Large Scale Central

Track Cleaner - Joe Black's device revisited

Track and Trestles
#1

OK, Joe Black, I think, is the manufacturer or a track cleaning device that suspends on the rails, between a simple metal framework, an LGB cleaning block. The frame work is a rectangle and has four metal wheels and couplers. The block drags on the rails for cleaning as pushed or pulled by a loco.

Likely, it sold well and you may have one.

If not, I don’t know if it is still being sold.
You may and I’d appreciate your affirmation.

Here’s the tip:

Remove the block from the frame, open it up by squeezing the sides, cut to fit a 150 drit dry-wall sanding “screen” – or less grit if you wish – and install it on the block. Now, add some weight placing it inside the block, close the block and install in the frame. Try it out. Yes, it is more aggressive than the LGB rubberized block. However, IF you have not run trains in some time, this works!

Wendell

#2

Back in my track powered days I found WD-40 to be one of the better track cleaning solutions. Used it both on the track and the wheels. This stuff along with a track cleaning block (home-made, of course) did a great job removing gunk from the track.

#3

Hi, Wendell is probably talking about a construction like this, which was sold a few years ago:

I was never too happy with it, not even after I filled the LGB block with lead. It only cleans the top of the rail, while I need some of the inside of the rail for electrical conduct as well. Railcleaning with any kind of sandpapers ist not really the best choice. The dirt sticks even better to the tiny scratches you make. I can recommend a normal household sponge fixet to the underside of a two axle car, drip some household cleaner on it and push it across the rails, either by hand or a battery loco. WD-40 still seems to be very popular at exibition layouts with the electro-rail-people. There is always the smell of WD-40 in the air. Some people even use it for smoke fluid. You get much more smoke than with the commercial smoke fluids on the market. Have Fun Juergen Zirner

#4

Will Wd-40 damage smoke units ? Never tried it.

Zirner said:
Hi, Wendell is probably talking about a construction like this, which was sold a few years ago:

I was never too happy with it, not even after I filled the LGB block with lead. It only cleans the top of the rail, while I need some of the inside of the rail for electrical conduct as well. Railcleaning with any kind of sandpapers ist not really the best choice. The dirt sticks even better to the tiny scratches you make. I can recommend a normal household sponge fixet to the underside of a two axle car, drip some household cleaner on it and push it across the rails, either by hand or a battery loco. WD-40 still seems to be very popular at exibition layouts with the electro-rail-people. There is always the smell of WD-40 in the air. Some people even use it for smoke fluid. You get much more smoke than with the commercial smoke fluids on the market. Have Fun Juergen Zirner

#5
Bryan Johnson said:
Will Wd-40 damage smoke units ? Never tried it.
Never tried it in a smoke unit. After switching to Batteries, I remove the smoke units anyway, as they always look like a house with the fireplace going.
#6
Bryan Johnson said:
Will Wd-40 damage smoke units ? Never tried it.
Hi,

I tried it with Seuthe smoke units. It works very well and seems not to damage them.
It does smell very intense, so I can not really recommend it inside.

You can get very good results by using this fluid, they use in fog machines. There are various qualities on the market. For model railroads the lighter oils work well.

Every smoke unit I have seen so far, produces too little smoke outside, to make it look convincing, so I don´t use it anymore. I think, it just looks silly.

We were working with small fog machines in a loce at exibitions. That worked very well, but the neighbour boothes did not like it. After a few rounds you could not see much of the railroad anymore.

Have Fun

Juergen Zirner