One thing I found out running the type of cars that I run is that cleanliness of the track is an absoloute MUST.One(maybe the only) downfall of having a large layout.

I usually give it a major cleaning once a week with Fantastk or WIndex.Lately I have aken a liking to the Fantastick "Orange Wipes".They really get the grease and crap off without soaking down the whole track.

What do you guys use to clean your layouts with?????

Mike(ice9)

We have a thread on this...somewhere.....
I have a tyco slotless emergency van (that I put a guidepin on) that pulls a matchbox "searchlight" trailer (with guidepin). I have attached a piece of ink erraser to the bottom of the trailer. A few laps once a week will keep the rails shiny. for dust, I use a swiffer dry. (that flippy long handle makes cleaning the track a breeze)

WD40 sprayed on a rag works well. It's good for the plastic and is a water inhibitor, plus it's good for tires, too. Rail-Zip on each rail joint is the finishing touch.

although i dont run my cars as much anymore, i use rubbing alcohol on the rails and that wd40 does work good.

simple green works very very well guys

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I was using Windex to clean my Tomy track until I found corrosion between a few of the track joints. Now I use a shop vac and WD-40 once in a while.
Scott

I think it was the Windex that I was using to clean the track that caused some of the track joints to fail and made me end up soldering them all.

I tried the WD40.It worked well enough,but I just could never seem to get it all off.The cars were just driving off the track on the turns and hiting the walls.

After trying a few other things,I settled on good old rubbing alcohol.Judging by how dirty the rag was after I wiped the track down,it worked pretty darn well.

AFX2,I like that idea of droping a whole roller into a bath of alcohol and then blowing dry.A heck of a lot easier then taking the whole thing apart and putting it back together again. :thumbsup:


Mike(ice9)

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Don't forget the slots. Lots of dust and debris can collect down there. I just won an auction for a big pile of track and I've been cleaning it for a couple nights now. I'm convinced that the prior owner raced in a cave, complete with bat guano! I ran a dime through a slot and it's amazing how much flew out. It wouldn't blow out either. I had to use the dime to dislodge it. As motivation, I worked through my complete collection of Van Halen and my ears are still ringing this morning but the track is now ready for racing.

TK - I hear you (that's because I didn't listen to Van Halen all night (LOL)). I bought some lock and joiner track from a hobby store that went out of business in KC about 20 years ago. There was gobs of goo that was probably bat guano as you mentioned. It must have been used as traction treatment plus all the lint and dust, that stuff was nasty. I had to scrape it out with a screwdriver. It was worth though. I got about 150 15" straights and lots of 15" radius turns.
Jim

Speaking from all my experience in radio and electronics the main concensus I have heard over the years is "electronics and WD40 don't mix"

I used to ask video game techs to spray some WD40 in the joystick triggers and they said that was crazy....

Relays hate WD40...mike buttons hate WD40

any electro mechanical system does not seem to benefit from it. There are electronic friendly lubes and then there is WD.

I always thought over time it harmed plastic. I know lots of people use it, but it just seems contradictory to me. On the track I guess it would scrape off the rails quickly and not be a problem, but on the plastic it kinda seems like it would be more slippery....not like tire juice slippey, but lower coefficient of friction slippery.

This is just a thought....no proof, but logic seems to indicate this....