Model Railroading > Anyone Else Use a Vacuum Car Periodically?

I run this Dapol vacuum car every six months or so and I'm constantly amazed at how much stuff it picks up. This one has a Mobil decoder installed and I run it at speed step six(28] and it's just about perfect for getting the loose junk, fuzz and spider webs from between and around the rails without sucking up all the loose ballast. 

Neat tool.

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Nice tool. My Atlas version gets a remarkable amount of debris plus wayward car parts. Track cleaning portion less effective.

I've got one of these cars but haven't run it around the layout.  Is your dcc decoder equipped?

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> I've got one of these cars but haven't run it
> around the layout.  Is your dcc decoder equipped?

Yes. It's been awhile but I believe the vacuum motor is rated for 9volts so I backed the speed table way down to protect it. So far so good.

i rebuild my car with a can motor after the dust bunnys got into the open frame motor

Yes.  Had one at the old club I belonged to.

We modified it somewhat.  Hardwired the trucks for power pickups, the springs that it was built with were not robust enough for extended usage.

Also added a decoder and limited the top speed so that the motor was not stressed too much.

It did a fantastic job at cleaning the track.  One lap and the dirt cup was full and raising the top of the compartment.  Subsequent passes allowed more than one lap.

We used the vacuum, a dry roller, wet roller (denatured alcohol), craytex roller and a couple of Masonite slider cars.  All pulled with an Athearn DD40 (older model) with NWSL wheels.

Just a few laps to have the mainlines ready to go for an open house.

Happy memories of long ago,

Bob

f40ph Wrote:
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> i rebuild my car with a can motor after the dust
> bunnys got into the open frame motor

Good to know that's an option!  Bob, thanks for reminding me me about hard wiring the trucks. That was mandatory. :-)

I use my Atlas version a lot.  I did add a decoder to control the fan and hardwired the electrical pick-ups.  I think before it had springs rubbing on a metal piece that transferred power from the wheels to the car.  I will eventually add some LED lights to it.

It's amazing what you find in the dust bin sometimes - Kadee coupler springs, small plastic parts...

The Vacuum car is a must, although the construction of many of those cars is questionable. Especially the open frame motor exposed to the incoming debris. Rebuilding them is must for long term durability. Another type of clean up that needs to be done is a magnet sweep. I would do this twice a year or quarterly. I taped four high powered neodymium magnets to a Walthers log flat that I had yet to repaint, and ran around the club layout for the first time last year. It didn't even make it a lap before it derailed due to the amount of magnetic crud that it collected. Considering that open frame motor in the vacuum car, I would do the magnetic sweep first.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/26 06:48 by funnelfan.

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Interesting, I bought a Marklin track cleaning car that works well but derails on any track switch. I use a USB keyboard vacuum along all the tracks on my Z scale layouts. Trust me, Z Scale needs that as usually scenery bits find their way onto the rails and derail the next train that comes along! Or a human hair winds it way around the axles of a loco and saps all the pulling power. I imagine one of these cheap vacuums (5V) could be mounted on a car with a 5V regulator. Maybe a good project for the next time I get a boredom attack.
Gonut