[markw]

Just a quick question for all you dcc gurus.

Are electronic track cleaners such as the guagemaster HF1 suitable to be used with DCC.

Cheers

Mark

 

[80class]

QUOTE (markw @ 1 Apr 2007, 17:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Just a quick question for all you dcc gurus.

Are electronic track cleaners such as the guagemaster HF1 suitable to be used with DCC.

Cheers

Mark

Nope! As a general rule no electronic track cleaners work with DCC. The HF1 definitely will not work with DCC as it will blow up both decoders and command stations! I have a friend who forgot to isolate his before switching from dc to dcc and literally blew everything up. He had been warned! For dcc friendly track cleaners have a look at the clean machine and others, I believe dccsupplies are the uk stockists.

Rob

 

[markw]

QUOTE (80class @ 1 Apr 2007, 18:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Nope! As a general rule no electronic track cleaners work with DCC.
Rob

Thanks Rob.

I suspected that was likely to be the case, just wanted confirmation.

Cheers

mark

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (markw @ 1 Apr 2007, 17:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Just a quick question for all you dcc gurus.

Are electronic track cleaners such as the guagemaster HF1 suitable to be used with DCC.

Cheers

Mark

To add to 80class' comments -a big no no.

Once track & wheels are clean with DCC they tend to stay cleaner for longer with frequent running.

You have to either resort to manual cleaning or use one of the so called "track cleaning wagons". To be quite honest, most of them will not actually clean dirty track - they help to keep clean track clean. The Roco track cleaning wagon is one & we use them ourselves.

One of the few that will clean really dirty track is made by Lux-Modellbau (cannot find the website URL, but can look for it if you want), but it's expensive at nearly £250 for the motorized cleaner & vacuum cleaner wagons ! We have sold quite a few to modellers who have OHL equipment, lots of inaccessable track & 1 to a guy who runs OO DCC outdoors.

We have found that the Peco track rubber is too abrasive & can leave a rubbery residue on the track, it also can scratch the track surface & make things worse. A softer one such as the Roco is better - Express Models also do a similar softer one. Our liquid of choice is commercial surgical spirt as it does not leave a residue if left to evaporate afterwoods. (take care with fumes ect).

Hope this helps.

 

[hoonsou]

As 80 class says, the CMX Clean Machine works great. You will need something with plenty of grunt to push it around though.

 

[markw]

Cheers everybody.

Looks like some laborious work ahead with a track rubber for me then. Talking of which the advice on the type of rubber sounds useful, i have a hornby variant which does seem very abrasive and leaves a lot of castoff which i have to hoover off afterward. I'll give one of the other makes a try.

Cheers

Mark