How To Clean Rusty Model Railroad Track

Douglas Hodgdon of Model Railroad Academy and Rails Talk Live and Michael Swiridow the Curator of Pine County History Museum Model Railroad Society discuss how to clean model railroad rail in this video. First Hodgdon shows the different runway cleaners that are available. He first demonstrates with a Bright Boy. This is an abrasive cake that has been around for over l years. Hodgdon uses the Bright Boy on brass track which oxidizes apace and loses conductivity.

Even afterward cleaning, brass track re-oxidizes so quickly that this runway material is no longer commonly used today. A cream track cleaning block is some other method of how to clean model railroad runway. They come in unlike grits and can be cut down to the shape needed. Doug scratch congenital a track cleaning auto using this material with weights on top to deport down the foam block under the machine's body. The space between the block and the rail tin exist adjusted to best fit the runway. This cleaning car is great to make clean portions of track that are not easily accessible.

Some modelers don't similar abrasive materials because they makes tiny scratches on the track. 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. Modelers also employ Goo Gone, an oil based cleaner that can remove dirt only leaves an oily film behind on the track. Some modelers prefer their rails dry, while others prefer this way of how to clean model railroad rail because the oil helps to forbid oxidation and improves electrical contact on the runway.

Another cleaning material is Rail Zip which is an automated transmission fluid that contains a chemical meant to prevent further oxidation. Swiridow uses a organisation for how to clean model railroad track that is difficult to admission called the Tidy Track cleaning system. It is able to rotate and comes with dissimilar pads that tin be attached including abrasive pads that are grooved to slide forth the rail. Modelers can find it difficult to clean around switches, so Swiridow suggests using electrical contact cleaner with a q-tip or newspaper towel.

To larn more well-nigh how to clean model railroad rail such as cleaning railroad train tracks and wheels and how to clean an old model railroad scene, visit the Model Railroad Academy Website.