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Post by catt on Jun 25, 2016 10:52:29 GMT -5
After two plus years the old show layout is in it's new permanent home in my basement.The thing is driving me slowly nuts as I can't seem to get the track clean enough for even the F-59 to run all the way around with out stalling at least 3 times.This is after 5 cleanings including one with Goo Gone. In her new home How she looks all dressed up.
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Post by dave on Jun 25, 2016 11:11:14 GMT -5
Nice layout; what are the dimensions? Can you post some close up pictures of the details? What track and power are you using?
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Post by shamoo737 on Jun 25, 2016 11:17:01 GMT -5
Looks good Johnathon
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Post by Commodore on Jun 25, 2016 12:49:15 GMT -5
Can't see pix...
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Post by Rob Albritton on Jun 25, 2016 17:14:12 GMT -5
Things I use to clean layouts: 1) and old T-Shirt. Cut it up into little squares - perfect for getting rid of dirt on rails. There is something about the weave and cotton of a T-Shirt that makes it eat up dirt, but not snag or unravel on the layout. If it is white, you will also be able to see just what you have taken off. Some people clean just the top of the rails, but I find our Z-Scale trains take quite a bit of power when the flanges rub against the inside of the rails too. You don't have to go all the way down the side, the pressure of your finger between the rails will be more than enough to get the inside of the rail. You know the rail is clean when the T-shirt glide over the rail and the rail feels like glass. If it feels at all sticky, then you have more gunk to take off (and most of it looks transparent when on the rails, but more of a dark green on the shirt - the dark green is oxidation of the rail itself.) 2) a bright boy - go easy with this guy - you are pretty much sanding the rails 3) an aztec cleaning car. www.aztectrains.com/zscaletrackclean.html4) a touch of rubbing alcohol. Go easy with this stuff. It can just move the dirt as much as it can take it off. only for visibly dirty (black) tracks 5) many times its not the track that has dirt on it - its the wheels of your locomotive! Again, use a bit of t-shirt material (with a touch of alcohol) put it on a live track. then hold one truck on the exposed portion of the track so it can get electrical power and gently place the other trucks spinning wheels over the t-shirt. Do NOT press down! you dont want to burn out the motor - you just want to quickly clean the wheels in the t-shirt. Reverse the locomotive to get the other truck clean. It takes no more than a couple of seconds per truck. Good luck!
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Post by cwrr on Jun 25, 2016 18:43:58 GMT -5
^^^ Best reccomendations evar!! ^^^
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Post by catt on Jun 25, 2016 20:36:10 GMT -5
Layout dimentions,near end is 24" far end is 30" ,length is currently 5'8".For the time being there is nothing on the layout but 3 locomotives.I do have some pictures of it up and running but I still have to dig them up.
Rob, my favorite track cleaner is left over cork roadbed from my N scale layout.Then I use Goo Gone (could tell you some funny stories about folks using it).I use one cloth to apply and a clean one to wipe it off.
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Post by boxcarwilly on Jun 26, 2016 9:04:16 GMT -5
I use a combination of brand new coffee filters and alcohol. The coffee filters do an excellent job of picking up the dirt and crap that collects on the tracks. One soaked in alcohol to loosen, and a dry one to mop up. Then to finish the job, I run two Aztec cars over the track. One ahead of an engine and one behind. One thing I found with the Aztec cars, they are really too light to do an effective job, so I have taped a piece of lead to the top of each of mine to give that little bit extra bare down on the rails. Works very well.
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Post by Rob Albritton on Jun 26, 2016 14:31:44 GMT -5
^^^ Best reccomendations evar!! ^^^ Thanks!!! Then to finish the job, I run two Aztec cars over the track. One ahead of an engine and one behind. One thing I found with the Aztec cars, they are really too light to do an effective job, so I have taped a piece of lead to the top of each of mine to give that little bit extra bare down on the rails. Works very well. So, I don't mean to rain on your parade but... The extra weight you put on those aztec cars may make you think that they are doing a better job - but it is actually having no impact what-so-ever. Here's why: The aztec car does not put any pressure on the roller. Yup, thats right - zero. The roller works because it is not perfectly aligned with the track - its actually skewed off by just a couple of degrees. What this does is it forces the roller to one side of the car. That takes about 1/4 of a revolution of the roller. Once that is done, it keeps rolling but the action is now also gently scrubbing slightly sideways against the rails. This is why it takes more than a lap or two for this car to clean the track. It's also why you can use one of these cars all the time. They really do just clean, and not rub or scrape the track. Oh, and they work GREAT!
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Post by catt on Jun 26, 2016 18:57:51 GMT -5
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Post by tjdreams on Jun 27, 2016 16:11:41 GMT -5
Looks Good Johnathan
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Post by Commodore on Jun 27, 2016 18:46:49 GMT -5
I like it too!
We need more of this kind of post on the forum.
This is where I get the better ideas from...
Also helps to compare my solutions to scenery problems to those of the rest of the members.
Great job, Johnathan.
You have done a wonderful job...
Thanks again for posting.
Rory
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Post by catt on Jun 28, 2016 10:35:59 GMT -5
I keep making progress on track cleaning.My goal is no light flicker and I am getting there.I'm calculating that the rebuild is going to cost just about twice what the original layout cost.Between inflation and enlarging the layout and the better track I'll be using I am not really going to complain. EDIT Must be doing something right I now have the F-59 cruising around the layout like I know it should.
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Post by catt on Jul 2, 2016 14:42:33 GMT -5
Rigured I would post a progress pic.Here 's the layout stretched to it's new length of 6'7.875" long.I missed my planned for length by .125"
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Post by rvn2001 on Jul 2, 2016 17:45:27 GMT -5
Whatever are you going to do without that .125"
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