

Steve E.

 

Another way is to buy a soft make up brush-your wife can pick it up for you..

Works wonders and is completely "green"..

 

I use a vacuum with a hose attachment. A mesh over the end of the hose prevents sucking up most small details. My layout is in a room that gets no thru traffic which helps.


Ben

 

Well, this is all good advice. I personally use my auto vac down the track line and pretty much leave the layout along. I do keep the door and window closed as well. Look at it this way, most of the great outdoors is dirty, dusty, and grimey. Not sure your layout should be any different. Only after a good rain has cleaned everything off is the outdoors 'clean', and then for only a day or so. I like the the look of "dull" on my layouts. Some folks like shiney new all the time not me. Why would I want no dust on this scene for example? Cheers, Jim CCRR

 

Steve (and others): What type of air purifier equipment and/or "filter" do you recommend? I presume this is not just an ionizer? Thanks.

 

I have a pretty much sealed room, which doesn't get that much dust even here in dusty Albuquerque. Dust doesn't always look good, especially in photography. I use a gentle stream of air from my compressor to dislodge it, and then vacuum with a very small shop vac with a piece of nylon stocking over the tip. This is one of those shop vacs that I can hold in one hand, about the size of a large pickle jar. I do have a monster shop vac, but that just sucks the scenery right up, as well as all the paint off the walls. I also have a monster air compressor, which creates devastating windstorms on N scale scenery. I throttle it way down!

So small and gentle is my trick.

Now, cleaning my N-scale ships is another matter. No wonder model ships are in glass cases. These ship I do by hand, with a soft brush. The problem with ships, and I suspect scenery, is that they get brittle quickly. Since I use weeds for scenery, I just replace any breakage. Not so easy on ships, which are rigged with tension. Knock a fitting loose, and I've got problems on the ships.

 

I envy those of you who have in house rooms where you can properly filter the air and they are sealed rooms... at best.

This is for those of us who have our layouts in garages, metal sheds, sun room or they can be compared to outdoor layouts... for the most part.

The key to cleaning is to make sure everything and I mean everything is glued down. Ballast, small figures, trees, shrubbery and etc. Remove your movables before vacuuming and have at it. I recently cleaned up my layout and sucked up a N scale locomotive. It was behind something I couldn't see around. I heard a loud clunk and decided to open up the canister to see what wonder I would find. Not to worry it's back on the layout...cleaner then ever.

Have fun!

 

Rick:

The "original" JJJ&E was in my third garage in Florida. It was a completely sealed room with air conditioning and heating ducts supplied to the room form the main duct system in the house. For over nine years, there was little accumulation of dust.

The "new" JJJ&E is located in my home in a room that again is air conditioned and heated.

I do have a very fine brush to dust off any debris that might accumulate on locomotives, rolling stock and buildings.

 

That does look like an interesting option for us "space challanged" members. I would be sure to seal the thing with lots of caulk during assembly. Some sort of filtration system would still be needed.

Mark

 

My woo woo woo&S is in the basement. This is great for being a very stable environment temperature wise, but with the laundry room, also in the basement, dust is a major problem. This is an 85 year old house, so dust seems to just come out of everywhere. In addition to some of the methods mentioned earlier I also "wash" my scenery with soapy water about once a year (it's really hard to vacuum trees). I put a "medium squirt" of detergent in an old Windex spray bottle and go to town. Since I'm modeling the Pacific Northwest this seems to be a logical way to settle the dust, sorta like mother nature. The results are a nice fresh looking scene, for awhile anyway .Maybe I'm gona have to get one of those air filters and see how well it works.
Jim

 

Flash...my filter is made by Whirlpool. It is Model number AP35030H0. It is small with a filter about 20" X 24". The pre-filter is black sponge material with a hepa filter in back. I take both out to my air compressor in the garage and blow them out periodically. I don't replace the filters often that way. As I previously noted it runs all of the time and does not draw too much power. I have been pleased with it.

Steve

 

I am in a basement. As stated, make sure everything is glued down, and if not, remove before cleaning.
I use the Micro-Mark vacuum attachment as well as a soft brush and one of those cans of canned air. A damp paper towel will work on water areas as well as most plastic buildings as long as chalk was not used to weather them.

No matter what, things are going to come up. Just replace the ground cover in the bare patches.

 

This is very wierd, but it is how I do it. First, you keep the doors closed and the dust down. Then when things get kinda bad, I do what mother nature does. I MAKE RAIN.

Thats right, I use a squirt bottle, set for mist, and hose the whole thing down, and let it dry. The dust settles to the ground and becomes part of the "World" just like the real thing. The water does no permanent harm, run a track cleaner over the railheads, and you are back in the railroad business. STEVE

 

Boy, an 8 x 15 foot shed wouldn't take much sheetrock to finish on the inside--maybe 18 sheets? It's heavy, but not that hard to hang and finish. And it doesn't have to be sheetrock. But finishing the inside will make a world of difference later on.

 

I just stumbled upon a neat little device that might be of interest in keeping your layout clean. This is a little vacuum/blower is intended for electronics and is made by Metro Datavac (Metropolitan Vacuuum Cleaner Company, Inc.). I have had something like this before...a tiny vacuum for cleaning keyboards etc. This one is cordless so you don't have to worry about dragging a cord across scenery. Model DVR-1 Shuttle is only about 7 inches and comes with a charger and four rechargable batteries. I got mine yesterday from Staples in one day...only about 40 bucks with UPS next day. See the following page for a picture:

Metro Data-Vac Shuttle


Steve E.

 

I am in a garage, but built a large light rack/storage shelf above the layout. In three years there, it hasn't been that big a dust problem. I also painted the garage floor with a sealer, which I believe really helps. I try to limit openings of the garage door, for sure.

I do have a can of "layout/scenery cleaner" that I have had for a few years called "Scene Clean" (I think) that actually worked pretty well when my scenery in the old house finally got dusty after ten years.

Of course, you can also simpy apply a new layer of ground foam when it dulls up under lighting, etc. Then, use soft brushes and vaccuums to dust roof tops.

Yes, scenery required maintenance, too. Another good arguent for narrow shelves, wider aisles and minimalism!

 

None of my buildings or autos are glued down, so I just pick them up and vacuum. I lose some shrubbery each time, but it's not really noticable.