Another point about EVAPORUST ...
I soaked badly rusted O-gauge Lionel tubular track sections in Evapo-Rust, and (as others have mentioned) it removed rust from the rails -- and also the black paint on the crossties.
What I should have done ...
First, REMOVE the pins from the rails before the soaking so that Evapo-rust can seep inside the rails, where rust and corrosion can hide. Afterwards, re-install the track pins. I didn't do that step back then, but I checked every piece of cleaned track before installing them on my layout. I threw out some track pieces that didn't "pass" that test.
That Evapo-rust cleaning job was done 2+ years ago, and my trains now run on those tracks OK. However, the time and effort for that task was not worth the "savings." With 20/20 hindsight, I should have bought new Lionel tubular track for a fresh start.
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394