This has been posted many times before on the various MRR forums. Let's review it one more time. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mrhpub.com/2019-05-may/online/index.html?page=9
MK, Thanks for sharing this link. Interesting conceptual thinking. My internet provider must have used WD40 on their connections as I was only able to read about half the article. Screen went fuzzy. Tried it again and I finally got to finish reading it. Now to put my thinking cap on and processes or digest mentally the thesis presented. I have the utmost respect for the author, Joe Fugate. I used to see my S Scale train equipment arc on all the metal wheels but they were lighted and current did pass through the metal wheels. Add the fine micro-arcing dust, graphite and the other Environmental Build-up Issues present on our layouts and you may have something there. Arcing isn't new to Toy Trains or Model Railroad's. It's a means by which current transfers from one point to the other. That means that almost everything we talked about using to clean our wheels and tracks. Well, you read the article and see what conclusion you come to.
That article was what led me to try mineral spirits. After nearly a year, I reverted to GooGone. On the Sub, the mineral spirits didn't seem to clean nearly as well as GooGone. I determine this by how dirty the Han-D-Wipe rollers are. Never hurts to try something new. And I've not had all that much difficulty with slipping wheels either. Again, YMMV!
Of course, there are those who insist on keeping inaccurate information and myth at the forefront. Doug
Sooooooooooooooooooooo...with what I have on hand by Joes chart: Wahls...2.1 WD40...2.4 IPA...18.0 Using either the Wahls or the WD40 on the track is a LOT better then using the IPA ? Even if I dont use a thin layer of graphite ? Am I understanding what I read ?
I suppose a followup question is in order: Do either the Wahls or the WD40 actually clean the track and/or wheels or just coat them so they dont arc as much ?
The problem of gunk/dirt on wheels and rails will continue. Yes, all the products we've talked about here do clean the rails. It's what they leave behind that becomes the problem. In a Chemistry class (Mortuary College) I learned that everything leaves behind a residual. Adding, All petroleum product's leave behind a residual. Pointing to, as an example Vaseline. I don't think any of us wants to clean our rails and wheels with Vaseline. I'd like to think the article as written by Joe Fugate, settles the issue but all it does is prove to me. That the more I know the more I realize I don't know. Raising more questions then it answers. Hardly conclusive. He doesn't address the positive and negative Ion influence. Something we look at seriously in professional cleaning circles. Dust on your TV screen is a good example. Petroleum products do attract anything and everything to it. Note your car's engine after you spilled oil on it. In the meantime, what I've been doing with IPA to clean the wheels and rails, is keeping them clean. Keeping the residuals that these products leave behind minimized. Denatured Alcohol may be an even better product but hard to find. I seldom see the gunk on my wheels plastic or metal as seen here. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I'm not sure what we are doing but the whole argument pro or con could drive one insane. LOL Best of luck guys and gals.
I might further add. In the hospitals I worked in we had a safety issue with our floors. Slick as can be after the use of Graphite, WD40, or other similar lubricant's. As used by Engineering to lubricate hinges. This stuff would gravitate to the floor and cause it to be slicker then snake snot. Not Bull Frog Snot. IPA would not remove it. I had to have my staff of EVS go and strip the finish off the floor and re-apply a new coat. Sometimes that worked while other times it did not dependent on how much residual was left in the hinges. We finally got Engineering to research and find a lubricant that would stay put and keep the squeaks out. A type of white grease that turned black after a period of time. I wonder why? Yes, I used sarcasm to make a point. Now back to what I was going to end with. But easy to remove and clean-up. Safety Issue resolved. Closing remarks: I've watched as my trains and others... in any scale arced, usually because of dirty track. Clean the track and most of the arcing disappeared. Not all but most. I hardly think the finite dust that's been alleged to occur got my tracks dirty in the first place. Perhaps added to the problem. Graphite is a dust and the last thing I'd want on my layout. So, I'm not convinced although impressed with Joe Fugate's hypothessis. I'm a practical kind of guy with practical kinds of resolutions. My experience has taught me much about my train layouts. The one thing I don't want is something that leaves a sticky or slippery residual on my rails. I need all the tractive effort I can get. Which puts us back to it's your choice. And as has been pointed out here. Your Mileage May Vary. I like that.
How about we allow the dust to settle on this thread and everyone go back to using Brite Boys. Forget about the abrasiveness issue. If a minute scratch appears and gunk settles in to it, so what? The scratch will be below the railhead surface and the wheel will never touch it. Meanwhile the railhead is cleaned and brass oxidation is removed. Haven't heard about brass oxidation as everyone assumes that since we use 'nickel silver' track that it doesn't oxidize. Well there is 'nickel silver' track and then there is 'nickel silver' track. It not all the same. The less nickel in the alloy the more nonconductive brass oxide there is and the more one needs to clean track. Maybe someone here can do a metallurgical test between Atlas and Kato track to see which has more nickel.
After the 'Flood of 2020' and cleanup I am in the process of doing a total cleaning of the layout itself. I do believe...after reading Joe Fugates article I will try WD40 on cleaning the track and locomotive wheels. I'll save my Wahls for lubing the locomotive gears. I will let ya all know how that WD40 works on the track.
George, and of course everyone else tuned in here! Don't run anything with traction tires over the WD40. You don't want to know what happened to my prized GS4 Daylighter, when I did. Inkaneer, I'll pass on the Brite Boy but hey, there's nothing stopping you from using one As the dust from this discussion settles over our layouts...be sure to vacuum. You'll be glad you did. If you think this is the discussion to end all discussions on track cleaning. Dream on! We aren't done yet.
