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 Posted - October 03 2010 : 2:05:56 PM
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To start off the new COTW feature, we'll start with a "clean sweep" - a Roco Burlington track cleaner. This is the first one I've seen with a hard stone, not a soft sweeper or wiper.
I'll have to try this on my stairwell test loop, as the FARTHEST side has a dirty spot my engines tend to stall or slow down over.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - October 03 2010 : 2:46:16 PM
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| hi Jerry the problem with hard cleaners is that after a period you will end up with thinner rails due to abrasive action,bit like a file on the move,soft cleaners take much longer ken
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Posted - October 03 2010 : 10:25:09 PM
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When I saw this, I thought about showing the exact same car. But then I decided to be different. Then I decided to cheat and show a different car, and part of the same car:
I'd like to hear some more thoughts on the Roco track cleaner. I wouldn't exactly describe the cleaner as "hard" more like rubbery. I think it would take a lot of work to actually wear down the rails with it.
Another thing I have been wondering is about maintaining it. Do you need to clean off the pad? It gets pretty black. Is it replaceable?
As for the Life-Like track cleaner in the picture....total waste of time. Looks stupid, didn't work well, broke quickly. Don't bother.
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Posted - October 03 2010 : 10:38:40 PM
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I keep seeing this ad for HOSEEKER! That's what they called me in high school!!
Burlington77 posts the Life Like Track Cleaner I had one of these in the 70s and as a kid I quickly realized that it was kind of useless. This piece along with the L-L Crane which is too light to use, and the LL spotlight car sat on a side track for display only. As crazy as it may be, when I started recollecting Tyco Trains etc, I bought all three of them again....
Walt
Luck, usually comes dressed in work clothes...
Edited by - walt on October 03 2010 11:59:35 PM
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Posted - October 03 2010 : 11:49:55 PM
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quote:
I'd like to hear some more thoughts on the Roco track cleaner.
Another thing I have been wondering is about maintaining it. Do you need to clean off the pad? It gets pretty black. Is it replaceable?
Originally posted by burlington77Â -Â October 03 2010Â :Â 10:25:09 PM
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You're right, it is more like a Bright Boy than a hard stone. My bad. It's rubbery, which is way harder than the felt pads of the Roundhouse MDC track cleaner, or the felt pads of these other types .
They do need to be cleaned - case in point, my club's model railroad "expert" used a tanker track cleaner he acquired used, and the pad was ( he thought) a stiff material, and he put the alcohol in the tank, and ran it around this guy's layout...spreading gunk ALL over the tracks. He hadn't used this unit before, it was a used one. Turns out the pad had absorbed all the gunk over the years, and had hardened up. When he applied the alcohol, it loosened it all up, and put it on this guys layout. He spent HOURS going over the rails by hand cleaning it off. He later soaked the felt pad in alcohol for a few days and rinsed it out several times, until you could see white again. LOL. So it should be cleanable, looks like, even this Burlington's brightboy style pad. I think with an old toothbrush, and some alcohol, it should clean off, because why would you want to redeposit dirt on the tracks? AT some point, like an air or oil filter, it fill up to the point where you're just loosening the dirt and oils and redepositing them again. So yes, I'd say they do need periodic cleaning. Mine's black, the upper part is gray where it's clean. I'm going to try using an old toothbrush with alcohol to clean it off. Not sure where we'd get replacements for it , though.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - October 03 2010 : 11:59:00 PM
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That's pretty much what I thought. Wipe it off with alcohol, then send it back out.
Walt--the Life-Like crane car looks to be the same mold as their crane from the construction site kit. I know that thing was light, cheap, and pretty much useless. I ought to try painting it and turning it into something interesting, but I put it on my daughter's layout so it's pretty much out of my hands.
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Posted - October 05 2010 : 2:10:50 PM
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my track cleaner,nicely weighted does the jobs,ken
cmx track cleaner
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Posted - October 08 2010 : 2:39:15 PM
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quote:When I saw this, I thought about showing the exact same car. But then I decided to be different. Then I decided to cheat and show a different car, and part of the same car:
I'd like to hear some more thoughts on the Roco track cleaner. I wouldn't exactly describe the cleaner as "hard" more like rubbery. I think it would take a lot of work to actually wear down the rails with it.
Another thing I have been wondering is about maintaining it. Do you need to clean off the pad? It gets pretty black. Is it replaceable?
As for the Life-Like track cleaner in the picture....total waste of time. Looks stupid, didn't work well, broke quickly. Don't bother.
Originally posted by burlington77Â -Â October 03 2010Â :Â 10:25:09 PM
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The Roco car is a better car than the Life like version. I had the Life Like version years ago, and it is more for looks than anything. I had the 4 piece styrofoam mountain layout offered by life Like back in the day, and the cleaner I used to clean the track with the car, softened the styrofoam and deteriorated it. The life Like car tends to dispense too much cleaner fluid anyway. You'd have to wipe the track down by hand afterwards.
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Posted - October 08 2010 : 2:40:28 PM
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quote:my track cleaner,nicely weighted does the jobs,ken
cmx track cleaner
Originally posted by catfordken - October 05 2010 : 2:10:50 PM
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This one is the best one of them all.
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 12:25:46 AM
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quote:To start off the new COTW feature, we'll start with a "clean sweep" - a Roco Burlington track cleaner. This is the first one I've seen with a hard stone, not a soft sweeper or wiper.
Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GTÂ -Â October 03 2010Â :Â 2:05:56 PM
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Walthers used to sell these and had the replacement cleaning pads, but after looking at their site they now carry a different style that can be bolted to the bottom of any box car.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 02:16:10 AM
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Great variety of trackcleaners, guys! The tanker based ones are my favourites and the CMX is built like a tank... the army kind I mean!
Walt, does your Life-Like crane still operate? It's one snappy looking action car!
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 07:55:30 AM
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Vintage Brass Track Cleaner made by Ribbonrail. 1950's Era. Has three abrasive Stone type pads on bottom. The Screws on top adjust tension on Pads to the rails. Carl
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
Edited by - VintageHO on October 09 2010 08:01:51 AM
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 08:14:53 AM
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| hi carl nice bit of gear,and pretty rare i would think ken
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 1:11:31 PM
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quote:Vintage Brass Track Cleaner made by Ribbonrail. 1950's Era. Has three abrasive Stone type pads on bottom. The Screws on top adjust tension on Pads to the rails. Carl
Originally posted by VintageHOÂ -Â October 09 2010Â :Â 07:55:30 AM
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< hi carl nice bit of gear,and pretty rare i would think ken >
Actually, I believe there's a 2nd version, which I have. It's a ribbonrail car, but with a square tank in the middle, and has soft fiber pads to rub alcohol on the rails. I have one of these types. Also saw my tank version, not Carl's version, on Ebay last week, sold in the $30 range, I think but I already had one, so just watched it. Wonder how old mine is. here's a pic of the one on Ebay last week.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 1:19:56 PM
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| hi jerry there are 2 on ebay at the moment guy says hes had his since the 50s ken
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 5:54:05 PM
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The Original Brass model HO-1 was Introduced in 1953. I also have the newer version of the Abrasive Type Cleaner HO-1 Ribbonrail.
The address on the Instruction sheet for my newer model has no zip so It is probably late 1950's - Early 1960's
The Liquid type is catalog number HO-4. Carl
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
Edited by - VintageHO on October 09 2010 6:14:24 PM
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 7:44:46 PM
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quote:The Original Brass model HO-1 was Introduced in 1953.
The Liquid type is catalog number HO-4. Carl
Originally posted by VintageHOÂ -Â October 09 2010Â :Â 5:54:05 PM
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So, the name of the company making it was Ribbonrail? I'd never heard of them before.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 8:18:01 PM
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Here's some info about them on Walther's site.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/manuinfo/170/Ribbonrail.html
I've seen the non-brass version at train shows in poor shape. I considered buying one, but IIRC it was overpriced.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - October 09 2010 : 8:44:11 PM
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Hi Nelson and Jerry. The current owner of the company is Bob Raycroft Jr. as what is mentioned on the Walthers site. But, the original owner, designer, and manufacturer was Fred Baumgarten in Santa Barbara, CA. There was small catalog in the box with the newer model. He made track cleaners for HO, S, O Gauge scale, also 0 and 027 plus other makers of track, Gargaves, Pears, Auburn. When I get a chance I will scan and post it here. Goes to show you, you make a good product it will survive.. Carl
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
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Posted - November 29 2010 : 5:27:10 PM
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At the Train Show Yesterday I found this one. I just could not pass on it... The dealer was marking everything down to just about nothing..
This must be a newer version of the Liquid Cleaner. Plastic Tank instead of diecast...
Correction: I Now have 4 0f these Cleaners  I just found the Liquid Cleaner with the diecast tank.
Numquam Immoderatio Satis Est
(Too Much Is Never Enough )
Edited by - VintageHO on December 01 2010 10:01:31 AM
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Posted - May 15 2011 : 5:49:10 PM
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thought i had seen em all,this is on e--y at moment made by centerline and weighs in a 1lb ken
Edited by - catfordken on May 15 2011 5:50:19 PM
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Posted - May 22 2011 : 5:35:05 PM
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trix track cleaner
TRIX T66602 OO / HO SCALE WHEEL CLEANING BRUSH TRACK OPERATED AND SUITABLE FOR ANY MODEL TRAIN WHEELS THAT ARE POWERED OR UNPOWERED, BRAND NEW
THE LOCOMOTIVE CLEANING BRUSH CAN BE PLACED ONTO THE TRACK TO COLLECT POWER TO TURN THE LOCOS MOTORISED WHEELS OR USE IT AS A SCRUBBING BRUSH FOR NONE MOTORISED WHEELS.
Improves conductivity
Easy to use
Helps prevent television/radio interference
2 rail DC or DCC
approx $28 us,anyone tried it ken
Edited by - catfordken on May 22 2011 5:39:14 PM
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