Subject:
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Re: 12 volt track
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Thu, 20 Sep 2001 05:44:17 GMT
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Viewed:
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533 times
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Mark Williams wrote:
>
> While I'm here, what is the best way to clean the track? I figure the
> plastic will withstand warm water and mild detergent. How do I clean the
> metal conductors? The instructions state to use methylated spirits.
>
> > > Mark <<
Back when I was running 12v track, I found a few tricks to keep the trains
running reliably. Clean track is a much bigger issue in 12v than in 9v, due to
the sliding (rather than rolling) contacts. The two big problems were that
(1) dust quickly renders the sliders rather ineffective, and that 2) the
friction from running the sliders on the track generates a relatively large
amount of dust.
If the track is just beginning to get dirty (the motor starts to hesitate in
places), you can do a cheater's cleaning by running a motorized engine around
the track several times at high speed. This usually knocks off enough dust to
allow an operating session. But it also generates more dust which will be
waiting for you next time. I recommend a more comprehensive cleaning solution.
First, clean the track really well. Second, wipe off the track dust every time
you run trains: both before you begin, and especially after you finish. If you
start with clean track and wipe it off after every session, you will have much
improved operations. If wiping down the track seems like a chore, keep
reading, I may have an idea that you like better.
But first, give the track the initial cleaning. You have three ways to go on
this.
If the track is fairly new, you should be able to wipe it with a soft, dry,
cloth or paper towel. The dust will come right off.
If the track is pretty dirty, but not too grimy, use the alchohol. But what a
pain. For my money, it's easier to go straight to the third solution...
If the track is dirty and grimy, go down to your local hobby shop and ask the
model railroad guy for a "Bright Boy." It's a small, parallelogram-shaped,
hard, abrasive, eraser-thingie. He'll know what it is. It costs a buck or two,
I'd think. Take it home, lay it flat across both the metal rails, and run it
over every inch of the layout. Then take a soft, dry, sponge or cloth and wipe
away the residue, which should come right off.
Now that your track is clean, you will find that wiping off the track dust
before and after every operating session will keep the track ready-to-go for
your next session. If you don't do this, the dust will mix with the room
humidity, and form grime. Then you're back to the initial cleaning.
Now, if all that wiping seems tedious, do what I did to completely automate
the job:
Build a small flat car with a soft sponge attached to the bottom. If the
sponge is soft enough, you can hold in place by clicking a LEGO piece right
through the sponge material. Cut a sponge to an appropriate size, then just
attach it under there. Use a couple of weight bricks on top of the car to keep
the sponge from springing the car off the track, or just build a whole caboose
or something on top if you prefer. Then, simply run the car around the track a
couple times when you start, and again when you finish, and it will eliminate
90% of your dust problem.
Hope that helps! 12v is quite a pain, for this and other reasons, but I still
have a soft spot for it. Wouldn't mind picking up an extra 12v motor or two,
actually.
If you or anyone else tries my sponge-car cleaning method, post a reply here
to let me know how it's working for you. I'd love to hear.
Good luck!
Rick Clark
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: 12 volt track
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| (...) Which begs the question (or asks for it nicely, anyway): Has anybody ever had any problems with the contacts in 9v train motors getting dirty / corroded? ROSCO (23 years ago, 20-Sep-01, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | 12 volt track
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| I recently bought a lot of 12 volt track on ebay. One of the straight conductors has a black arrow on it. The rail that it points to has an electrical gap in it. What is this piece used for? While I'm here, what is the best way to clean the track? I (...) (23 years ago, 19-Sep-01, to lugnet.trains)
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