Where to get a cleaning car?

[Samurai_Chris]

I have searched everywhere. And so, why are there no cleaning cars available?

 

Because of my schedule, and other hobbies. Sometimes my track sits idle for a few days, or even a few weeks. And I find that when I go to use it, I am having to scrub it by hand in the areas that seem to make the cars miss.. With all of the construction, I am finding that my tracks just love the extra mess and dirty up quite easily...I also find that once I finally build up my mountains and tunnels, I will need something to get in there where I may have limited access.. I have tried to mock up something myself with no success, so why the lack of availability on sites like Hobby Search?

 

Chris

[westfalen]

One of our members is going to send an order to Aztec http://www.aztectrains.com/nscaletrackclean.html in the near future and will be getting some stuff for the rest of us to spread out the postage. I'm getting the Eliminator.

[Samurai_Chris]

Count me in Alvin!   The eliminator looks the goods. But what is the difference of all of them?

[KenS]

The have different combinations of the abrasive roller, the wet cleaner roller, the brushes and magnets.  And it looks like only one has a fluid tank. I had a "wet roller only" version for my old HO layout. It didn't work very well, but I'd been cleaning that track by hand with a bright boy before I bought it, so the track was already pitted and attracted dirt, and I didn't run trains very often. I think with non-scratched track and more frequent use and cleaning it would have worked better.

 

I like the brush/magnet/wet combination with a tank for fluid (the Mini Monsoon).  Having to re-wet the handi-wipe was a definite downside of the roller-only model I had.

 

I think the Tomix is better, if you can get the pads and you run multiple or make separate runs, since it also has the vacuum setting.  But this has the convenience of all in one operation plus magnets, which is a nice feature.

[cteno4]

chris

 

i have had good luck with the center line roller cleaners with the handi wipes. ive picked them up for $25-30 for the heavy brass ones on ebay in the past. i like them as its easy to change the dirty handi wipes out when they get mucked. i use an old heki tank cleaning fluid car that just soaks a small felt pad on the tracks with your fluid of choice (isopropanol for me). run this in front of the roller car and soak the roller and it usually keeps the roller from drying out fast with the tank car in the lead. the roller has enough action to scrub the track with not getting abrasive. i also use the tomix cleaner car as a vacuum car (amazed at the stuff it sometimes finds!) and a little bit of strip magnet or a high field magnets under a car can do your metal removal.

 

i like the idea of the mow train for cleaning, each doing a single job well and easy to fix or modify or change as needed for the conditions. the all in ones attempts at things can sometimes end up doing nothing great or get complex and fiddly.

 

jeff

[westfalen]

Count me in Alvin!   The eliminator looks the goods. But what is the difference of all of them?

Chris,

 

I was going to forward the emails we've been sending to each other about the track cleaners but I lost your email address in a computer meltdown.

 

Basically the predator and eliminator seem the same but with different bodies and the Monsoon has a tank for track cleaning fluid instead of dripping it onto the roller manually, on all of them you can use a wet or dry roller. The other three just have the roller without the magnets and brushes.

 

I have a CMX Clean Machine http://www.tonystrains.com/products/img/tte/cmxn_2625.jpg so I'm getting an Eliminator with a craytex roller and will run a track cleaning train with the Tomix car in vacuum mode, CMX with cleaning fluid and the Eliminator to give it a final scrub. I'll have to experiment on the best order to run them and they will probably get a run round the layout idividually if needed. My brother has a Center Line car with the wet roller that picks up a lot of gunk from the track.

 

If you want one of the Aztec cars let me know and I'll pass it on to Richard.

 

Alvin

[Samurai_Chris]

Alvin, I am definitely in for a cleaning car mate. Just need to decide which one?

[westfalen]

Alvin, I am definitely in for a cleaning car mate. Just need to decide which one?

No great hurry, Richard is going into hospital this week for surgery on his hand so I don't think he'll be sending the order straight away. A long story involving cutting open a coconut with a knife. I'll let him know you're interested.

[Samurai_Chris]

Well mate, the next time I see you. I will show you the long scar I have that almost encompasses my right wrist after putting my hand through our glass Japanese door in our kitchen in Japan.. I was doing the old swing the arms and hips to crack my back and didn't realize I was so close to the door.. Well. I put my arm right through it, and nearly severed my right hand off from the wrist down!

 

Then only just before we came home for Xmas last year. I was using a Stanley-knife to cut some plastic on a model plane when my son called out to me.. The knife slipped, and I sliced a 8cm gash to the bone on the inside of my left hand.... 12 months later. That one still hurts...

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Great deals on Cleaning Cars:

 

CMX:

 

FiferHobby.com

 

Tomix:

 

Popondetta.jp

 

Aztec:

 

AztecTrains.com

 

The replacement pads for these cars can be made or purchased.

 

Replacing narrow spaced axles with trucks that have wider spaced axles will reduce any chance of derailment.

 

I think I used a Kato material car truck on the CMX and I cannot push it off the track with any of my locos.

 

Cheap trucks can twist in a turn and cause derailment. Then you have a hazmat spill that can ruin your work.

[Guest Closed Account 1]

The Tomix cleaning cars can usually be found on Ebay,too,

 

Tomix 6421 and 6422 have the same motor and circuit board.

 

You can find the Dcc Conversion board or platina with 6-pin DCC plug (Item # 530022) online (modellbahnunion).

[baldylox]

Last 2 issues of one of the nscale publications did a several page review of all the available cleaners on the market

[KenS]

The Tomix cleaning cars go in and out of stock, but HS has several in stock now.  They're harder to find (I think) under the new organization, hidden away in a Maintenance Articles/Maintenance Goods section further down the left side under N-Scale / Others.

 

Right now they have stock on three:

 

The blue one, for US$47.10

 

The cleaning kit with the red one, the tomix wheel-cleaning track, and some cleaning fluid for US$95.32

 

and something of a rarity, the "skeleton car" (translucent gray with transparent center section for the dust collector), for US$47.10

 

The cars are all identical except for paint.