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I have a carpet central RR right now. One big loop. Somehow, unbeknownst to me, a stake from a Lionel Scale PS Flatcar came off and fell under the tracks.

 

I kept getting intermittent stoppages and popping of the breaker on my Z4K. I looked at all the wiring and track connections and, and, and all to no avail - still can't get the train to go around the loop without tripping the power.

 

Finally after a long search on my hands and knees I found the culprit - drove me crazy.

 

So, does anyone run a car with a magnet every once in awhile to pick up the "stuff" that can be lost on their right of way?

 

Paul

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I know I've heard this idea before but its a good one and it reminds me I need to do it!  But something else that I think there is a market for... maybe?   A vacuum car?  Something with a brush and a little suction to clean the tracks would be awesome!  Seems like you could even fit it in a boxcar if done professionally.  

Yes.  My track maintenance train consists of a Legacy Sd70 (indestructible, very tolerant of dirty track for some reason) pulling a magnet car, a dry track cleaning car (home-made: brightboy eraser with 1 lb weight), a vacuum cleaner car, and a wet pad cleaning car.  

 

My magnet car is home made, just a plastic bodied lowboy flatcar with a honing big neodymium magnet tape on it.  It almost always comes back with something it found, a tiny screw, nut, etc.  Where they come front is beyond me, and worrisome, but . . . 

What a simple, excellent, creative idea.  I can't believe it didn't occur to me before this.  Thanks to the OP and the everyone else that contributed.  I just ordered 4 magnets and I'm breaking out one of my PW cars to do this project.

 

I really like the idea of mounting the magnets inside the car, then removing them to allow the sweepings to simply fall off into the trash.  Thanks to Rick O for that great tip!

 

Jon

Originally Posted by RichO:

Use the super powerful neodymium magnets.

Put the magnet in the gondola.

After a run around the layout, place the car over a trash car and pull the magnet out of the car.

 

All magnetic particles will fall in to the trash and you don't have to clean the magnet.

Rich,

 

I took your description and fashioned a magnet car that works extremely well.  I mounted a pair of large neodymium magnets in a holder (complete with handle), which sits inside a depressed wooden gondola.  The car picks-up a ton of stuff, and clean-up is simple.  Remove magnet while holding over trashcan, and all the unwanted filings fall away.

 

The magnets used (same as the ones gunrunner described, but ordered from China for $8 apiece) are so strong that you can feel/see the gondola pulled down towards the track when they are installed.  Talk about magnatraction!

 

We ran this at the Club a couple weeks ago and found all sorts of missing screws and track nails.

 

 

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This one worked so well, I'm building a second one for the Club.  V 2.0 will have a similar "magnet holder" set-up, but it will be mounted in a standard Railking gondola vs. the custom wooden one.  Preliminary testing indicates it should work just as well, if not better.  The magnets are so strong they don't need to sit super low, plus I think the extra height (and the undercarriage ribbing) will help keep screws that are picked-up in place.

 

Not completed yet, but I've made good progress:

 

 

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-Dustin

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Last edited by frizzinbee
Originally Posted by Allin:

Now if only a pet fur magnet existed...

It does...or so it seems!

 

Most of our (wife & moi) clothes are good 'magnets' for Daisy's & Millie's fur (Golden Retrievers...see avatar).  Fortunately, though, they don't care to hang out in the train room (basement), so it's not an O3R problem. 

 

However, elsewhere in the house?......Looking your best in your Sunday or dinner date finery?....Visiting relatives with pet allergies?.................problem!

 

And yet.........

 

KD

I just dropped a single magnet into this pint-sized car, I had a second one from my Porter TMCC conversion, seemed like a quick use.  The Magnet is a 2" x 1" x 1/2" and it will pick up about 100 pounds.  I hooked it up to a locomotive and ran it around, I was amazed at the amount of junk I got in about 100 feet of track!  It has SUPER magnatraction as well, it took a little effort to get the wheels on the track as it had a mind of it's own.

 

 

Impromptu Magnet Car

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