Trains and dust

[legotrainfan]

I know there is a thread on how to get rid of dust on LEGO scenes. However, in this thread I'd like to focus on dust and trains. If this is not ok as a separate thread, could one of the mods be so kind and merge this topic with the other topic on dust? Thanks.

Well, my problem is this: A lot of dust usually gathers on the train wheels, the train motor (wheels plus top part), bogie plates, train plates (especially the areas where the motor/bogie plates are attached), and on those middle upside down constructions as the Santa Fe engines and waggons have it. The dust reaches as far as the height of one or two plates on the waggon plate.

My question: What can I do against all that dust? I sometimes clean the rails, because dust is on them as well. So it is first on the rails and later on the locomotives, but I have no idea where the dust comes from. There is no cushion, bed, carpet or anything else in the room. Look for yourselves:

[timbutnice]

Most dust in the home is made up of minute particles of human skin (which is falling off us all the time as it dies and is replaced), animal hair, pollen etc. Dust outside tends to be from wind driven soil / sand and more pollen.

Cushions, carpets etc attract dust, as it gets tangled in their fibers - so they look dusty. Humans don't have a fibrous surface, well at least normally not all over, so dust doesn't stick to us, so if you like curtains and their friends are unwilling victims of the dust plague caused by us wicked humans.

cheers,

timbutnice

[WesternOutlaw]

Good question LTF, and something that I can relate to.

Dust comes through airvents, so even though you have a really nice hard wood floor with no carpet or bedding, it doesn't prevent the dust from coming into the room.

A few things that you might do to eliminate/help prevent the dust:

• Buy an Ionic Breeze or other electric air filter. These work really well at collecting and eliminating a lot of dust, esp. in a small area.
  
• Keep the door to the room closed.
  
• Close your air vent. This is probably where most of the dust comes in.
  
• Keep the doors and windows of your house closed (although you've got to let some fresh air in from time-to-time).
  
• Have you ever had your air ducts cleaned? I hear this can help eliminate dust from the house, but it is sometimes costly.
  

I'm also curious about one thing: do you have bookshelves/books in the room?

[brickzone]

Closing air vents isn't a good idea - you need them for a fresh supply of air and as a ventilation aid just in case all precautions to avoid build-up of various gasses fail (e.g. carbon monoxide, radon).

Letting air in occasionally helps freshen up a room but you still need 24/7 ventilation as well.

There's no real hope of having a dust-free environment in a normal domestic room - one just has to keep dusting. Frequent vacuuming of floors (where most dust falls) does help immensely in reducing the amount of dust that's around for surfaces to collect. Using a Dyson it is always astounding how much is collected in the clear plastic jug, even if the room seems pretty clean.

[legotrainfan]

Thanks for your help! More help is still appreciated!

There is only one door to the room. I'm often careless and don't close it. I must take more care about that. The room is down in the cellar, and there is only one small window that can be opened to let in air. In the room next to this one, there is another room with a mattress, blanket, cushion etc. for guests. So I really must take care about the door, so that no dust from the other room can get in. An electric air filter sounds like a good idea. Does anybody know how much such a thing approximately is?

I'm also curious about one thing: do you have bookshelves/books in the room?

There's a wooden bookshelf. Most of the stuff on it is LEGO, but there are also many old Mickey Mouse magazines on it. I was collecting them in my early teens. Is it better to put them in another room? There's also another bookshelf you can see in the back of the picture. There are some books on it, but many of them are behind glass (glass cabinet), but not all of them.

Thanks for that "Preventing dust" addition to the title. It makes the whole thread clearer.

Edit: Sometimes I disassemble the whole track layout and clean the room (hoovering plus wet cleaning afterwards), but that's a wearisome business I tend to avoid, but sometimes it's simply necessary. If I do that, I also clean the metallic rails. I use old cloths that I press against the rails and move them along the rails to get rid of the dust on them.

Edited November 15, 2008 by legotrainfan

[patje]

have also an enormous problem with dust

some parts of the layout are of 2004

and on touched.

the layout stands on the attic

warm air goes up this way also the dust.

it goes therefore along the staircase up, and you can see this easily.

everything what stands near at the staircase,more dust

than that what further state.

a gentle painter brush helps with a vacuum cleaner.

but with a layout of 7 x5 meters and 1meter20 breadths at some places

it is lose courage.

see website: Visit My Website

greets Pat.

[Captain Zuloo]

Yet again, I would recommend the Go Duster. A quick sweep accross the rails in a maximum of 5 minutes every fortnight or so, and your dust problem is gone!

[WesternOutlaw]

Does anybody know how much such a thing approximately is?

I have an Ionic Breeze that I picked up at a Sharper Image store. I think it ran around $250 a few years ago. You can probably find some cheaper, but they are not as good.

Good luck on your dust prevention. I think it's something that relates to all of us. I want some large glass cases (if I had the space).