Any CMX Clean Machine Track Cleaning Car users here?

I’m interested in hearing about your experiences owning and using the CMX Clean Machine Track Cleaning Car. Even though I am interested in the N Scale version, I would like to hear what all users have to say.

Also what is you cleaning agent of choice using the CMX Cleaning Car?

Thanks,

Gary

 

I have a CMX car for my HO scale layout. I have subways, with lots of tunnels, some of which are not reachable, so a track-cleaning car had always been in my plans.

To make a long story short, I love this thing. It does a great job.

I originally used isopropyl alcohol as the cleaning agent. It's the "more gentle" recommended solvent. Besides, I had some in the house, and I used it for my first couple of cleanings. At some point, I was in the hardware store and happened to pass by the lacquer thinner, which is the "more aggressive" recommended solvent. I bought a quart (it's cheap stuff) and tried it. I found it much more effective, and I've used it ever since.

The HO-scale car is heavy, and the cleaning pad causes significant friction. So, I always need two engines MU'd together to haul it around. Lacquer thinner seems to reduce the friction somewhat better than alcohol. Because of the weight and the friction, I wouldn't think of running this car as part of a normal train, in a "continuing maintenance" mode.

The cleaning pads do wear out, but it's some kind of fabric you can find at a craft shop or fabric store. I've had mine for 4 or 5 years now, and I've replaced the pad once. At this rate, the supply that came with the car will probably last longer than I will. (Although I'd be happy to be proven wrong on that one.)

I have a few grade crossings. With alcohol, I found that the acrylic paint was quickly removed from the crossings between the rails. Lacquer thinner, for some reason, leaves most of the crossings painted.

My layout is in a clean, heat-and-ac room with carpet. We have no furry animals, and no smokers. My wife likes to burn candles, but generally not in the train room. I find I need to clean my subway tracks about every 3-4 months. The "urban modeling legend" says that plastic wheels on rolling stock get your track dirty faster than metal wheels, but my experience does not bear that out. There are no plastic wheels in the subways, but that track needs cleaning more often than the surface rails where some of my cars still have plastic wheels.

The CMX car is, I believe, the most expensive track cleaning car on the market. I think it's worth the price.

 

And I use it, look at this video.

This car is good for cleaning with fluid. But you can not run it in every train. Therefore I've build a Track Cleaning Transfer Caboose.

Wolfgang

 

Hi MisterBeasley

Thanks for the information.

If I recall correctly the HO car weights almost 1 pound empty, and the N Scale weights in around 8 ounces.

Yes is has a steep price, but I'm willing to pay the price if the product is as good as the ads say it is, I'm getting tired of being ripped off by companies (All types, not just MR related) that claim their product is the best, only to purchase junk. That is why I am asking real users of the product.

Do you store the Lacquer thinner in the car or do you empty it between uses?

Thanks.

Gary

 

Hi Wolfgang,

Thank you for the feed back. I watched the video and then followed the link to the Transfer Caboose. Nice looking caboose.

What do you use as a cleaning agent in the CMX car?
Do you empty the tank between uses or store the cleaning agent in it?
Furthermore how often do you have to use the CMX car?

Thanks
Gary

 

I use this car rarely, one time per year ?
When I use it I fill a little bit Seuthe oil (those for smoking units) into the tank and run the car until the oil is used.

My caboose runs every session, dry.

Wolfgang

 

Used it extensively in HO on the club layout at RPI (see link in sig). We used everything from Acetone to Isopropyl (90%) to Goo Gone. For the last year or so before I graduated (finished up classes in December 2003) we were consistently using Goo Gone. We would run the car before every operating session or open house (roughly once a month). We also had a dry car that we would run after the liquid car to "clean up" the residue.

Another thing we did regularly was clean the wheels of the locomotives using Isopropyl and industrial paper towel. This would be done after ever run over the layout.

 

I've made also a useful tool, the CMX cleaning pad with a handle. You can use it at heavy dirt spots.





Wolfgang

 

I love my CMX cleaning car. I used the thing 3 months ago and my locomotives run better then ever, still. I used Acetone which is pretty agressive but boy does it ever clean the tracks. If I only have to clean tracks once a quarter (or longer) I can put up with a bit of stink for a few minutes. What MisterBeasley says about grade crossings is true though. It took the paint off the center of the crossings very efficently. No big deal though as they were just experimental at this point. I'll come up with something else that's a bit more resisitant to acetone for the permanent crossings.

It does take at least 2 4axle locomotives to push the thing around the layout but that isn't a big deal. It gets their wheels real clean during the process.

I did a bunch of searching on the internet and found one for just a tad over $100. Much cheaper than the normal $124 I see most everywhere else. Sorry, I can't remember where I bought it.

Brian

 

Hi again Wolfgang,

One time a year, that is good news.

Does the Seuthe oil leave any residue?

Looking at the photos and video of your caboose the roller looks like it came from a Centerline car.

In the video of the CMX car your loco was pulling it, is that the standard way you use it?
Thanks

Gary

 

Hi Corey,

Thanks for the followup. Having dirty wheels is a problem I have been fighting since before I started the current layout. My previous layout was in the unfinished basement and dirt was always falling on it from the floor above. In my attempts to keep things running I tried different methods which resulted in making mud and the wheels becoming covered. With the current layout all the locos were new, never run before. That was until I started to convert my older locos to DCC and they came with wheels of mud. A lot of wheel cleaning has happened over the past few years as I add another older loco to the layout. The one thing I did not think about until just a few months ago (read I am a dumb #$%^) was cleaning the wheels of the cars that where used on the old layout. That idea came from another thread here. I was surprised at the amount of dirt that was being transferred from the car wheels to the track to the loco wheels. (Again read I am a dumb #$%^) I am trying to make it a standard that I clean all wheels before anything goes onto the layout. The key word here is trying.

Can you tell me where the day car was located. Was it just after the CMX car or were there other cars/locos between them?

Did the club pull or push the CMX car?

With any luck after I get a good clean track and have clean wheel, I won't have to run the CMX car much. I have a few other cleaning cars that I can use to fix minor problems.

Thanks

Gary

 

As stated Acetone is aggressive, did either of you notice any damage to anything other then some paint at the grade crossings?

Gary

 

Hi Brian,

I have found some in the $100.00 range which seems to be the lowest going price. I just have to step up to the plate and order it. I just keep thinking what other stuff for the layout I could purchase with that $100.00. Of course it will have to be shipped with a couple cars that I'm looking at also. Don't really need the extra cars, but...

Thanks for your input,

Gary

 

I don't empty out the lacquer thinner. I close the fill hole (the one on the end with the rubber gasket) tightly and also close down the needle valve (in the center.) However, by the time I need to use the car again, a few months later, there is no lacquer thinner left in the car. I go through most of it in a cleaning session, and what little is left seems to find its way out. I don't notice any odor after I shut the cap and valve, though, so the rate of evaporation must be very low.

 

Acetone (or thinner) will evaporate very quickly and leave almost no residue. The Goo Gone however took time, hence the need for a dry pad follow-up. We'd usually run in consist, 3-4 locos with maybe 10-15 properly weighted cars between cleaning cars (one right behind the locos, one on the tail end). This also gave us a chance to clean some rolling stock wheels at the same time. Sometimes if more people were around we'd run it as two consists, usually (but not always) pushing the second car.

Never had any problem with the Acetone eating anything, although if you let the flow run heavy it would usually take any weathering off the rails. Always would fill the car OFF the layout (workbench, etc) then bring it too the layout so any spills weren't disastrous.

Rick - Can't tell you how often I went in and out of Davison without seeing any residents. The door at the far end was right by the door to the basement. I'd be on the first floor for all of 5-10 seconds then disappear below. Besides, the club had just moved to Davison ('72) shortly before your tenure. Nowhere near the layout it was 30 or so years later when I was in school.

 

I bought the n scale CMX car from Tony's Train Exchange 3 or 4 years ago.

At first I used acetone but discovered that it melts plastic (Peco track) and now I use 90% rubbing alcohol.

I run the car about every 2-3 weeks.

The car occasionally hang on switches on the sharp edges of guard rails and a fine wire that sticks up at the points.

I replaced the 33" wheels with 36" wheels to raise the car slightly.

Nancy

 

I'm writing the cost of shipping off to the two cars

Thank you to every one who gave input on the CMX Track Cleaning car. Your comments gave me the push I needed to spend the $99.99 on it. I'm writing the cost of shipping off to the two cars that I ordered at the same time.

Thanks

Gary

 

Nope. I'm sure it'll eat up a loco shell or car body but one would have to be pretty sloppy (sloppier than I) for that to happen. Acetone will probably eat up a brain cell or 2 if you want to have a major ops session while cleaning your layout.
Brian