Well, it's now been over 10 days since I applied the NO-OX and I still have not needed to clean the track....at all! This is entirely new territory for me and I can't get over how cool it is to be able to just go out to the layout and just start up the trains!
I can't believe that they are not only able to just run, but there is still not even one headlight flicker. For years I would avoid the frustration of constantly having to clean track and loco wheels by focusing primarily on building, kitbashing, etc. I have noticed there is more wheel slip now on my grades and I had to cut in another loco, but that is a trade-off that I am totally OK with. Again, I have no affiliation with he product, even though this must sound like a pitch. Your mileage may vary.
Something presumably unrelated that cropped up about the same time is a problem with some of my recently-installed narrow-tread metal rolling stock wheels dropping off the inside of the outer rail of one of my curved turnouts and derailing. I actually had to pull out the turnout. Interestingly, I had the problem with this turnout before the summer, then everything was fine all summer long, and now it started happening again. Could it be that the seasonal temperature changes had enough of an (expansion/contraction) effect on the involved metals to cause this?
Seems unlikely, but....
