Track Cleaning Device Proto 01

[closetmodeller]

With the catenary due to be erected on my Greystones layout, the question of cleaning the rails arose. I found the solution [i hope] on Youtube. Basically by fixing a wooden block underneath a flat wagon that I found at the Bray Fair last Sunday. The block is easily demountable as the photo shows.

It depends for its function on the two flat head plaster board nails, glued to the block and then inserted into the retaining holes in the wagon.

Preliminary tests indicate more attention to the type of material for the block will be required, possible more weight on the wagon.

 

 

 

[Broithe]

Behold the CMX track cleaner - a brass tank for holding the fluid and providing the weight.

 

[roxyguy]

Behold the CMX track cleaner - a brass tank for holding the fluid and providing the weight.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27056[/ATTACH]

 

they be nice, but pricey. 150 sterling.

[Broithe]

they be nice, but pricey. 150 sterling.

 

Indeed, but not to hard to bodge up something similar enough...

 

There may be something to be said for two pads - the leading one wet and the trailing one drying.

[Noel]

With the catenary due to be erected on my Greystones layout, the question of cleaning the rails arose. I found the solution [i hope] on Youtube. Basically by fixing a wooden block underneath a flat wagon that I found at the Bray Fair last Sunday. The block is easily demountable as the photo shows.

It depends for its function on the two flat head plaster board nails, glued to the block and then inserted into the retaining holes in the wagon.

Preliminary tests indicate more attention to the type of material for the block will be required, possible more weight on the wagon.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27053[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27054[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27055[/ATTACH]

 

Thats a great idea. From experience having a lot of weight on the block (and wagon) will improve its effectiveness. A means of adding a fabric pad that can be dampened with methylated spirits will help.

[Noel]

Behold the CMX track cleaner - a brass tank for holding the fluid and providing the weight.

 

The CMX is very expensive alright, but IMHO on large layouts especially with inaccessible track sections or hidden track it is worth every penny. It works incredibly well and only two or three runs over a section of track and it is perfect again. It would be ideal for club layouts.

[WRENNEIRE]

Try one of these

Converted from a Dapol Rail Cleaner ( http://dapol.co.uk/b800-ooho-gauge-dapol-motorised-track-cleaner-1039 )

 

[Broithe]

The Dapol device is quite good, especially if you're running DCC, when you can run the cleaner at full power whilst propelling it slowly around the track via a separately controlled loco - with DC, getting a suitable compromise of speed of the cleaning disc and time spent on each part of the track is difficult.

[roxyguy]

[RobertRoche]

Try one of these

Converted from a Dapol Rail Cleaner ( http://dapol.co.uk/b800-ooho-gauge-dapol-motorised-track-cleaner-1039 )

 

 

Oh wow, I like that!

[Jim]

Where does one get one of them please

[Dave]

Hands down the CMX is the best track cleaner on the market. A lot of my customers love them. The Dapol is useless though, it just doesn't have the weight in it to put pressure on the cleaning pad.

[Noel]

Hands down the CMX is the best track cleaner on the market. A lot of my customers love them. The Dapol is useless though, it just doesn't have the weight in it to put pressure on the cleaning pad.

 

Agree 100%. We use methylated spirits in our CMX. It is so heavy it needs two baby GM's in a consist to haul it without stalling over points. Aside from its weight it's success seems to be the drip-by-drip flow of cleaning agent onto the replaceable pads. It can also be pushed by hand.

[murrayec]

[roxyguy]

This thread got me messing around yesterday. Made my own track cleaner using a hornby lowmac. The thing is already very close to the track and has room for weights. I just used some foam and some lighter fluid. The space under the lowmac was tight enough to stop the foam from moving without any fixtures which meant I could swap it out for a fresh piece easily. It did a reasonable job.

[murrayec]

Hi

 

This was given to me yesterday, a Centerline Products Track Cleaner D36, unfortunately it's missing the friction cleaning wheel.....

 

 

 

but a lump of brass will be turned to produce this and all will be OK again

 

 

I've seen pictures of these before and now I get to fix one and try one...

 

Eoin

[murrayec]

Hi

 

I tuned a lump of brass last night, I worked out the diameter to be 19.5mm by scanning the drawing from the instructions, getting it to scale and tracing it in Autocad to create a drawing. I also worked out that there is a slight chamfer required on the ends as there was marks on the chassis showing that only a centre-point was touching the sides...

 

 

 

 

When pushing the unit along that little bit of track I can feel the knurl hitting the track (the instructions warns against doing this without the cloth) I reckon this is going to work quite well, I will report back when a test is done...

 

Eoin

[Dunluce Castle]

Have you thought about insulating the brass roller? I've read elsewhere that if you do not then the cloth can get worn away and cause shorts.

[murrayec]

Hi Nelson

 

Good one!

 

Yes I had, but it is a bit more of an involved turning exercise, I thought I do the wheel as supplied first and test it, if I experience shorting problems then turn version 2....

 

 

The supplied cloth with the unit wraps 4 times around the friction wheel and as long as the cloth is renewed regularly version 2 may not be required. The cloth is cut strips of J-Cloths and I saw in Lidl today they come in multi colour packs!!

 

Eoin

Edited March 17, 2017 by murrayec

[murrayec]

As the DART test track was up and running, 177 was sent out in the twilight to test the Centreline Track Cleaner, a small squirt of SR24 on the cloth and away it went.

 

 

The cloth got pretty dirty within 2 laps,

 

 

 

I left it running for about 10 laps and then changed to a dry cloth

 

 

I finished off with half as much cloth wrapped around the friction wheel and ran it for 10 laps and then ran a cloth over the track with the finger- some black residue showed up

 

All in all it did a better job than my Dapol cleaner and in less time. I ran the train again this morning with a dry cloth (and a dry track) and it cleaned up beautifully, the finger-cloth test still showed up black mark but NS rails will do this anyway, the track is sparkling....

 

So I rate this cleaner better than the Dapol system, I also like that the Centerline unit is simple to use and can be disguised as a wagon and run in a train without being obvious

 

Eoin

[Dave]

Excellent! Looks like it could do a good a job as a CMX

[murrayec]

Excellent! Looks like it could do a good a job as a CMX

 

Hi Dave

 

I got it from Mr Ryan- here is a link to Centreline Products;- https://www.centerline-products.com/

 

plus do a Google search for 'Centreline track cleaner images' and you'll find a whole lot more

 

Eoin

[Noel]

Hi Eoin

That looks excellent. How do you secure the cloth to the brass friction wheel? Does the brass wheel rotate freely as the wagon moves or is there some resistance so it drags some cloth over the track? (i.e. deliberate friction on the axle).

Noel

[murrayec]

Hi Noel

 

The cloth is just wrapped around in the opp direction of travel, if one wants to drive in both directions an elastic band is popped on the middle of the wheel, and yes there is a bit of friction as the wheel knurl hits the track and hits the bit of chassis thats pushing it- hence the name 'friction wheel'.....

 

Eoin

[Past-Avenue]

Hi, I'm fairly new to modeling and after hours on YouTube and trial and error I've come up with this . I've been using it for about 6 months now and I think it works quite well

 

Past Avenue