New cleaning device arrives!

[rpierce000]

I just received one of these: http://www.1999.co.jp/10078941

 

It is a really cool unit. I have NO idea how they did it, but they have come up with a spongy material that conducts power. You simply align your engine on the "rails" and let gravity and the motion of the wheels do the rest.  The padded area does not seem to be damaged when the wheels are cleaned, and boy are they clean, but there is ONE issue.  Be SURE, I mean SURE that your loco is facing towards the end of the foam with the bumper on it. I had a test engine take flight off the other end. No damage, but a bit of a shock to my system. I think I may build a safety bumper on the other end as well.

 

I run about 15-30 seconds on a soiled unit, 5-10 for touch ups.  The difference is amazing. Atlases crawl, Katos speed, even Bachmann runs better.

 

Now if someone can explain how you can conduct through foam...

[westfalen]

I've had one on my workbench for about six months, they should be in every N scaler's tool kit. I think the spongy 'foam' is actually a fine steel wool type of material with a slightly abrasive layer of something glued on top, but whatever it is, it seems to work.

 

When I look at mine I wonder how one would look set into the layout at the end of a track in an engine terminal, it would look like an inspection pit, you would run an engine on, give the wheels a spin and the back it off.

[Howard1975]

I have seen them offered on Ebay by Plaza Japan. I think I'll order one for myself. I can certainly see the benefit.

 

Howard

[cteno4]

i do worry what these will do to traction tires over time though... this also raises the abrasive vs no abrasive debate. some feel using abrasives puts more micro scratches in the surface of wheels and rail heads makes them more prone to picking up dirt. there are folks with lots of experience on both sides of the debate, but probably one of those things with too many variables to know what the story really is!

 

one way i do this kind of wheel cleaning is to rest the loco upside down in a cradle (i use a watch maker's vise). then i have a piece of 62mm track feeder rail hooked up to the power supply and touch it to a set of wheels (ones w/o traction tires). this makes the engine run, spinning the wheels. with the other hand i use a swab soaked in isopropanol to clean all the wheels. you need to be a bit ambidextrous, but not that much split brain to do. i like it as i can see what i am doing. always meant to make a more flexible set of leads with a piece of wood with slots in it so it could just be pressed against the truck to provide power on the flange tips, but been lazy!

 

its too bad there are not dcc slots on the bottom of all locos you could just plug a power supply into to do this sort of thing!

 

i believe the wheels only really have a chance of getting dirty if the track is dirty. if the track is kept pretty clean i think the wheels will stay clean.

 

for non powered trucks a quick zap on in the ultra sonic bath in 70% isopropanol usually shines them up!

 

jeff

[Guest JRF-1935]

I've wanted one of these for a long time - but have been waiting to see if there are any negative results to traction tires, etc.,  Anyone have any problems yet??

Thanks

Rich C

[inobu]

I could not quite put my finger on it but knew that it was one of those perpetual loop problems. After thinking on it here is the loop which exacerbates the problem into another.

 

Three root causes for poor wheel contact. Carbon, wheel residue and dust. The combination of all three elements generates the need for cleaning. It is the frequency of the cleaning that induces that next variable wheel wear. The more you clean the wheel with an abrasive material the faster the material from the wheel will be removed.

 

To put thing into perspective .003" is .5 inches in N Scale Just imagine taking .5" or 1.2cm of tread off the tires on your car. In essence that is what one can do to a NScale loco.

 

I have the "minitrix " cleaner and was/am reluctant to use it although I have.

 

I have learn that you must preform "root cause analysis" on order to resolve a problem permanently. The three root causes of track contamination is Carbon, wheel residue and air borne dust.

 

If you do not address those three factor you are just going to be using the wheel cleaner more often and inducing wheel wear on the motor car.  

 

I think the product posted looks ok but it still induces wheel wear/polishing during the cleaning process.

 

Reducing rail contamination should be the objective and the cleaner an after thought.

Inobu

[clem24]

To put thing into perspective .003" is .5 inches in N Scale Just imagine taking .5" or 1.2cm of tread off the tires on your car. In essence that is what one can do to a NScale loco.

\

 

Personally, I the problem is worse than that. If you actually look at the wheel contact points, it's very, very, very tiny. Even if the rail is however which wide and the wheels are however which wide, the actual contact point is really small. The wheels are angled a bit so the part that sits on the rails is not perfectly flat, likely to reduce friction and drag.

[keitaro]

I use ear cleaners to clean my wheels takes a long time I know but does least to no damage.

 

For the motor cars I wire up one 70mm track and make contact with rear wheels and use the ear cleaner to rub on the wheel as it spins then once they are done I swap around and do opposite side.

[Guest JRF-1935]

Excellent points to consider about wheel damage due to abrasive cleaning devices, although they work very well.  Thanks.

 

I've been using Isopropyl Alcohol prep pads for a long time on my O scale freight motors and car wheels and they seem to work best. Not too Labor intensive but no damage.  They come in a small folded square so I'm thinking to maybe cut them into 4 pieces and lay one over the track and let the engine/cars run over it.  I've seen this done on HO layouts (just this past winter) and it seems to work very well.  The pad is thin enough so when you press it over the track it conforms to the track and doesn't cause any derailments - at least in HO scale.  After a train rolls by the HO guys then move the pad over to clean the wheels on the next train.  If the pad starts to dry out they just add a little more Isopropyl alcohol to dampen it until the pad is all used up. Worth a try - but I will definately be oredering more traction tires as I don't know what effect this will have on the tires.  The alcohol does evaporate "very" quickly so maybe it won't stay on the tire long enough to cause any damage.

Rich C

[Martijn Meerts]

I have a couple of those cleaners as well, but haven't tested them yet (damn you lack-of-spare-time :))

 

As for wheel cleaning. I don't mind if some type of cleaning has a chance of slightly damaging the wheels. There's plenty other things damaging both wheels and track as it is. If the wheels go bad, I get a set of new wheels.

 

Btw, using a piece of track to power the motor car/loco probably does more damage than most wheel cleaning devices ;)

[Dani]

         

 

Sorry, but I couldn't stop laughing imagining a loco taking of at full speed once you connect it..... I'm happy finaly it didn't brake.

 

I think I'll also buy one of those.

[clem24]

If the wheels go bad, I get a set of new wheels.

 

And if it happens to be a Microace, then what Mr. Smarty Pants?  ;)

[cteno4]

 

Btw, using a piece of track to power the motor car/loco probably does more damage than most wheel cleaning devices ;)

 

 

ive used a piece of track in a pinch at shows to do a spot cleaning with qtip and isopropanol, but usually have a small block of wood with soft copper strips on it (hooked to a power supply) to just hold against the flange ends to power. copper is much softer than the nickel steel wheels so should not ware them much at all and its only the flanges and i would have to really really really clean a lot to ever ware the flanges down enough to cause problems! ive thought of making a nicer one with a little rise between the contacts to fit between the flanges to make it easier to keep holding it aligned. maybe a little foam padding behind the strips to keep them softly pressed on the flanges. if i do mill this up ill make a length of it if anyone wants a hunk to roll their own.

 

its one of those rub your belly and pat your head things, but once you get into the zen of it its pretty easy. i use either a watch vise or U of foam rubber to hold the car upside down. like to think the engine is feeling like a dog on its back getting its belly rubbed...

 

non powered car wheels never seem to get as dirty on my trains (perhaps the powered cars pick the grease/oil up right away if spewed out the bottom of the trucks). those always clean easily by just running them over the isopropanol soaked paper towel laid on top of a piece of track.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[marknewton]

         

 

Dani, my question is completely off topic - what is the steam loco in your avatar photo?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Dani]

@Marknewton: As I live near Barcelona, I went to one of the two big train museums of Spain which is near my home: "Museu del ferrocarril de Vilanova i la Geltrú"

 

That stream loco was called here "2-4-0 Mastodonte" (mastodon), from MZA company (one of the ancient company's before the unification in the current RENFE), and was built in Germany in 1913. Those locos were very popular in Spain for 40 years because they could run across our difficult orography with passenger cars and later with goods. It was 1.755 CV, but the maximum speed only 60 Km/h.

 

If someday any of you come to Barcelona, don't forget to visit that museum and of course get in contact with me before!!!

 

Dani.