How I clean the wheels on my trains

[@HK2PRODUCTIONS]

Who knew you could clean the wells like that. Thanks for the info!

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Thanks for your comment

[@IronHorseBrian]

Thanks for uploading. I'm just surfing around looking for new methods to clean metal wheels. I appreciate the suggestions. Brian

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Any time Brian. There are so many ways to clean the trucks. I am happy that you check out this video. Stay safe and all the best.

[@FredWilbury]

Hey .... I like the tissue idea ..... thanks for showing..... Fred ..... ps love the backing track 👌

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Thanks Wilbur’s Castle 😁. Just one thing if you get any alcohol on your fingers make sure you clean them before you touch the model. Thanks for your comment 👍

[@RDNTrains]

Nice video. Will keep this in mind when I get a loco with trackion wheels. Randy

[@BALD8BIL]

Great how to video

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Thanks Bald8bil. 🤙🤙🤙

[@davidmuse7004]

Tim, good video! No matter what scale that method works and thank you for sharing tht. Muse

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Thanks David Muse 😁🤙🤙 just remember if you get any of the rubbing alcohol on your fingers make sure your fingers are clean before you touch the model. One subscriber said that one of his models got ruined because of the alcohol ate the paint on his model and left a permanent finger print mark.

[@OliverT-qt1gn]

I learned the following from a veteran Model Railroader close to 50 years ago, and I've passed it along to a LOT of people. Point #1: What you show at 0:38 is NOT rubbing alcohol. It is simply 99% Isopropyl Alcohol...great for killing germs, removing rosin solder flux, very light greasy coatings and some types of paint. Point #2: Rubbing alcohol not only states that on the label, but contains oils that (usually) benefit sore muscles when physically rubbed in. BUT - and this is a big BUT - those oils are NOT beneficial to printed circuit boards, metal wheels, and some types of rubber and plastic. In the days of tape decks, 8-tracks and cassette recorders, many people learned the hard way that rubbing alcohol would 'gum' up', and - in some cases - destroy tape heads, capstan rollers and plastic parts close to the 'cleaned' area. Therefore: Do...Not....Use Rubbing Alcohol on model train parts, rubber items or anything else you want to clean...! Other than that important point, your video is well-done. Nice 'background' music, good lighting, and good advice...!

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Thanks for your input.

[@stevenbonneville1045]

I bought a wheel clean that has pads on it and you can either use the track as power and just set it on the track and put the motor car or engine on it and run - it has stops on each end and makes it easier - but do the same with the regular cars or run a q-tip on the wheels when it's upside down on a rag or something like......later.....

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Thanks Steven Bonnevill. I had a motor car cleaning once. But it didn’t work that great. Sounds like yours is better. What kind of wheel cleaner do you have?

[@stevenbonneville1045]

@@H0bby_Adventure I have a Kato vacuum/cleaner car - use a loco to pull it and the wheel cleaner is by Woodland Scenes, here is a link... naturally they are on ebay www.amazon.com/WOODLAND-SCENICS-TT4561-Cleaner-WOOU4561/dp/B0062VH74I/ref=asc_df_B0062VH74I/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413735445216&psc=1

[@davidallen6333]

Great Ideas I use a tidy track wheel cleaner for my locos and it cleans them dry , did you change your plastic wheels to metal wheels I have done many of my collection , at a great cost the metal wheels run about $1. per axle , but they run better !

[@H0bby_Adventure]

I would have to say that I am about 90% converted to Metal wheels. You are right it seems that the rollingstock and trains run a lot better with the metal wheels. I also find that the tracks stay cleaner for a lot longer with metal wheels as well. That’s one of the major reasons why I have converted to metal wheels. But just like you said it can get extremely expensive.

[@davidallen6333]

@@H0bby_Adventure I have changed over 800 sets of axles and still have more to do , have maybe 300 more to do , I just bought some wheels from Rapido trains 33" metal wheels 100 pk from Canadian Express Lines , for $70. +shipping , he is in Brighton ON . goes to many of the train shows , he will ship to you via Canada Post , check out his web page . you see whan you by trains from the US , there is an extra Import charge now usually $35.00 per $100. spent on a order form the US . OUCH !

[@ricardomierz8467]

I thought woooo boyz when I heard the fist sentence.. Alcohol and dry paint don't mix and will quickly destroy the paint if you get some on the paint finish.. You might by accident flick some on while cleaning the wheels or have some on your fingers, grab the body and poof there goes your paint job as it eats the paint, I use it to strip off the paint for re-paints and it does an excellent job at that, the paint just floats off, manufactures also use to to reduce the paint to spray it so it just needs that alcohol key to open up the door to disaster, doesn't matter how old the finish is, I've had locomotives that had fingerprints embeded into the paint! There are wheel cleaners available that are safe where you actually plug the cleaner track into your power pack, place the locomotive on the cleaner track and run it, the loco won't go anywhere as it doesn't have any traction to do so, so it just sits spins and cleans itself, beter and safer than taking out the bogies then having to take the bodies off to get the driveshafts back, you only get so many tries to do that then one day you get to say oh shiza.

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Very true Richard. There are a lot better ways to clean wheels. I have tried other ways and bought some products and I can tell you that this is the cheapest (if you are carful and not get alcohol on the paint) and most effective way that I have seen. But like you said that there might a very good chance that the paint on your models can get damaged by accident.

[@ricardomierz8467]

@@H0bby_Adventure Yes, some of the locomotives have painted belly tanks or weathering, one wrong move and youz gotz yerselfz a skidmark on yer paper, and that ain't dirt.

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

How often do you clean your wheel sets?

[@H0bby_Adventure]

Hey Joe G. Honestly not that often. I’ve had this particular train for about four years now and I run it quite often. This is the third time that I have clean these wheels using metal wheels on your layout is a huge benefit. 1 your trains run a lot better. 2 it actually keeps your track cleaner unlike plastic wheels. I clean my tracks at least once a month. That also helps keep the wheels clean as well.