Cleaning Track with Bright Boy

[rsauerbrun]

I have the Walthers Bright Boy to clean my track, but I am still have engine "slow down" in certain sections of my layout. I am using Kato UniTrack, and have carefully checked all connections. The rail joiners look fine, with all rails touching, and everything seems well aligned.

But after using the Bright Boy things seem to slow down even more. After a month of use it is all covered with black.

Any idea ideas?  ???

[Mark5]

Personally I am against using bright boys. The "cleaning" is based on friction which at best leaves the metal surface with lots of tiny "scoring". Which to me means more places for grime to collect.

[rsauerbrun]

I see ... so how do you clean your track?

[Mark5]

In the old days I would use rubbing alcohol or something similar. I've been between layouts for quite a while - on the new one I may try this:

http://therailwire.net/smf/index.php?topic=13619.0

[railspike55]

PLease heed the warning about this product.

No Not Use if you have TT on your loco's   

As stated it will make them slick and usless.  If contaminated  they need to replaced.

I soaked a set for three days and it did not remove LPS-1 from the tt wheels.

I had access to product that degreases called Freon.  Dangerous stuff. Special chem gluves
needed to use this.  I will remove the LPS-1 but also dries out the rubber and vinal tires to the point they become brittle and break. 

Having a test loop using the Kato unitrak I have not needed to use anything except 70% alco.
Its up a board that stand in corner when not used. 

I am with N&W brightboys create scratches that fester the black crud and using it over and over will create more
scratchs gouges.  I do not use these any more.




MHO.

[Mark5]

PLease heed the warning about this product.

No Not Use if you have TT on your loco's   

As stated it will make them slick and usless.  If contaminated  they need to replaced.

I soaked a set for three days and it did not remove LPS-1 from the tt wheels.

So even if you let the rails dry it still creates problems?

[3rdrail]

I still swear by Radio Shack TV Tuner Cleaner & Lubricant. It actually promotes electrical continuity, for months, it seems. I apply it with a foam rubber brush, after cleaning the rails with a brightboy.

[chuck geiger]

I have been using Windex and then a drop or two of Wahl hair clipper oil. Less
crud, more thud.

[railspike55]

I used this on some brass track I had a long time ago because of all the scratches and gouges.
remember brass? 

It caused the track to be slick even when dry and I am sure the tt tire on the RR loco was to.
Loco could not pull 5 cars after that.

At least the Wahl oil CHuck stated can be removed with alcohol easily,  LPS-1 can not.

I am sorry, I have bad memories of past failures in HO.

Ron N.

[Mark5]

I used this on some brass track I had a long time ago because of all the scratches and gouges.
remember brass? 

Oh yeah - my Tyco HO set had brass track back in the 1960s! 

[Nato]

     Some modelers use"Goo Gone", there are those who like this product and those who say it leaves a film all over everything for along time afterwards.I use Track Cleaning cars, both cars from Aztec ,the"Monsoon" has a tank and you put Isopropanol of your choice, a needle valve adjusts the flow rate onto the track. There is also a Crayex Roller,and a magnet to pick up metal debris. Aztec also makes cars with just rollers and magnets,no fluid tank. My other Track Cleaning car is more pricey, it is the Tomix car now also sold by Atlas. ith can be run in different modes and is powered from the track, one mode Suck-O-Lux as a minny vaccum ,or as rotating pads with a sand paper like coating that works kind of like a Bright Boy to polish the rails,it also has a wet mode,you use Tomix cleaner fluid,similar to the Iso in a storage tank, it runs out ahead then pads clean the track. I also do have a large Bright Boy block which gets used occaisionaly on stuborn spots, or after rails have been painted to weather ,or ballasted to clean the rail tops. The Wasatch N Scale (WNS) modular group I belong to uses Bright Boys on modules we have been doing this since the 1980's when we were the Utah N Rail Modelers, with no apparent effect to the rails,but we now also run clearner cars which are more effective.                        Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[inkaneer]

I used this on some brass track I had a long time ago because of all the scratches and gouges.
remember brass? 

I am sorry, I have bad memories of past failures in HO.

Ron N.

Not only do I remember brass track but I remember brass track with fiber ties and staples for track spikes.  Never try to ballast track using water based adhesive with fiber ties.  I don't recall that N scale track ever was just brass.  Nscale had enough problems in the beginning just getting motive power to move.  And when it did it was 0 to warp 8 with seemingly nothing in between.  After break in warp 4 was doable.  At least that is what it now seems. 

[inkaneer]

I have the Walthers Bright Boy to clean my track, but I am still have engine "slow down" in certain sections of my layout. I am using Kato UniTrack, and have carefully checked all connections. The rail joiners look fine, with all rails touching, and everything seems well aligned.

But after using the Bright Boy things seem to slow down even more. After a month of use it is all covered with black.

Any idea ideas?  ???

You do not state how large of a layout you have or how many "feeders" you have.  Could it be that the section you describe has a long stretch between feeders?   Nickel silver rail is not the best conductor of electricity.  Copper is much better so the added resistance of the nickle silver rail could be affecting the performance of a locomotive in this one area.  This would be the more likely candidate for locomotives that slow down then speed up later.