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#71

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by JulienW - March 16, 2026, 14:55

Thanks Julien, good comment on the White Spirit and IMS, duly noted. I'm not sure on using the industrial Meths (IMS) as when I looked it up it was described as a highly flammable, poisonous blend of ethanol and methanol (am I missing something here?).

So IMS and Methylated Sprit are both mostly Ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) in a higher concentration (around 70%) than Vodka or Gin and the like (around 40%).  What stops people* drinking them is the addition of anout 10% Methanol (CH₃OH) that is toxic, sometimes a bitering agent and in the case of Meths a purple dye (usually Crystal Violet).

Not that it stops the very desperate, or those who end up being served it in counterfeit / bootleg bottles bought cheap from a man at the pub/car boot sale/etc., from drinking it with unfortunate (blindness) and sometimes fatal effects.

The idea is that by making it undrinkable it avoids the various duties needing to be paid on things that you can drink, like vodka, gin, whisk(e)y etc., and the stuff generally available to the public (Meths) has the purple dye added whereas IMS doesn't (the dye may get in the way).

However, as long as you are not drinking the stuff, or taking a bath in it, you should be OK for using IMS or Meths to clean the track.

If you do want a tipple as you clean the track then use vodka instead, but if you drink enough of that it will kill you too...

They key thing with risks (chemical or otherwise) is to be aware of them and take precautions by treating such things with respect.  In my experience a lot of the time there seems to be a lot ignorance of risk, or a total aversion to risk bordering on panic, and neither is helpful.

The WS tool (which I already have and I may buy another so as the wife doesn't feel left out on the cleaning front!) and the WD-40 specialist contact cleaner is a relatively inexpensive option and the latter is readily available at less than £8 a can on Amazon.

I suspect that the contact cleaner may be Isopropyl alcohol - certainly the aerosol can of contact & switch cleaner I had from Maplins was - but I'd check out the Safety Data Sheet to be sure as standard WD-40 may not be so good for plastic...

#72

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by JulienW - March 16, 2026, 10:49

I'm thinking of using low odour/odourless mineral spirit (white spirit to us here in the UK), readily available. Maybe with the CMX tanker or the manual method with the pads that come with the Woodland Scenics track cleaner (which I already have). Low odour doesn't have the nasties in it that make it smell so much but it does take a little longer to evaporate. Certain contact cleaners are meant to be good but not all. There is one - CRC Contact Cleaner and Protectorant - which gets mentioned in despatches.

I would avoid white spirit as it's another petroleum distillate (hence 'mineral spirit'), and being less volatile than meths/IMS/IPA may end up leaving a residue.  It may also strip any weathering paint from the track (though IPA may also do this) and being much like the Track Magic in composition may also affect the plastic components of the track over time.

That's not to say that things like the CMX tanker or Woodland Scenics track cleaner are no good - it's just that I would use IPA or IMS on them to clean the track.

#73

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by Alec Hudson - March 16, 2026, 08:47

Here is the article about track cleaning.
You can then make up your own minds. This is a very contentious subject.
There is a YouTube video showing the scratches track rubbers etc do to the rail.

https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh2024-08/online

#74

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by Hugh Norwood - March 15, 2026, 20:32

I use Isopropyl alcohol to clean the tracks on my layout. I have a "Track Mop" - which is just a fancy device for holding a piece of J-cloth flat against the rails - put the IPA on that and push/drag it along the rails. Do it once at the start of the day's running. If there's an issue during the day I have a small piece of hardboard which I rub along the rail tops.

I DO NOT use anything abrasive on the track.

#75

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by Andy Lowman - March 15, 2026, 18:20

Thanks to one and all.

I've been taking a closer look at Track Magic and it is, as Graeme mentioned, a petroleum distillate. Interestingly I came across someone who had tested it on their layout and had found that if the temperature was little on the cool side (maybe the layout is in a garage or in an attic) then Track Magic slightly solidified and became a bit waxy (this is on track!). So may be Track Magic is a no-no.

I've also been taking a look at the CMX track cleaner, a very pricey brass tanker type system which has been around for years and years and all the reviews are very complimentary, but it's heavy so maybe tricky to pull or push around a layout - but maybe?

Julien, I use the same method of using emery paper (I think 3000 gauge) on point blades and that does work really well, would recommend that method. I also dislike fibre pencils/brushes.

I'm thinking of using low odour/odourless mineral spirit (white spirit to us here in the UK), readily available. Maybe with the CMX tanker or the manual method with the pads that come with the Woodland Scenics track cleaner (which I already have). Low odour doesn't have the nasties in it that make it smell so much but it does take a little longer to evaporate. Certain contact cleaners are meant to be good but not all. There is one - CRC Contact Cleaner and Protectorant - which gets mentioned in despatches.

I don't have massive issues with dirty track as I run a de-humidifier in the layout room and that is a god-send, believe me.

But I do have a lot of track to keep clean, one layout measures about 18.5 feet m x 10.5 feet in an almost closed rectangle (about 65 ft in overall length but that actual track length increases significantly because of sidings, loops etc etc - note to self, one day must work out how much track there is), the other is L-shaped at about 8 ft by 8ft (L-shaped). So a lot of track! and quick but effective ways to clean is what it's all about for me.

#76

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by JulienW - March 15, 2026, 13:17

When it comes to cleaning the rails in many respects it depends how mucky they are, but generally this is what I do:

Very heavy deposits are first cleaned with fine emery paper. The usual ones are OK, but I have a selection of grades from 1000 down to 3000 grit that I use for the initial polish of the silver jewellery I make (as another hobby). Small bits of these papers are also useful folded over (rough side out) and slipped between the point blade and stock rail to clean the contact that gets current along the blade and to the frog (though I also use polarity switching too).

I've also used glass fibre bundle brushes, but wouldn't recommend them as they leave fine glass fibres behind that are very painful embedded in one's skin, especially the propelling pencil type.

I've also used 'track rubbers', but follow this up with a small vacuum cleaner to remove the rubber particles left behind.

I also use a solvent - either after the abrasive to remove residues or on its own to clear light deposits - applied with a cotton bud (for fine track work) or lint free cloth.  The solvent is often ethanol, bought as Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS) which is a colourless version of the purple Methylated Spirit (MMS), though I have seen 'colourless Meths' sold in places like B&Q as fuel for stoves and the like. I tend to avoid MMS as I'm not convinced that the purple dye (crystal violet) will not dye the ballast and surrounding scenery, but others have used it without any ill effects.

I also use isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to do the same job and it seems to be a bit better at shifting heavier deposits than IMS and very useful for cleaning electrical contacts - like the one between the point blade & stock rail, but also be useful for switches in general - but is a bit more expensive and difficult to get hold of, so I tend to limit it's use to critical areas (point blades) on the layout, with the IMS used on the rest of the layout.

I did try 'Rail Zip' once, and I found it made running much worse! I've not used 'Track Magic' myself, but having read the ingredients list have concerns as to what it might do to the plastic sleepers (and some anecdotal evidence suggests that my concerns are valid).

Much of the above is based on my own experience of exhibiting my own layouts and helping others (especially Peter Cullen), but comes with a small amount of chemical knowledge.

Julien
(B.Sc. (hons) Industrial Chemistry, M.Sc. Instrumental Chemical Analysis)

#77

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by Graeme Dunbar - March 15, 2026, 12:34

I use Garryflex blocks for track cleaning. They come in a variety of grades from ones that are coarser than typical track rubbers to extra fine 600 grit that will bring up a good polish on metal surfaces. They can be cut and shaped if desired.

They are excellent for preparing brass kits for soldering too. They are used commonly by sheet metal workers and jewellers. Readily available and I've seen them on Squires stands at exhibitions.

#78

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by B.Meldon - March 15, 2026, 12:00

I have found that any liquid or fluid cleaning of the track reduces adeasion on grades. So it is ok for flat layouts but not so good if you have grades. This can also effect locos if they are later used on another layout!
I use a fine contact cleaning rubber, it may take some time and has to be done often, or each day at an exhibition, but it is effective and does apear to help with adesion on the grades!

#79

Layouts / Re: Track Magic

Last post by Graeme Dunbar - March 14, 2026, 18:21

I might not have found the best way to use it or made some mistake, but I bought some from a trader at an exhibition, applied it on my layout and left it over night. Setting up the following morning I ended up trying to clean whatever residue was left and I've not used it since.

As far as I can see it is mostly naptha (i.e. something between petrol and paraffin I understand) and something else. I suspect some other petroleum product such as a light oil as I got the impression that is was a magnet for dust.

Maybe I needed to persevere and find the optimum application rate and method, but I came away feeling it was a very expensive way of buying readily available solvents that you could possibly buy by the 10 litre container full for the same price.

There was a long involved article online or in some railway magazine in the USA about 'polar and non-polar solvents' by someone who apparently had a friend of a friend who "was a chemist" who "proved" one was good and the other was bad that may have played into this. My lack of knowledge about the subject means I cannot say what possible effect this could have after it has evaporated. I suspect that if you need to use a solvent to clean the track the key attributes are that it does not ruin the track and you are happy using it.

#80

Layouts / Track Magic

Last post by Andy Lowman - March 14, 2026, 15:35

Hi, has anyone used Deluxe Materials 'Track Magic' for cleaning the track on their layout. If so does it work?, how far does 50mn go, does it prevent oxidisation (as it claims to do). Any other comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.