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 Posted - December 31 2011 : 12:31:15 AM
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Just wondering what tricks or products you guys use to clean any and all Tyco contacts? Are loco wheels made of brass? I can never seem to remove the crud on them for good contact while running.
How about Tyco operating cars that use the green unloading station (boxcar, log dump, ore dump, etc)? With power directly to the car, I know the car works. Getting it to unload in the operating section seems to be a bear. Again, are the strips to make contact brass? Would something like Brasso clean them, or would it only shine them and make poor electrical contact?
Passenger car and searchlight car wheels?
Damion
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Posted - December 31 2011 : 10:26:58 AM
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quote:Just wondering what tricks or products you guys use to clean any and all Tyco contacts? Are loco wheels made of brass? I can never seem to remove the crud on them for good contact while running.
Damion
Originally posted by newhudson - December 31 2011 : 12:31:15 AM
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Crud build-up sometimes requires the use of brute force, as the brass will oxidize, it needs to be polished, not just cleaned. I use a small brass wire wheel brush in a power Dremel tool to good effect, it polishes up the metal nicely. DON'T use it on plastic wheels! And remove the plastic shell, or it'll be easy to slip and WAH!  you'll gouge the engine/passenger/searchlight car body. Take the axles out if you can, and just take your time with the dremel ( if you have one, if not you really can USE one ). I've never tried to clean the contacts in the accessories before, rubbing alchohol is generally safe for plastics in small quantities, so you can try that to clean off the plastic wheels and brass contacts.
Another useful abrasive cleaning tool are those green scuff pads for dishes and sinks. BE CAREFUL, as the material can catch on fine detail parts and pull them! <And break off, Voice of experience >. Useful for track cleaning as well, but will catch on ties, too. use it judiciously, and it'll be ok, be too quick or forceful, and you can do damage with it. But that is a pretty good item for cleaning wheels and metal connections, and they're available everywhere. Do NOT use steel wool on ANYTHING. NOTHING. Verboten. Keep that away from trains!
Some really fine-grit sandpaper, like 1000, would also work for polishing up the brass wheels, just clean up very well to remove the grit afterwards, including an alchohol bath if necessary. That's the only problem with sand paper, it has sand, with a wire brush, it's just oxidation coming off. But it's usable if you take good clean-up afterwards seriously.
Bottom line is, the brass wheels and contacts may need a more aggressive physical scouring than alcohol or other "cleaners" can do, the oxidation needs to be removed for better contact. Getting inside to those contacts on accessories will be troublesome. Just take your time and do it systematically, and should be OK.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 31 2011 : 8:34:13 PM
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| Thanks Jerry! I remember my Atheran loco's in the 80's being easiest to clean wheels because all would turn when upside down. I guess not much has changed when it comes to the cleaning. I'll have to dig a bit, but I seem to recall having a Tyco Chattanooga or Clementine steamer with silver wheels that always seemed to run better. I recall Tyco catalogs of the time touting either true steel or something like that as a new feature of rails used on track. Are there steel wheels, and if so, do these conduct better than the brass?
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Posted - December 31 2011 : 8:47:33 PM
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quote: but I seem to recall having a Tyco Chattanooga or Clementine steamer with silver wheels that always seemed to run better. . Are there steel wheels, and if so, do these conduct better than the brass?
Originally posted by newhudson - December 31 2011 : 8:34:13 PM
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Actually, most new wheels are of a nickel-steel combo that resists rust, and any oxidation actually CONDUCTS electricity I believe, so all you really have to do is keep them clean of oily crud and dirt, and they'll work well. Brass is ok, but oxidizes ( which is an insulator with brass ), so it needs to be polished on occasion. That's the major drawback to older engines, the brass wheels really need to be polished occasionally, to remove the oxidation, as no amount of chemical cleaning will take that off, because it's part of the brass surface like regular metal molecules. You have to literally strip it off with polishing tools like wire brushes, sand paper, scrubbies, etc. to get to the clean brass surface again.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - January 01 2012 : 02:54:02 AM
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A friend of mine when I was growing up had that unloading station. The contact wipers are made of phosphor bronze, which is tough stuff. You could polish them with an eraser if it's not too bad, or some 400 grit paper if it's a little corroded. White vinegar will take the corrosion off as well.
The Tyco Depot
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