Cleaning Z Scale Track

A really good article about cleaning track is at the Do It Yourself In Z-scale web site. (If that link gets broken, click here for a cached page.)

I really haven't much experience with track cleaning, except to say that it can be important. Because I was building a circus layout, my wife bought me a set of Barum Circus cars. The set does not include an engine (although there is a set which does) so I used the steam engine which came with my Marklin freight train starter set to pull the cars.

Although my 12 Days of Christmas train had been running fine, the circus train began running roughly and/or stopping frequently. I noticed black spots on the track, which consisted of a gummy substance that came off easily when scratched with my fingernail. After I removed the gunk the train ran fine. So I would recommend frequent cleaning to keep things working well.

I already have a Marklin 8802
"Schienenreinigungswagen" (which I assume means
"noisy little beast" in German) self-propelled
track cleaner car. It has extra wheels that
look like little gears and whose function is to
grind away dirt from the track. The "Do It
Yourself in Z-scale" article sort of pans the
car, and I really wonder about any technique
that grinds away at the rails.

Another recommended technique is to clean the track with isopropyl alcohol, also known as "isopropanol," (not rubbing alcohol, which is about 30% water), so I picked up a bottle of "Peak Iso-Dri Fuel System Drier" in the automotive section of WalMart. Some of these fuel system driers (which are used to keep water that condenses in your gas tank at night from freezing in your gas line) contain methyl alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol. This probably works just as well in your gas line, but I have no idea how it works as a track cleaner.

I removed the screw-cap from the bottle and poked a small hole (to avoid excess liquid from coming out) in the metal foil that seals the bottle. I then wetted a piece of cloth wrapped around my finger with the isopropyl alcohol and rubbed along the top of the rails. Boy! Did that wipe up a LOT of black stuff!  I can't say that the train runs any better now, but it sure should.