How NOT to clean track, Part 1

By Andy Leaning  Filed under: Model railway trackwork 6 Comments

how NOT to clean model railway trackThis gem of track cleaning advice was overheard in a model railway shop the other day. And it’s wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The conversation was heard between two customers, not the staff I hasten to add, in Bristol Antics.

Both were looking at Hornby OO track and the older of the two mentioned that he was looking for some track to replace old and worn rails.

A simple enough discussion. And I was about to go on my merry way when I heard the other customer suggest that the rails could be salvaged and cleaned with WD-40.

If I’d been drinking I could have choked!

WD-40?!? Whhhhatttt?

Don’t get me wrong, I love WD-40. All most as much as I love Duct Tape. The two are never far from hand.

And there are plenty of ways to clean your track —  but WD-40 and rails? No. Just no.

WD-40 contains oils and while it’s fantastic for just about everything else and some obviously think it’s a “good thing” for cleaning model railway track it’s actually the exact opposite.

The oil will leave a nasty coating on the rails that’ll clobber the traction of locos and will be a pain in the rear to clear.

If you’re interested, there’s a post on the perils of track cleaning with WD40 on NewRailwayModellersUK.

Instead, use these budget track cleaning tips and leave the WD-40 to other jobs in the garage.

I interrupted my fellow customers, gently explained the problems and went on my way.

Maybe next time they’ll read ModelRailwayEngineer or talk to the shop staff — the Antics Bristol team are always very helpful and would have undoubtedly been able to offer a choice of track cleaning solutions.

What mistakes have you made when maintaining your model railway?

Please share your tales of woe in a comment below and help other readers here avoid the same mistake.


> A final, personal, note: I spend a huge amount of time testing, photographing, writing and researching techniques for these articles and pay for all the running costs of MRE out of my own pocket. If you found this article useful you can support me by making a donation on my fund-raising page. Thanks and happy modelling, Andy.
Founder of ModelRailwayEngineer, Andy Leaning

Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.

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6 comments

  1. I had a Hornby Dublo 3 rail layout in the old attic bedroom of my cottage for 31 years. I used Wrenn track from the 1950s. Over time the points broke up and repairing them with superglue was no longer viable. I always used the Peco track rubbers. A visit to Pendon in June allowed me to talk to the guys operating the layouts. They were vehemently opposed to the track rubbers and other abrasive solutions. They showed me a piece of hardboard that was affixed under a wagon and towed around the tracks. You could clearly see the two black lines on it where it had lifted dirt from the track. I’ve now scrapped the 3 rail LMS layout and rebuilt it to 2 rail GWR finescale 1940 with kit built locos, wagons and GWR Exley carriages. The old stuff was ebayed by my partner and raised far more than it cost me to buy new stuff. Having invested £143 in new track and points, I’m not going to ruin it with track rubbers. I’ve bought IPA and cotton buds. Will use these on the loco wheels too.

  2. Try aluminium foil simply fold a small square of foil and rub the rails, it is nonabrasive will not leave any residue dose not damage plastic, it can be labour intensive though! I have used this technique for a while with no problems

  3. Another peril of WD40. After a can lost its propellant, I transferred the liquid into a plastic bottle. I intended to apply it with a small brush. Imagine my surprise when, after a fortnight,I went to fetch the bottle from the shed only to find a badly deformed, molten heap with a lid on, where the bottle should have stood. Later, a friend of mine mentioned that he was going to clean his dirty Z gauge track with WD40. I advised him not to and related my bottle experience. He ignored my advice and went ahead. Within approx. a fortnight, his track started to fall apart.
    Don’t use the stuff on plastics!

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