LMAO Okay, but I warn you this is going to get nasty. All that slimy pollen, dust, oil, cat and human dander and hair, bathroom cling on's (on the hands)...mixed up by all the wheel turning and arcing. Your asking for one hell-o of a discussion on how it finds it's way to our layouts and how to get rid of it. . I'd rather wash my hands of the whole thing.
Say what? I was going to hook-up solar power with a bunch of solar collector's (photovoltaic) to run my solar trains, solar computer, and Digitrax electronics. With my luck it will blow a fusse.
You are close. Actually it is the gunk caused by little kids wiping their boogers on the rails. I think I read that somewhere; not sure where though.
Well, for rail filing, I’ve turned in my “offspring of unmarried parentage file” (has a roughness between that of a coarse file and a #2 file -since it doesn’t belong to one of the defined grades, the type is called a b****** file.), and have broken out my ship modeling files to baby this Peco stuff across the finish line. That allowed me to install one piece of Peco flex track without the rails trying to make a jailbreak to escape the ties. Also getting my hands on a Xuron track cutter, in the hope of reducing the need for filing. That having been said, I’m not going to be buying any more Peco Flaccitrack. I don’t need track that is a constant threat to wet itself during installation. I also found five pieces of Atlas flex track that ended up under my box of roadbed strips and forgotten about; almost as good as winning the lottery.
I use Peco in areas where the track has to be bulletproof and non visible. In my case it is the hidden staging yard and possibly track at levels where you may see the train but not the track. I even use it on the helix. The cost of the turnouts for a large staging yard were a bit prohibitive using Tortoise machines and decoders, so I just used the Peco machines and saved a great deal of money. Everywhere else, I use ME code 55 or code 40 track as appropriate, each with hand made turnouts and Tortoise machines. So there are many ways to build layouts and incorporate using Peco or other tracks if there is a reasonable cost savings in doing so.
Thank you for replying ten days ago, and also nine days ago. If only you had dispensed this current gem sooner! (My having done the very thing you suggest before your incredible revelation notwithstanding) I have every confidence you’re being as helpful as you possibly can be. And in the true spirit of being impasse-free, I offer to be equally as helpful in advising how to fulfill your request. It may be necessary to remind you of it: Buy some from a seller of same. There are several. Isn’t it heartwarming when everyone is equally interested in helping each other? I know I’m just as interested in helping you out, as you were in helping me!
Several thoughts come to mind... perhaps some of you will find these helpful: Perhaps N scale Peco flex track is really just mislabeled/misunderstood HO scale picket fence? As for the effects of our "contaminated" breath on our rails, this only happens if one's breath is not purified with sufficient proof whiskey (or whisky or other spirits) of your choice. Note that there's a balance here between sufficient proof & quantity to purify one's breath, yet insufficient to impair one's model railroading skills. Some might argue that this practice merely treats the symptoms, rather than the cause. Either way, contaminated track will cease to be a problem for you. I keep my hands clean by exclusively consuming chocolate/peanut M&M candies while running my railroad. Note that this exclusivity does not apply to #2 above. Please feel free to offer more helpful advice for successfully practicing our model railroad hobby!
