Dirty Track That Just Won't Come Clean

[Shashinka]

Ok, here's the deal. Track was good the other day, so I'm assuming it's plaster dust related. I got two spots where the track is so dirty it stops the trains. I used lord only how much track cleaner, and the train will run over that bad patch three or four times, get rough, then die straight on the same spot even when running at a good clip. It's pretty annoying and I swapped out a few pieces of track, but it seems the dead spots are right at the track connection points.

Before everyone goes in to the whole drop points, note it was fine until the plaster cloth went down. And one of the dead spots is about 6" from the power feed. The worst spot runs nearly two feet and a half feet. The Greenliner runs better but tends to still get a tad sluggish at the rough spots, but not like the EF66 which historically has been the better running of the two Kato's. Even at speed it wants to stop.

It's weird because I've encountered more than my share of dirty track, but not like this where I can get the trains to run, then konk out five minutes later so I have to assume that the plaster dust played in to it, though the plaster dust has been vacuumed off, and the rail looks pretty clean. .I suppose it's time to go buy some rail zip, cause nothing else seems to work.

[Bernard]

Aaron - Next time take masking tape and put it on top of your rails before you start working on any scenery near the tracks, this will protect them. I sometimes use a dentist pick to take pieces of plaster that has adhered to the rails and then use a rail cleaner. Also check and clean the trucks on your trains, the plaster dust now might be on the wheels.

[CaptOblivious]

Seconding Bernard, are the wheels clean? Just covering the bases :D

[Shashinka]

Aaron - Next time take masking tape and put it on top of your rails before you start working on any scenery near the tracks, this will protect them. I sometimes use a dentist pick to take pieces of plaster that has adhered to the rails and then use a rail cleaner. Also check and clean the trucks on your trains, the plaster dust now might be on the wheels.

Way ahead of you on that one. I had done this with the T-trak and was planning to do that last night when I started to lay it down, but with the deer strike and all, it totally slipped my mind. The thing is that the areas where the EF66 is struggling is nowhere near the landscaping work. I also popped her open to try and dislodge any plaster dust that might have found its way in there, but it didn't make any difference.

I'll note that the Greenliner is running normally now, and only the EF66 is acting up, and it sounds like it's racing throughout the entire line now, but the surges are the worst on the two areas where I was having problems with earlier. There's two or three spots where the track is rough that I just can't get clean and the EF66 is incredibly sensitive to where as the Greenliner doesn't seem to care. It seems like the track joiners are where the problems are occurring, yet short of swapping them out nothing seems to work.

[alpineaustralia]

I recently purchased from the hardware store a soft sanding sponge produced by 3M called "Sand Blaster". I bought fine 320. It is a foam (spongey) sanding block that can be washed. It is hard enough to scratch shiney plastic but not coarse enough to scratch skin. Try sanding it down with something time that. 

[Shashinka]

I recently purchased from the hardware store a soft sanding sponge produced by 3M called "Sand Blaster". I bought fine 320. It is a foam (spongey) sanding block that can be washed. It is hard enough to scratch shiney plastic but not coarse enough to scratch skin. Try sanding it down with something time that. 

Hmm, think I'll try that before the railzip. Railzip from past experience has been deemed to be a last resort, as it needs over night to work.

[Bernard]

Alpine - I have a couple of those sponges and what I also like about them is it use use them on styrofoam to shape a mountain or hill, its a little messy but not half as messy as a foam rasp made by Stanley.

Aaron - Don't laugh at this but if all else fails try this, an Artist Pink eraser on the rail heads, then clean the track with cleaner. And if that fails, I use the old fingernail.

[Shashinka]

Alpine - I have a couple of those sponges and what I also like about them is it use use them on styrofoam to shape a mountain or hill, its a little messy but not half as messy as a foam rasp made by Stanley.

Aaron - Don't laugh at this but if all else fails try this, an Artist Pink eraser on the rail heads, then clean the track with cleaner. And if that fails, I use the old fingernail.

I tired the fingernail already, that's the problem, is that I can't see anything physically on the rail heads.

Won't laugh at the rubber eraser trick, I use to do that all the time with the old layout. However I'm starting to notice it appears that it's at the rail joints where I'm seeing the issue most profoundly with the EF66.

[to2leo]

I remember spending half of my train time sanding and cleaning tracks back in the days of pre-Unitrack.  I think track joiners, as you have mentioned, is your culprit.

[Shashinka]

I remember spending half of my train time sanding and cleaning tracks back in the days of pre-Unitrack.  I think track joiners, as you have mentioned, is your culprit.

I suspect that the plaster cloth water got down in there. Even Unitrack can get plaster in the joints.

[Shashinka]

A little IPA makes all the difference. The Greenliner run perfect, though the EF66, is running worse than ever. I suspect that something loose got up in there. It seems like every rail joiner is shutters, and I have trouble believing all 16 external rail joiners after being thoroughly scrubbed by eraser, IPA and track cleaner. Maybe four or five, but 16 I think is pushing it.

[CaptOblivious]

A little IPA makes all the difference. The Greenliner run perfect, though the EF66, is running worse than ever. I suspect that something loose got up in there. It seems like every rail joiner is shutters, and I have trouble believing all 16 external rail joiners after being thoroughly scrubbed by eraser, IPA and track cleaner. Maybe four or five, but 16 I think is pushing it.

A little IPA—India Pale Ale—does make all the difference. Have you tried that? ;)

My guess is there's something inside the EF66 now.

[Shashinka]

A little IPA—India Pale Ale—does make all the difference. Have you tried that? ;)

My guess is there's something inside the EF66 now.

I do too. I'm, going to try to get in there tonight.

[Mudkip Orange]

How did the IPA work out for you?

[KenS]

My guess would have been the Unijoiners also.  I've had some that just make poor contact (trains run slow once they pass them), and track joiners of any kind are notorious for collecting dust and/or scenery glue.  If it's just dust, you might try blowing them out with a can of compressed air (the kind you can buy in computer or photo stores) without having to disassemble the track.  But if glue or wet plaster got in there, you'll need to pull them and clean the rail sides/base with a wet swab or similar (and either discard or very carefully clean the unijoiners by soaking them and blowing out anything from the inside once it's dissolved; an ultrasonic cleaner would work even better).

[Shashinka]

I swear by IPA. It's all I ever use and have had no issues with it decoloring the roadbed on the unitrack as some other have.

[Webskipper]

So issue is solved?

Are the Rail Cleaner cars worth the money? I'm thinking of getting the Centerline Rail Cleaners that are bare bone chassis with brass rollers.  

Now add some sweepers and some lamps/buzzer and you have a multi-tasking trouble shooting tool. :)