Bachmann HO Gauge Track Cleaning 40' Box Car

[Hornchurch]

'






Anyone had ANY experience with these "Bachmann HO Gauge Track Cleaning 40' Box Car" cleaners in any way ?

I saw a couple (brand new) at a cheap price (far less than half of RRP) & decided "I'll just take a chance at that price".

My reasoning is, that, if I don't get along with them, I can always punt them back out on E-Bay -

Try one & keep the other unused & if I like it & get along with it, have TWO on the layout.

TBH : I only went onto the store website to buy a MUCH wanted "Bristol Hercules Engined" Mk.II Avro Lancaster - Made up postage with box-cars

Am told these track cleaners have = "Mildly Abrasive Pads" = To which I blanched & thought "EEeeeekkk"

There's no way I want anything "abrasive" going anywhere near my track(s) as ALL are brand new & as yet, virgin unused !!

( bought a fleet of brand new loco's AND as yet, unused track = All put by for retirement )


I toyed with the idea of knocking them off the order whilst on the phone - ( it took a while , meantime...)

I then reasoned that I could either change the pads to something NON-ABRASIVE as like, "in it's place", something fabric wise.

Forgot that phrase, something like "Mother invention of all necessity" - (apologies, as I cannot remember the full phrase ! )

But for the sake of £18.00 each, I'm more than keen & willing to experiment - They're FAR cheaper than most, anyhow.


Before anyone shouts "C.M.X" = I have a George "Whatsisname" (Dent ?), from Scotland track cleaner, "Schrage ?"

My apologies again, as my beer-addled memory is losing it's retentive capacity thesedays.

I just fancied a backup to the Isopropyl or Liquid chemical "Schrage" cleaner, as in maybe dragging around something like fabric type pads ?

** Along the lines maybe of carpet-tile fabric, but without the "hair loss" or risk of what Airfields call "F.O.D" foreign object damage.


I just don't see the point of putting "Abrasives" onto brand spanking new track, when they'll start life as clean as Virgin Olive Oil

If any of you CAN suggest a fabric type felt pad, or similar ?

I've heard folks talk about "Hardboard" ( chipboard ) chunks, but that just doesn't appeal to me.

I know the pads on this Bachmann lark ARE interchangeable - Was wondering what I might be able to fashion-up as a pad replacement ?

Sensible answer on a postcard, please.

Go easy on me, as I only returned to "Model Railways" since 2016-2020 (until Covid struck), so my knowledge is fairly scant.

I bought the George (Dent ?) whatsisname "Schrage" cleaner on someone else's recommendation.

So as you can probably tell I'm out of my league on the great quandary of "Track Cleaning"

P.S : Just remember, "Abrasive" is most definitely "out" for me, as far as I'm concerned...

.

[Bigmet]

I use the 'mildly abrasive' fibrous rear side of regular old hardboard to clean track and have done a long time. No harm done thus far and some of the
Peco streamline (nickel silver rail) track has been used for over forty years now. I wouldn't use this on tin plated rail though, as the plating isn't going to stand up to abrasion.

[Phred]

I've been using 'Magic Eraser' pads for many years on my home-made 'drag'. Cheap and easily cut to size. No doubt they are mildly abrasive (otherwise they wouldn't shift the dirt) but I haven't seen any damage to the track.

[aleopardstail]

I've been using 'Magic Eraser' pads for many years on my home-made 'drag'. Cheap and easily cut to size. No doubt they are mildly abrasive (otherwise they wouldn't shift the dirt) but I haven't seen any damage to the track.

bit of balsa wood does quite nicely, or offcuts of MDF building kits

not made one yet but last OO layout I had got a Mk VI coach, cheap one, inside removed and weights added, then a small hardboard pad with a small spring pushing it down along the length between the bogies. needed dragging round on its own as a fair bit of friction, seemed to work

[Phred]

aleopardstail wrote:
needed dragging round on its own

Yes, mine needs pushing around by itself, a job for one of my Hornby 08s. I find that it needs to be pushed rather than pulled for best effect.

[Bufferstop]

Polishing and abrasives. The surface of the rails we use leaves the manufacturers unpolished, Under a microscope it looks scratched to *****. It needs polishing to a degree, how much? No one will tell you. A had some carborundum papers the finest of which was 2000 grit. There was a joke among us techies that the 2000 sheet was the same colour back and front because it was just as abrasive on the non grit side. That'll do me. I start with 1600 grit and work my way down to 2000 cleaning with IPA in between. Once I've done that I clean it with IPA when it gets gungy and polish it with 2000, when I think it needs it. If it starts getting a build up of muck on the surface, polish it!
I used to polish the surface of photo-receptors in a similar manor, you could see where some muppet had held it with their fingers, but no marks from where it had been polished out, that'll do me!

[aleopardstail]

Polishing and abrasives. The surface of the rails we use leaves the manufacturers unpolished, Under a microscope it looks scratched to *****. It needs polishing to a degree, how much? No one will tell you. A had some carborundum papers the finest of which was 2000 grit. There was a joke among us techies that the 2000 sheet was the same colour back and front because it was just as abrasive on the non grit side. That'll do me. I start with 1600 grit and work my way down to 2000 cleaning with IPA in between. Once I've done that I clean it with IPA when it gets gungy and polish it with 2000, when I think it needs it. If it starts getting a build up of muck on the surface, polish it!
I used to polish the surface of photo-receptors in a similar manor, you could see where some muppet had held it with their fingers, but no marks from where it had been polished out, that'll do me!

have some 3000 grit, polishing paste and a polishing wheel for a rotary tool, used it to refurbish old slot cars.. never thought of trying it on rails. IPA soaked into a small block of wood does nicely - for the sake of Gork (or Mork obviously) wear gloves..

[Hornchurch]

I've been using 'Magic Eraser' pads for many years

bit of balsa wood does quite nicely,

'

Polishing and abrasives. The surface of the rails we use leaves the manufacturers unpolished.

Under a microscope it looks scratched to *****. It needs polishing to a degree, how much ?

'




First off Gents : Allow me to apologise for not getting back to y'all sooner

Since I last posted, I've been in Hospital twice - Nothing too dramatic, but painful nonetheless !!

I appreciate everyone posting & airing their multitude of differing views...

However - It's clear no-one who has posted on here so far has ANY mention of the product in question, as per title.

When I kicked-off this thread, I'd only just noticed them & really wanted some advice regarding them & "were" they abrasive ?


Well, they've arrived & TBH, they look really decent for the money I paid for them, brand new - £18.00 each

They do appear to be really well made, far more solid than I thought they'd be.

Perhaps the only exception might be the plastic cantilever arms - Not sure how durable they'll be, long term (?)


My major concern was "Are They Abrasive" = I wasn't 100% sure until they first arrived...

Guy on the phone taking the order said 'mildly abrasive' & I was a bit "Johnny on the spot" but decided I'd give them a try.

My reasoning was, that I could or might be able to make my own adaptation of the pads, to something "non-abrasive"

In the end, my fears were ungrounded - The surface looks like a hardened styrene foam padding - certainly "non-abrasive"

That made me super happy

Bear in mind the replacement pads (so I'm told) are £13.00 a set (pair) & I only gave £18.00 for the wagons brand new.

Intent is to "push" them round, rather than pull them (!)

Not saying they are a miracle cure, just they look better than expected - Will use in conjunction with my "Schrage" cleaner & IPA

[centenary]

First off Gents : Allow me to apologise for not getting back to y'all sooner

Since I last posted, I've been in Hospital twice - Nothing too dramatic, but painful nonetheless !!

I appreciate everyone posting & airing their multitude of differing views...

However - It's clear no-one who has posted on here so far has ANY mention of the product in question, as per title.

When I kicked-off this thread, I'd only just noticed them & really wanted some advice regarding them & "were" they abrasive ?


Well, they've arrived & TBH, they look really decent for the money I paid for them, brand new - £18.00 each

They do appear to be really well made, far more solid than I thought they'd be.

Perhaps the only exception might be the plastic cantilever arms - Not sure how durable they'll be, long term (?)


My major concern was "Are They Abrasive" = I wasn't 100% sure until they first arrived...

Guy on the phone taking the order said 'mildly abrasive' & I was a bit "Johnny on the spot" but decided I'd give them a try.

My reasoning was, that I could or might be able to make my own adaptation of the pads, to something "non-abrasive"

In the end, my fears were ungrounded - The surface looks like a hardened styrene foam padding - certainly "non-abrasive"

That made me super happy

Bear in mind the replacement pads (so I'm told) are £13.00 a set (pair) & I only gave £18.00 for the wagons brand new.

Intent is to "push" them round, rather than pull them (!)

Not saying they are a miracle cure, just they look better than expected - Will use in conjunction with my "Schrage" cleaner & IPA

Any update on how this is working out?

Ive one of the jumbo alioxide 'rubber' track rubbers and recently bought a Sharge. Cleaning a roughly 5m x 2.5m layout with a 4 track section, 3 main loops plus sidings is, I have to say, quite labout intensive, with the rubber!

The alioxide rubber collects a lot of dirt. Unlike the garnet(?) track cleaners,the manufacturers say the dirt is 'absorbed' into the rubber. Microscopic bits may be but overall, Im not so sure. What happens (imho) is a lot of the track dirt seems to sit on the surface of the rubber then as the dirt builds up, just gets smeared over the remaining track as you try and clean it.

Every so often, I have to clean the rubber with some IPA and start again with clean track rubber faces. Rinse and repeat. Yes, I know others use a variety of other methods such as a piece of hardboard or IPA soaked cloth etc but they are just as labour intensive on a garage sized layout.

The Sharge does a good job but needs careful set up to get the drip rate right so it cleans efficiently. I've still not worked out whether it needs to run for 5 minutes per track or just a couple of circuits to do its job!

While the Sharge is running, I tend to run a 'scenic' train on the other main track, then effectively swap them over so the other track can be cleaned. Even so, this means at 5 minute a run of the Sharge on each main track, it's 10 minutes before I start a 'proper' running session!

[Bigmet]

...Since I last posted, I've been in Hospital twice - Nothing too dramatic, but painful nonetheless !

Grand that you are back, and hopefully whatever the trouble that saw you hospitalised is now fixed for good.

The information on the item is useful, you may well be UK OO user expert on this product...