How To Clean Old Train Tracks
You will have to scrub the entire length of each rail. Rinse and it all air dry.
The other way you should use Aero fluid is on a piece of J-cloth wrapped around the metal roller in an Aztek track cleaning car.
How to clean old train tracks. Try to wipe the surfaces to keep clean rails with a soft cloth occasionally after use to clean off any minor dirty spots. Apr 12 2017 Cleaning an Old or Neglected Track. Or generic equivalent the knock-offs from the local grocery or discount store work just as well does an excellent job of cleaning away old grime without too much effort.
Scrub the tracks with a soft scrubbing pad. Wipe down all your train tracks with the cloth until the rust or grime has gone. Nov 13 2010 If the track is just dirty scrubbing the surface with a Mr.
This will help remove rust after the rust remover seeps into it. Nov 16 2016 First clean off any dust with a soft paintbrush or a makeup brush. Fifteen minutes in the oven at 180 degrees dried the metal.
I have some more tips on cleaning Lionel track if you need them. Run the track through the dishwasher. The top running surfaces of the rails are most important surfaces to keep clean for good operation.
To clean while you play try some of these easy-to-make passive wheel cleaners. Since its not on your layout you can be pretty aggressive cleaning them. Nov 09 2019 There are a couple easy steps you need to complete.
You might try spraying it with a bit of compressed air in between brushings as well if you have some on hand. A lighter method of how to clean model railroad track includes a paint stirring stick with a paper towel taped around the end and dipped in lacquer thinner. I used evaporust to clean about a dozen pieces of standard gauge track.
My solution for many years to all of this has been to use non-abrasive rail. Cleaning Lionel trains with water. Allow a dwell time of 5 to 20 minutes depending on the amount of rust to be removed.
Spray your track with brown Rustoleum a rust inhibiting flat primer sold in most hardware stores whats nice is it makes the tracks look weathered. They must be free of dirt oxide and rust. Jan 05 2009 A pink eraser can be used for tough spots.
Apply some White Vinegar to a cloth until its damp. For locomotives clean one truck at a time keeping the other truck off the towel on the tracks for electrical pick-up. Using the vacuums stick attachment to clear any dust grit ballast or other loose grime along the track.
For normal cleaning soaking a paper towel in liquid cleaner works well. Use another damp cloth with water to go back over the top of the tracks and remove the vinegar. Scrub along the metal rails of the track with an abrasive sponge.
Use a slip pad on the bottom to help prevent scratching the tub If you use a good degreaser cleaner like TSP let it soak for a while and then lightly scrub the track pieces with a nylon scrub brush. In severe conditions it may be necessary to apply Naval Jelly several times. Coat a rag with a rust remover spray and spot-clean any portions of the tracks that still have rust on them.
Modelers also use Goo Gone an oil based cleaner that can remove dirt but leaves an oily film behind on the track. A thorough cleaning of the rails is a positive thing but with dirty wheels the effect is negated very quickly because of re-deposit back onto the rails. In the photo a caboose-type car with a tank for track cleaning fluid is.
Put the Aztek track cleaning car in a work train and make it part of an operating session. If an abrassive pad is needed a scotch-brite pad works pretty good. Youll be surprised how much dust the brush can remove and how well it gets into crevices.
Place the towel on a track and drag cars back and forth pressing down lightly. A hard eraser will take off any stubborn spots of grime. Jul 12 2016 take up and clean the track and remove all the rust.
If heavy encrustations are present use a wire brush to clean before applying. I took the track apart and soaked the rails ties and pins for about an hour. Oct 15 2008 For general cleaning of iron and steel apply full strength with a paint brush roller or sponge.
Lay your track and then go over it with your favorite track cleaner to polish the track. I used a toothbrush to loosen up the solution and then rinsed with clean water through the rails and you could see the rusty solution run off. If the track has rust use fine grit sandpaper to sand of the rust on the top of the rails then follow up with a little track clean and the top of the rails will look like new.
