Model Railroading > Track Cleaning CRC 2-26 ?

On the road back from the Bridgetown meet in Portland and this topic came up.

Has anyone used this stuff on wheels and track beside a few Bay Area clubs? It has worked very well for us and wanted to share here.

Posted from iPhone

Have used it for years on wiring connections for outside telephone equipment. It's approved for use by AT&T and it's doesn't seem to affect plastics either.

I’ve been using it to clean track, engine wheels and freight car wheels for several years.  It works great.  It leaves things just a tiny bit oily but it hasn’t caused any problems.  I pull 30-car trains up a 1.7% helix grade with two powered diesels without problems.

Dennis

Like it for cleaning gunked up wheels, using a pipe cleaner or cotton swab, followed by a polish with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Too oily for general track use, in my book.

When I had a layout, I used it all the time. My module group uses it on our modules before each show without any problems. It will remove any gunk on the wheels and deposit in on the rails over time but frequent cleaning at first takes care of this.

I also have been using CRC contact cleaner to clean my locomotive wheels for the last 15 years without any problems.

Darin Umlauft
A WC, SOO and GBW fan in Slinger, WI

Posted from Android

CNW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I’ve been using it to clean track, engine wheels
> and freight car wheels for several years.  It
> works great.  It leaves things just a tiny bit
> oily but it hasn’t caused any problems.  I pull
> 30-car trains up a 1.7% helix grade with two
> powered diesels without problems.
>
> Dennis

Completely agree, the stuff cleans great but leaves a tiny bit of oil on the rail causing locomotives to slip, takes a while to wear it away and not sure where it goes. I have an extra can of it if you want to try it out. The Train Shop had some on the shelf, not sure if it's still there. Either Home Depot or Fry's has it as well.

+ Also agree with the Isopropanol comments below. A little concerned about the fumes and rags laying around, but seems to work well in track cleaning machines.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/19 23:01 by TCnR.

Hi Rick,
I value your opinion as your track work and layout runs excellent, but I would still recommend folks to do a trial and see how it works for them. Maybe a comparison section with the new and old method? Track cleaning methods is a personal preference and use what works best for you, but it is always good to try new products. People who tried 2-26 said the rail seemed to stay cleaner longer. One thing I would suggest is not to use an abrasive for cleaning the rail-head as that tends to open the "pores" of the rail-head to attract more dirt. Throw your eraser style "Bright Boy" away. This is my opinion, and was one of the topics of conversation on the LONG drive back to the SF bay area after the Bridgetown meet in Portland.


4thDistrict Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dave, I tried it years ago and quickly stopped.

---

I have tried several methods over the years, and I really have not found anything better then 91% Alcohol.  Its cheap, and evaporates.   

I have tried Labelle 108 and other track cleaning stuff, and I just dont agree with the idea of putting any sort of oil based product on the track.   It leaves it slick, and collects the dirt faster then anything I have seen.   Some of the locals around here swear by 108.   Yet, I have taken engines apart that run on 108 cleaned layouts, and everything in the driveline is just coated in the stuff, and everything that picks up with it (hair, dirt, etc.). 

I was recently at a layout, where the owner was using a commericla track cleaning fluid (I forget the name, clear bottle), that left a wicked oily residue.   We were having major issues with power and cleaned the track, and it was just jet black on the towel it was coming up so dirty.   And it was just cleaned 2 weeks prior.  Whatever was in that stuff was having a serious effect like I have never seen on a layout ever before.   

This is a classic case of you can ask 4 people, and get 4 different opinions.  Try a few methods and see what works best for you, in your enviroment.  

4th District Rick mentioned the Roco track cleaning rubber block. Micro Engineering has a similar product that is far less abrasive than a BriteBoy (we had to hide ours). It comes in 2" lengths or a 6" strip we cut into three 2" blocks. Good for spot cleaning.

I used CRC-QD on our club layout and it worked fine,  90+% rubbing alcohol is OK too