MetroiD

9V Tracks - Cleaning & Protection

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Well I finally received my latest eBay bargain, with the package containing 11 straight and 39 curved pieces, as well as every bit of electrical hardware you need to get those babies running and a couple of switches (yeah, of course I'm bragging, you have no idea how long I'd waited for this moment! :P ). That's all neat, but I'm still waiting for my BNSF train to arrive, along with my first (and only) 9V engine sometime next month. In the meantime, I thought I'd take out the tracks and have a good look at them and boy, was I in for a surprise... Since those babies are second hand, some of them are in a downright dirrrrty condition - the switches especially seem to have been fully garnished with dust & stuff. Seeing as I really don't have any experience with those pieces and they're electric, I don't want to spoil anything while cleaning them or render them useless in some way.

So before I get started, I'd be extremely grateful if you guys could give me any basic guidelines regarding the cleaning of 9V tracks - what to do and what not to. I guess a damp cloth, some kind of cleaning solution for the really dirty spots and a lot of drying out after the cleaning process would suffice, but I'd still rather ask before ruining 50+ pieces :) Thanks in advance!

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9v track normally doesn't need cleaning. If it's dusty, use a painting aspergillum with soft hards. If the dust is really 'stuck' on it, use one with stronger hairs. For the metal thing, use a soft cloth with benzine or alcohol. The contact is made in de innerside of the track.

Goodluck.

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I'd first dust them off, then clean them with a damp cloth and some cleaning solution without bleach. Be sure to dry the metal rail after. If the metal rails are oxidated you can use some car polish to make them bright and shiny again.

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Thanks for the replies guys.

If these tracks weren't REALLY dirty, I wouldn't have bothered posting a new thread for this... but they most definitely are. I will post a few before/after pics once I'm done with the cleaning and let you all know what I used.

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Greetings! :classic:

I would have to say thank you for the replies too! I am new to the 9v train game and it is good to know some useful tips to keep it running!

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To be honest, I have never seen an oxidated 9V track. Washing with water shouldn't be an issue.

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The only dirt that shows up on the metal rails, is a light coating of dirt, and just a grime that just happens due to usage and age.

The best way that I found to clean the metal rails is a common household eraser.

eraser.jpg

It literally does erase the grime!!! The eraser also leave a light shine on the rails too!

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Dear train fans,

as a silent reader for quite some time I have decided to finally sign up and participate in what I have previous read.

I just recently left my dark ages and discovered my old and lovely train sets (4559, 4565, 4560, 3225, 2150, 4553, 4555). In the meantime, I have now acquired 10277 (what a lucky year to rediscover lego trains), 4512, 10233 and 10027 (for 180€... wow this stuff has gotten expensive but from what I've read I feel like it was a good deal).

What amazes me the most is that after a thorough cleaning (disassembly, warm soapy water, dish-brush, followed by a shower in a sieve) everything looks almost like new.

I did have to renew all wiring from the converter to the track and for the locomotive's light though. Thanks to this forum's help it wasn't a challenge anymore!

The 9v track I had (stored for years and years in an open container in a garage) and some that I bought new doesn't look amazing anymore and the procedure above only helped the plastic part.

The metal part however is a challenge for itself. 

1) Initial heavy conductivity problems were solved by having 1-2 9v motors run on full speed for a couple of minutes

2) I tried the green side of a sponge - that helped, but I feel like it scratched the surface and made it look dull.

3) I used metal polish ("elsterglanz") on a test piece. Apart from the mess it leaves on the plastic I soon realized that it leaves a protective layer reducing the conductivity between rail and wheel pick ups.

4) I used the blue side of a rubber which seemed to have a great effect. It is a LOT of work, however, I was really happy with the result. Super shiny and looks like new. 

After a few weeks of storage in an IKEA box with lid in the basement (maybe that's the problem? too much humidity? There is no other storage solution possible for me though) I inspected again and noticed that the track had an oxidized(?) or greasy layer on top. Couldn't remove it with a dry cloth. Picture to follow (right: newly cleaned, super shiny - left: cleaned 3 weeks ago, grease layer). I have now stopped the successive eraser-cleaning process as I don't want to ruin the straights.

 

TL;DR: 

Eraser helps but it seems the solution and effect doesn't last. I feel like the "holy grail" of 9v track cleaning has not yet been found...

Maybe some of the "9v grandmasters" can help out and share how they keep their track clean sustainably.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Kind regards

InkedIMG_20200816_175931_copy_LI3.jpg

Edited by Sunil766

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38 minutes ago, Pdaitabird said:

I usually just lightly rub the inner surface of the rail with some fine (600-grit) sandpaper.

Same here. The power pickup for a 9V motor really is only on the top edge of that inner metal surface. I am using 800 grit sandpaper.

Best,
Thorsten

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Use an eraser that is for ink removal from paper

or track cleaning rubbers as used for cleaning model railways track.

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My train club keeps our 9v track in a trailer, so it gets both temperature and humidity extremes. The 9v track always needs cleaning when set up for a show. We went a couple of years without using the 9v track and then pulled it out for a show last year. My trains only moved 1 or 2 track sections before stopping. I used a pencil eraser like this one:

On 7/7/2009 at 9:35 PM, Modulex Guy said:

The best way that I found to clean the metal rails is a common household eraser.

eraser.jpg

It literally does erase the grime!!! The eraser also leave a light shin

1) do a single pass with an eraser to clean the top inside corner of both rails (as per above, that's the only spot where the pickup wheels actually contact the rail)

2) put power to about 1/2

3) place a 9v motor (no model) on the track near the power connector and wherever the motor stops, pick it up and clean both rails more

4) place the motor upstream of the spot I just cleaned and repeat until it is able to make a loop (it will still have some "jerky" spots)

5) put a real train on the same track (more weight to give it momentum) and let it run, that seems to clean up the jerky spots.

 

 

One word of warning, in the past I used a softer eraser (white and really squishy), while it worked just as good, I then left the eraser sitting against a baseplate for many months. Chemicals leached into the baseplate and deformed some of the studs. I doubt it would be a problem with the "droppings" from the eraser but definitely was an issue from the actual eraser.

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For cleaning my track, I bought some of these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Bright-Boy-Track-Cleaning-Eraser-Block/362997498358

It's veeeeery effective. A few seconds on each rail and they are shiny and clean and beautiful.

I also use them to clean the wheels on my 9v motors - put a 9v wire from a battery box or a transformer on top of the 9v motor to start the wheels turning while you're holding it, and rub the eraser on the wheels as they turn. Result - pristine shiny wheels.

Edited by Mr Hobbles

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All, 

Thank you very much for your replies. 

Conductivity has only been a problem at the very start - as said, running motors on full speed helped with the few black sheep. Luckily I didn't need a procedure as outlined by @zephyr1934! Still good to know.

Sandpaper on the inner edges as @Toastieand @Pdaitabird said is not needed.

I must probably mention that I am more of a perfectionist and would like the rails to *look* new and shiny (not just the power pickup edges) as it makes such a difference in my mind. 

Having used the blue side of an eraser with mixed results (see my picture above) I don't see this as something with a lasting effect. I won't go through this effort for ~200 tracks (as I also clean the connection parts) if I'd have to do it again every 2 months - which is more than "every time I get the trains and tracks out". 

It looks like I will have to give this model railway track cleaning "stone" a try, even though I read somewhere that it also slightly scratches the surface and therefore makes cleaning more frequently necessary. 

I was hoping for a solution that I go through once every 5 years or so (even shorter), given the tracks' relatively good shape after, what, 24 years without any maintenance. Don't want to make the tracks' longevity worse with the cleaning. 

Sorry for these long posts:pir_wacko:

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Balbo powerpad
works like a 3M sponge but much more subtile.

sanding rails is murder, it's nickel plated copper and you will destroy the plating.

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2 minutes ago, JaBaCaDaBra said:

sanding rails is murder, it's nickel plated copper and you will destroy the plating.

Sort of true. With serious oxidation (other than "normal" aging), sanding with 800 - 1000 grid paper works very nicely. Ever sanded with 1000 grid paper? It is more like polishing :wink:

Best
Thorsten

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3 minutes ago, Toastie said:

Ever sanded with 1000 grid paper?

Yes I now a lot about that but I won't call grit 1000 polishing
Sandpaper goes to 4000, from 2000 up they call it polish paper.
You can buy this high grit paper at car laquer shops.

Nevertheless
Use railgum or if oxidated a Balbo

Edited by JaBaCaDaBra

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On 8/25/2020 at 4:47 PM, Sunil766 said:

After a few weeks of storage in an IKEA box with lid in the basement (maybe that's the problem? too much humidity? There is no other storage solution possible for me though) I inspected again and noticed that the track had an oxidized(?) or greasy layer on top.

If cleaning is a challenge, then prevention is the other thing to think about. I don't think the ikea boxes are air tight. So maybe try a more expensive storage box that is air tight or a large ziploc bag. Just try one box/bag first to test if it works. Use an equal number of track segments in the new container and one of your current boxes. Compare the degradation of the rails in the new container against those in the simple storage containers. Desiccant in the sealed container is another possibility.

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Dear all, just wanted to thank you all for your replies. 

Eraser (or soft modelrailthingy) is apparently the best solution out there.

WIll store rail segments (I usually keep 5-high stacks of 2 rails) in cheap plastic bags that are twisted a few times to be airtight.

Regards

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For storing / protection you can store them in grip bags. Grip bags are cheap, you can buy 100 for a few euro / dollar. They come in different sizes and they will be sealed so you won't have air circulation. You can also try to press the air out of it. 

Edited by Gainn

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Recently bought the metroliner with a bit of track and wanted to share with you the dirtiest 9v track that ever crossed my path.

I Connected 6 straights, putting plates on the connection points, and then used an eraser to clean them. The metal gets quite hot from the friction, but properly clean. Afterwards, brushed them down in soapy warm water and then showered them off. Et voila, a set of like new 9v tracks :-)  a few turned a bit yellow on top, I hope I didn't enable the corrosion booster with my watery procedure. Cheers! 

 

IMG_20210319_185944

 

 

IMG_20210320_161348

 

IMG_20210320_170613

 

IMG_20210320_170645

 

 

 

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Man... such great results. I havent achieved this level of perfection with Elsterglanz, maybe i should try a rubber too (for the tracks of course).

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Lego officially recommended the use of a pencil eraser to clean the track. You can see it in a number of the included track manuals or train set's instruction booklets from both the 9V and 12V era.

For the love of all that is good do not use a model train track rubber! Model track rubbers are like running low grit sandpaper over your track and are designed for large scale outdoor track or older metal track that is a single solid material. The metal alloy and plating of most modern metal track and the lego track is not designed for use with a track rubber. Years later my oldest track is having issues where the outer coating of the meal is so damaged from a modal train track rubber that it's starting to react and turn green. If I had a time machine I would go back and slap myself for using a track rubber as a kid/teen on what at the time was hundreds of dollars worth of track. Do not use anything that is abrasive or that scratches the track as you will damage the tracks metal plating and create more holes for the dirt to get stuck in. The more dirt that gets stuck the more the plastic wheels will side that dirt around on the track. So also remember to clean your wheels which will help to keep things clean as well.

IPA and Methylated Spirits are not electrical cleaners and will actually make the track progressively worse at being able to transfer electricity from the track to the wheels. Both chemicals have other things in them that will react with the metal track.

If you really want to use a chemical cleaner then something like Inox which is designed to keep things conductive. Clean track is good but conductive track is better - singed another grumpy Australian! (You'll get that joke if you've seen this video).

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3 hours ago, Sixpence said:

If I had a time machine I would go back and slap myself for using a track rubber as a kid/teen on what at the time was hundreds of dollars worth of track.

You don't need a time machine for that: Just look into a mirror - and smack yourself :pir-wink: better use the time machine to tell yourself not to use that "rubber".

Other than that: Yes you are right!

Best
Thorsten

 

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7 hours ago, Sixpence said:

 

IPA and Methylated Spirits are not electrical cleaners and will actually make the track progressively worse at being able to transfer electricity from the track to the wheels. Both chemicals have other things in them that will react with the metal track.

 

Could you kindly specify what IPA and Methylated Spirits are? 

I have used decent quality cherry schnapps ("Kirschwasser") on large portions of my straight track with a wool cloth and it seemed to help, however it was in good condition already so hard to tell if it actually did something. 

I got told that stuff helps with electrical Conductivity. 

Thanks in advance. 

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