Should you waste time on track and stock cleaning........?!

[martyn]

I have a feeling that Dave maybe inadvertently hit the nail in his first post, as between exhibitions since Wigan a year ago, the layout has been stored in its travelling packing cases.

Normally, between shows, Steve erects the layout in his garage where it can attract dust and any crud in the air from any workshop things Steve is doing, including soldering, and sawing wood for other projects.

When packed in its travelling cases, many boards are packed so as the scenery is inside a three sided box with the main part (ie the underframe part of the baseboard) forming the other outer face and, whilst certainly not airtight, precludes much of the dust and airborne crud getting on the rails. They are also generally stored vertically, ie 90 degrees to horizontal running format. Hope that bit makes sense.

Loco wheels are checked and cleaned if required between shows, usually just prior to the next one, but stock wheels, about 120 coaches and 650 wagons, rarely cleaned unless obviously caked. Just about all stock now has metal wheels, retro fitted if not as manufactured. They do seem to keep remarkably clean, considering


Normally, Steve cleans the track whilst still up in his garage immediately prior to packing before a show, using flour grade wet and dry on the worst bits, and also surgical spirit.

So my own theory, for the recent James Street shows, is that little muck can actually gather on the rails, but there will still be rail oxidation.

But I could well be wrong.....

Martyn