Model Railroading > Crud...Magnetic Crud!

I had an important screw go missing at the model railroad club last week, and could not find it anywhere. So I had a idea to make a really powerful magnet car. I had a old Walthers 45' log flat and some very strong neodymium bar magnets. I had pairs of them clamp themselves to the side frame members of the car using their own magnatisim, then used some electrical tape to make sure they didn't go anywhere. I was shocked at just how fast crud accumulated on the magnets. This was a result of just one lap around one mainline and a quarter lap around the other mainline. By that point enough crud had collected that it started to derail the car. It picked up all kinds of scenery material, metal detail parts, screws spikes and other stuff. But most of it was this black carbon or graphite like material. Not sure if it's coming from motor brushes or elsewhere. While I did find some screws, I did not find the one I was looking for.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Great idea on the magnet side, I might try that was well.  I have used a similar strategy, but for a different reason in keeping clean track and roadbed clear of particles.  I utilized two Atlas track cleaning cars with vacums engaged only, one CMX Tack cleaning car, and three Centerline Products cleaning cars with rollers all in one train.  

I'm going to rebuild the Atlas Vacum Track Cleaning cars as their electrical contacts have goine bad, but when they did work it was a fabulous way to pict up particles from the track and roadbed.  Amazing how much stuff you never realize comes loose such as screws and detail parts.

Consist as follows from Head-End:
Vacum Car - Picks up the big stuff first
Vacum Car - Picks up the secondary stuff missed by first one that may have been dislodged or moved, but not picked up by the first one.
CMX Track Cleaning Car- filled with Isoprophyl alcohol with mooderate flow rate.
Centerline Roller Car - this one wipes the majority of the dirt from rails.
2nd Centerliner Car - this one finishes the wipe process with the dirt.
Last Centerliner Car - this one does final wipe and dries rails.  

The end result was superb, granted this "consist" is expensive, it paid for itself in short order.  



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/25 10:20 by RailThunder.

That little screw could be anywhere. As you know, little parts like that can jump, roll and bounce! LOL And they especially like to hide in carpet. The thicker the better.

Victor Baird

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> That little screw could be anywhere. As you know,
> little parts like that can jump, roll and bounce!
> LOL And they especially like to hide in carpet.
> The thicker the better.
>
> Victor Baird

Screws in the carpet are easy to find, just walk on it while barefoot!  [insert OUCH!!! emoji here]

"I'm going to rebuild the Atlas Vacum Track Cleaning cars as their electrical contacts have goine bad, but when they did work it was a fabulous way to pict up particles from the track and roadbed.  Amazing how much stuff you never realize comes loose such as screws and detail parts."

it is amazing how much debris is picked up by these vacuum cars. On a side note TCS is now offering a decoder equipped vacuum car that I believe is self propelled. Priced like a locomotive, but looks like it's a quality piece.

I had that happen accidentally: I have 1-2 LBF Boeing Skyboxes that are attached to flats using magnets so they're removealbe - they're powerful eniough to "grip" the car's weight thru the floor.  They do an excellent job of picking up track nails etc and I even had a screw get pulled into a truck, which caused a short. Retrieved dozens of parts this way and put them in our parts lost and found.

SkokieSwift