Hello I know someone who has a bunch of dirty and rusty old track that he managed to find and wants to use that track. The track seems to have good connections but has a lot of surface rust and is dirty as well. I want to know the best way of making O27 tubular track look good and run better.
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Best to throw it out and buy new track. Not worth cleaning it if it is rusty and dirty. 0-27 is cheap enough that buying new isn't much of a financial hardship.
Clean off all surface dirt with hardware store naphtha. For light rust, a Scotchbrite pad works well. Pull the pins out of the ends and clean them separately. For heavier rust, some use Evapo-Rust; I use the electrolysis method, as it involves no harsh chemicals, and can easily get rust inside the ends of the track where the pins fit.
Once the track is clean, gently squeeze the ends of the track with track pliers, so the pins will fit tight.
Larry
I have used a Dremel tool with wire brush to get rid of persistent rust not removed by a Scotchbrite.
Also, if your friend needs more 027 track, uncouplers or switches, I have found they have little value at local train shows, as the typical collector/operator prefers O-guage (031) track. I got a nice selection of items to use for a kids' portable layout for very low prices.
You could run it through a metal shredder....
Clean off all surface dirt with hardware store naphtha. For light rust, a Scotchbrite pad works well. Pull the pins out of the ends and clean them separately. For heavier rust, some use Evapo-Rust; I use the electrolysis method, as it involves no harsh chemicals, and can easily get rust inside the ends of the track where the pins fit.
Once the track is clean, gently squeeze the ends of the track with track pliers, so the pins will fit tight.
Larry
Well, that actually seems like a good method to use, it is something I might want to try out in the near future.
Avoid steel wool. Little bits get left behind, and can wind up in the train's mechanism. This is especially true of magnetraction engines.
I have found that scrubbing lightly rusted items with a Scotchbright pad or toothbrush and concentrated Simple Green will remove light rust. The items have to be THROUGHLY rinsed afterward.
Severe problems with using Simple Green without rinsing have been discussed on this board.
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