CRC-2-26 on tracks

[Antoine L.]

Hi

I read on other forums that CRC 2-26 could work well to keep track conductivity.
http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=02004

Would it be bad to use with Railpro?
Where to buy in Canada online? I don't seem to find in Sherbrooke Qc.

Thanks.

Antoine

[hirailer]

CRC 2-26 product number 74085 "Duster"or the 2-26  lubricant as shown in your link, is most likely available at automotive jobbers specializing in parts and products that are sold to the automotive industry. You might try Canadian tire or other large retail stores that have a lot of automotive products.



Cheers
Mel

[hirailer]

To answer the second part of your question. Any kind of cleaner or lubricant used on your tracks won't affect RailPro. Railpro only uses the electricity from the tracks to power the locomotives not like DCC where command signals are also sent through the tracks making clean track a must. I find that my tracks and wheels stay cleaner with RailPro. There are a lot of track cleaning methods out there that do work quite well for a while. After a while some of these work in reverse by attracting dirt rather than removing it.

For me, I used 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and alcohol to clean my track. Whatever works for you is OK.

Cheers
Mel

[KPack]

I belonged to a club a for a while that used both CRC and Goo Gone to clean tracks.  Both cleaned very well, but both also seemed to collect dust and grime.  The club was located in an old and somewhat dirty building, and the weather was always very hot and humid.  So some of the track cleaning issues could have been due to the location of the layout itself.  However, liquids tend to leave the rails wet which then attracts dust.

Many people are using graphite now and having good success with it.  I haven't tried it myself yet.

-Kevin

[William Brillinger]

Graphite is not for cleaning, just for enhancing electrical conductivity.
I use it and it works great.

I have not needed to clean my track at all since starting to use graphite almost a year ago.
I have used a cloth to wipe some dust off the rails in a few locations, but only once so far.

[hirailer]

I forgot to mention that I too use graphite to enhance conductivity. It works quite well without creating a film on the track and wheels. It is not used as a cleaner.

Mel

[Antoine L.]

So basically, graphite works best if electrical enhancement. There is nothing I hate most than a loco on slow speed suddenly stall and sound resets.

My electrical connections are all good and feeders are each 2 feet of track. So basically, I think i'll go the graphite way.

Thanks

[nodcc4me]

I also belong to a DCC club that was located in the damp basement of an old building. In winter, there was a large space heater that not only blew dust around but also warped the track at times. We tried everything, including graphite, to keep the rails clean but nothing had any lasting effects. Every engine I ran there had to have the wheels cleaned before using it on my layout. If I neglected to do that there would be stalling issues. The typical wheel cleaning track removes only part of the gunk. The rest needs to be scrubbed by hand. I don't use anything but a dry cloth on the track, which stays very clean.


I have also noticed that some locomotives will stall if they haven't been run in a while. Leave the sound off for a minute until the motor brushes have a chance to self-clean off oxidation.

[KPack]

I have also noticed that some locomotives will stall if they haven't been run in a while. Leave the sound off for a minute until the motor brushes have a chance to self-clean off oxidation.

That's a new one I haven't heard before.  Makes sense too.  I'll have to keep that in mind!

-Kevin

[MtRR75]

I belonged to a club a for a while that used both CRC and Goo Gone to clean tracks.  Both cleaned very well, but both also seemed to collect dust and grime.  The club was located in an old and somewhat dirty building, and the weather was always very hot and humid.  So some of the track cleaning issues could have been due to the location of the layout itself.  However, liquids tend to leave the rails wet which then attracts dust.

-Kevin

I use Goo Gone to clean my rails.  Initially, I was concerned about the possibility of the rails remaining damp.  But I found that in less than a half hour (maybe much sooner) the rails were perfectly dry -- I tested them by rubbing dry rags and paper towels on them.  My layout is on the second floor in a partially heated and cooled room.  Those with basement layouts may have different results.

[yvesmary]

I cleaned my entire layout using lacquer thinner with Q-tips. Then I rubbed a 2B graphite stick on the rails and my locos run nicely.

I also clean the wheels with lacquer thinner before I put any piece of equipment on the track.

Over time dust settles on everything and I'll have to dust off the rolling stock and track.

So I was wondering when I wipe off the track if that will rub off the graphite too?

Yves in Alberta

[Dean]

I use CRC 2-26 to clean my rails using a CMX rail cleaner. This cleans the rails and improves conductivity.  But I wipe the rails with a dry applicator attached to the CMX rail cleaner. Running a clean cloth over the track, it appears there is still a film of the CRC 2-26 on the rails. This process seems to be working well for me.
Never tried the graphite.

[Alan]

The film is presumably the solids component of 2-26. Namely butyl stearic and petrolatum, both of which are waxes. The wax film left behind is the mechanism by which 2-26 prevents corrosion (wax is hydrophobic) and lubricates (wax is slippery). The remainder of the 2-26 evaporates away.

I know it is popular and I am glad it is working for you but I won't be applying wax to my rails anytime soon. CRC 2-26 being waxy and with a dielectric strength of over 50,000 volts doesn't exactly scream good for rails. 2-26 in its recommended uses is sprayed and not wiped. The petrol distillates clean components and then the waxes coat and protect. 2-26 that gets on electrical contacts (relays, brushes, etc.) is immediately worn away by contact wiping action. The remaining wax film on everything else, including contacts edges, prevents corrosion and current leakage paths.

I suspect the success of modelers using 2-26 on rails is not a result of the inherit protection component in 2-26 but rather from the cleaning ability of the petrol distillates and the mechanical abrasion of the cloth, pad, or whatever applicator. Mostly the mechanical abrasion. The wax film is not desirable on rails (dielectric) but is all but wiped away in a typical modeler track cleaning application. For proof mechanical action is extremely effective try rubbing the rails with a pencil eraser. Awesome!

CRC 2-26 datasheet: http://www.crcindustries.com/faxdocs/msds/2005.pdf
CRC 2-26 overview: http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=02005

I have to side with Yves. Lacquer thinner is what I use as it is an excellent solvent for track cleaning and is 100% volatile so no residue. For instances of especially bad track condition I use my giant eraser from the dollar store.

[G8B4Life]

I've always wondered why we modellers must clean our tracks the way we do, so to speak.

Forgetting the reason of usually our rails carry power to run our trains and pretend our locomotives are self contained (dead rail) if I went out
tomorrow and built a model railway line and a real railway line and didn't run anything for a week both lines would be oxidised and dirty.

If I then ran a dozen or so trains on each the real railway line would be nice clean and shiny on the running surface with no other cleaning other
than running the trains themselves yet the model railway line would still be somewhat oxidised and dirty, possibly even more so. There must be
some scientific reason why.

- Tim

[Alan]

There must be some scientific reason why.

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