Cleaning Up an Old Layout, Track, Locos and Wagons etc

[BagEndJct]

A train layout has got into a bit of a state and we are about to try and get it all going again. The locos, carriages and wagons are covered in dust and dirt as are the buildings, board and track. It's all very dirty.

I wondered what you guys would recommend, especially for the locos and coaches etc? Would a gentle wash be OK (not for the locos, I know!), or a damp cloth?

I'll have to spend ages getting the track clean and working again. I have products to do that (a track rubber and isopropyl alcohol).

Any tips for cleaning the loco wheels, something I have never done before?

Would welcome any advice, please. Many thanks. 

[mjb1961]

Hi ,,,,If it was me I would start with giving everything a good vacuuming ,with the brush attachment ,once the layout is done give the track a good cleaning ,I use meths ,the wagons I would wash in warm soapy water ,I've done this in the past and I've even sat them on the radiator to fully dry ,take the loco bodies off and do the same ,the chassis give them a good brush with a soft,ish paint brush ,the coaches   without taking them apart you will have to give them a good brush down and a wipe with a damp cloth ,,and last job I would do is to clean all the locos and rolling stocks wheels ,,,,,giving them a gentle wash in soapy water works wonders ,you would be glad you done it ,,,,mjb

PS ,,,,meant to say ,if you had access to compressed air would be good ,maybe at work etc

[96RAF]

If you can man up to do so take the locos to a local service area (motorway, big store, etc) i.e. toilet and give them a blast with the hand dryer.

You may get some funny looks.

Rob - who has never actually had the bottle to try it.

[2e0dtoeric]

As the loco's have been standing long enough to get that filthy, they would be best taken to your local dealer for a proper and thorough service and lube.

Depending on the age of the loco's, the plastics could have deteriorated, the motor brushes could be worn out, and the magnets weakened.

There are even reports on here that certain metal chassis loco's have begun to crumble away, because the alloy used was not stable.

Check with a magnet whether you have steel or nickel-silver track. (the magnet won't stick to nickel-silver). Steel track goes rusty. Cleaning the accumulated muck from the rail joiners is very difficult, and if not completely gone, will cause all kinds of bother with dead patches on the tracks, because electricity cannot go through muck! The same with any points - the tiny electrical contacts HAVE to be spotless for them to work.

Warm soapy water, a toothbrush, and lots of patience will get all the body-shells clean again. Don't scrub at them, as the transfers or painted details may come off!

Take your transformer/controller to a proper electrical repairman, and have it tested. Over time, the insulation can decay, so when you plug it in, it either goes bang, or you could have 240V ac on the track, which won't do you or the motors any good!

[RDS]

To clean Loco wheels, I use a cotton bud, soaked in IPA but take care not to disturb the delicate contacts that are usually on the inner face.

[BagEndJct]

Wow! That's just what I needed. Lots of great advice, thank you so much. I'm in Spain and no local dealers so any loco maintenance would involve sending them off. 

I'm going to make a start this morning. I'll report back when I have some news. As we are in Spain it does mean that dampness is not a problem. It's mainly dust which blows about from the lanes and fields here and there are a lot of gecko droppings. The layout is in an out building which is also home to a few of those little fellows. The stuff sets like concrete.

I think some of the rails are steel but most nickel silver. I think I may have to replace the former. Let's see how is goes now I've got my enthusiasm back. You guys have offered me a lot of encouragement. Thank you. I have lots to get on with!

[2e0dtoeric]

If you get stuck, don't hesitate to ask.

When it comes to mending loco's, it helps us if you can give us the R number, which is usually (but not always) on the chassis underneath, between the wheels.

Failing that, the loco type, (Castle, Black 5, Britannia, etc) colour, and the number on the cab-sides is a guide to finding the right parts.

[BagEndJct]

OK I've made a start but was not encouraged by the end. I gave the board and track a good "hoovering" but found I don't have a brush attachment that fits our vacuum cleaner. I got rid of the lose grime and chunks of gecko doodah! But there is still an awful lot of dust and dirt trapped in the points motors and within the track sleepers. Also, there seems to be a big mixture of steel and nickel-silver rail with the steel showing signs of rusting.

 

The track and locos had been converted to DCC and I thought, if I don't manage to get the 'Select' controller working, there was little point in wasting more time on this renovation.

 

At first it did not boot up. Then I found the power plug from the power adapter had corroded. I cleaned it with emery paper and a few drops of WD40 and, voila it booted up.

 

Pushing my luck further I thought I'd put a loco (small tank engine) on the track to see if there was any sign of life but no, nothing. So that was a disappointment.

 

I did wipe one corner of the board with a damp cloth (including a section of the track) and that did come up quite clean. So I was encouraged by that. But there is an awful long way to go.

 

A quick question. How can I test to see if power is getting to the track, or various sections of the track (there are a number of connectors installed round the layout)? Can I use a meter (remebering it's DCC) of which I have virtually no experience or is there another way I can test it?  

 

Again, I'm so grateful for the advice and encouragement. I'm not giving up yet!!

[96RAF]

Yes you can use a meter, just set it for AC volts. It wont measure proper DCC values but you should see around 15vAC - close enough for government work And an indication as uyou probe around the track at various points where you have power and where not.

 

If you have a spare bit of track connect the Select to that and see if the locos react to command.

 

Another way to test locos, even if DCC  as long as they have DC runing enabled is to put a 9v block battery terminals across the wheels whilst holding the loco upside down. It should run, and in both directinos if you reverse the battery.

 

Keep reporting back with progress.

[2e0dtoeric]

There is a little LED track-tester sold by a company called Train-Tech, it's only a couple of pounds, and can save you lots of headaches! It works on both analogue (dc) and DCC.

http://www.train-tech.com/index.php/accessories-extra/track-tester

[BagEndJct]

OK thanks. I just ordered a track tester on Ebay but it won't get here till next week. I will go and buy a meter tomorrow. If I see power ANYWHERE; it will give me some encouragement (which is needed at the moment, I have to say). I will take your tip, RAF96, and use a spare bit of track, of which I seem to have quite a lot, to test the controller.

Thanks again guys!

[96RAF]

When buying a meter choose one that is capable of reading more than just miiliamps of current on AC/DC in case you want to check motor stall currents with it, you need to be able to read up to 2 amps, generally they will range  up to 10 amps range or just 200mA.

[BagEndJct]

Got myself a cheapish digital multimeter which, as I discovered when I got home, was missing the instruction leaflet (grrr!). However, with the help of Youtube I got it measuring voltages and yes(!) I can see 16v round my layout. Not everywhere, but in quite a lot of the circuit. Should this be constant or should I expect the voltage to come and go? I have got the meter set for AC voltage.

 

However, still no sign of life from any of my locos. I think my next step will be to connect the Select controller to a new piece of track (RAF96 suggested this) and set a loco up anew and see what happens.

 

Oh, I also tried my electric (non-DCC) points and once I'd found that a wire had come out of the side of my bank of switches, quite a few of those operated. So more good news.

 

If it wasn't for all the wiring under the board (I'm not really up to clambering around under there any more) I think I would take the whole thing up and start again. Anyway, given that the wiring seems to be working, I suppose I could take up the track and replace the worst bits and properly clean the rest.

 

Tomorrow I'll try RAF96's idea of a fresh piece of track and a couple of my locos. If I get a positive result it will probably give me the encouragement I need to carry on with this massive clean-up operation!

 

By the way, it's a rainy day here in Southern Spain (Murcia). Just the day for hanging out in the "Train Shed"!

[Rog RJ]

Your mention of a loose wire on the switches and some dead track sections makes me wonder if the dead sections need to have switches thrown to activate them. This is common on dc layouts but fairly unusual for DCC layouts where it is usual for all the track to be live at all times and therefore section switches are not normally needed.  May be worth checking if any of the switches activate any of the dead sections.

[BagEndJct]

Thanks for the thought, Rog, but no, the switches are all for points. Dead track is probably down to dirt and loose wires!

[Fireman_Ian]

Hi, I am near Torreveija, not too far from Murcia, and my DCC layout is almost complete.

I operate my railway using the Elite controller and Railmaster with two Selects as walkabout controllers.

If you need any help testing any of your locos or need to reprogram the decoders I will be only to happy to assist, I can't claim to be an expert but have a very good knowledge of dcc and the Hornby system.

Perhaps Admin. can let you have my email address so if you wish you can contact me.

Ian.

[81F]

 Sorry if I'm repeating any advice but those large soft brushes that women use to apply blusher can make good dusting brushes. Just make sure it is nice and soft and has not been used for makeup.

[2e0dtoeric]

Dead patches in the track could be down to slack or filthy fish-plates (rail joiners) that are not allowing the electricity through, or, of course, corroded or filthy track-ends!

[BagEndJct]

A quick report  back this morning. Or rather this afternoon! It's nearly siesta time..... Thank you for the further advice. My spirits are up again!

 

I set up a test track with some nice clean track. (Some I had to clean up. I have just received a bottle of isopropyl-alcohol so that is going to good use).

 

The good news is that two of my locos work, which proves the controller is working too! One of them hums but does not move, the other there is no sign of life in. I can't find the R Numbers I'm afraid but the other details are below. (I have a confession to make here. Not being mechanically minded, I have never had the cover off a locomotive and that despite having had Hornby Dublo from the age of 9 (?) when my Dad bought me a 3-rail set which ended up as quite an extensive set up in the loft!) 

 

My GWR tanker 0-6-0 No. 2728 is working nicely

as is King George V 6000 which I was surpised to find was made in Italy by Lima.

The diesel shunter BR No. D4093 hums but won't move.

BR Diesel "Mammoth" No. D1670 has no sign of life at all.

 

Any advice would be very welcome, thanks.

 

(To Fireman Ian, I'm not far from Mazarron. Quite a way, I'm afraid, down the AP7 but if admin do let me have your Email address (?) or vice versa it would be good to touch base. There seems to be no way of sending PMs on this forum!)

 

Finally, "someone" has offered to buy me a new loco for Christmas. The amount of work on the existing track is still very daunting despite the encouragement today. For the future, I would very much like to go down the Railmaster path. My Controller is a Select so I think I would need an Elink. And so, for a few €€€s more I'm tempted to ask for the Hornby Western Master set. This gives me the necessary hardware and some fresh track to start with. I would take up the existing track, paint the baseboard and start again, adding the track and points that I have which are in good condition. I believe this really would renew my enthusiasm!!

[mjb1961]

Hi ,,,,i agree with you about lifting the track and starting again ,,,when you have done that you will find it very pleasing to run your trains without problems ,,,,ideally ,,you could do with replacing it all with new Nickle silver track ,you could also run a bus wire around the layout and connect dropper wires which will give you more reliability,,,,let us know how you get on ,,,martin

[Gitter]

w_a,  a thought ocurred to me that you maybe better when relaying any track , leave a tiny gap between join of rails, rather than close butting them. Quite a lot of lads in UK have had track warping in hot rooms in summer. I hope others will agree and confirm.

[choralc]

My GWR tanker 0-6-0 No. 2728 is working nicel.

This model was released in 2006 and 2007. This came from the Western Pullman Digital Train set.

 

as is King George V 6000 which I was surpised to find was made in Italy by Lima.

Not too sure when this was released but oft expressed opinion wasd that it was better than the Hornby model released at that time.

 

The diesel shunter BR No. D4093 hums but won't move.

Released 2006-2009 so a clean and service and look for anything that might be jamming or shorting the mechanism like an errant track pin or just read that this was only DCC-fitted from a Digital train set. Maybe the decoder has failed or not set for DC running???

 

BR Diesel "Mammoth" No. D1670 has no sign of life at all.

R.073/R.328 released 1979-1982. Same advice as above. This is a ringfield motor and parts to refurbish the motor are available.

 

Interesting that in my search of the Hornby guide two of the locos have come from Digital Train sets and one of which is working.

 

Perhaps someone like Son of Triangman or Sarah Again can shed some light on getting the last two models going again.

[BagEndJct]

Thanks so much choralc. Some really useful info. I have to properly clean them all and try and get them going again.

[tyneside emu]

recently layed some old track, nothing would run on it, so got hold of a dremel equivalent with a round wet & dry disc and ran it over the top, hey presto all go on the western front.

[2e0dtoeric]

That was maybe not a good move! Any grinding surface like that leaves a mass of fine scratches on the railhead which rapidly fill up with general muck, and you are back at square 1!