Keep Lionel track running clean

A. Hi fellow Super O Track owners.

700 pieces of track, that is a lot of rail! I have approx. 250+ pieces not including switches and all the small stuff. Needless to say you have a daunting challenge ahead of you. I hand cleaned all of mine using everything from 00 steel wool [on eBay or Amazon], scotchbrite [on eBay or Amazon] and sandpaper.

Then after I regained feeling in my hands, I bought a rotary tool, blowing through many stripping bits. A little discoloration left on the rails is great for a nice "weathered" look. Due to the tracks rarity I did not want to subject it to any harsh solvents except for rubbing the rails down with a rag soaked with WD-40 [on eBay or Amazon] after removing any rust.

Super O is tough to clean and no dip will make up for good ol' elbow grease. However, when you are done it will be well worth it; it's beautiful track and has great nostalgic value. Then comes working with the Super O 112 remote switches, now you're really asking for trouble!

Good Luck,

A. With regard to cleaning Lionel Super-O track: For mild tarnish both the tin plate rails and copper center rail, I use Comet [affil links] cleanser, right out of the can, and a soft natural bristle palm size fingernail brush. I apply small amounts of Comet to wetted brush and use light pressure on the rails and copper being careful to not allow too much cleanser on the ties. Use brushing strokes 'along' the rails from long edge of brush. Rinse often under running water in sink. Rinsing helps to keep the bleach in the cleanser from whitening the ties. Rinse and dry thoroughly, hair dryer [on eBay or Amazon] works well. When track and ties are dry, apply ArmorAll [on eBay or Amazon] sparingly to ties with clean terry rag to restore gleam and luster. I have Super-O sections I cleaned five years ago on the layout and they still sparkle. Never use harsh sandpaper on rail surfaces. Very fine emery or Brite Boy [affil links] is OK. Happy railroading.

A. Avoid using steel wool to clean tracks. Small pieces break off and tend to get picked up by the locomotive's wheels and damage it. See the Lionel Web site:
http://www.lionel.com/ForTheHobbyist/GeneralTipsAndFAQs/MaintTips.cfm

A. I use a glass beader and I use 120 grit aluminum oxide to clean the track, then hit the top of the rail with a wire wheel, then spray them down with WD-40 [on eBay or Amazon] .

A. Cleaning Super O track,

From my experience of working with Super O track I have found a very satisfactory solution to make Super O track to look almost new. As we all know most of the Super O track we find today has very tarnished rails. While this does not effect the performance of the track it is not very nice to look at against those nice brown ties. After a number of tries I came up with this solution. I paint the rails with True Value chrome paint. It is called Short Cuts and comes in a small bottle which goes a long way. The color of the paint is called chrome.

All you need to do is find a small good artist brush and paint the rails. When painted the rail looks fantastic. After I have painted the rail I use a track cleaner like those used to clean LGB track. Mikes Train House also makes a similar product to clean the top of the rails. It sounds like a lot of work but it really is not and the effort is well worth the reward when you get it finished.

A Suoer O Fanatic
Julio from California

A. After reading about Comet [affil links] cleanser, I tried it and then saw my wife's Barkeepers Friend [on eBay or Amazon] on the counter. It is a cleanser and a polish. This works even better than Comet. I then pass a heavy Bronze Wool [affil links] over the rails to get off any rust or other stuff that didn't come off. Rinse it and get off any brass wool that may remain and dry the track with an old rag.

A. WAD UP SOME ALUM. FOIL AND WATCH THE RUST & TARNISH DISAPPEAR. AS FOR THE TIES, A LITTLE DISH DETERGENT AND AN OLD TOOTHBRUSH DO THE TRICK.

A. Check out the Super O yahoo group; there is a ton of detailed info on maintaining and repairing your Super O track and switches.

A. HAROLD - TAKE A PIECE OF TRACK WITH YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL ACE HARDWARE FOR SOME PIANO WIRE OR MUSIC STRING THAT FITS LOOSELY.
USUALLY .038 - .040 DOES IT. CUT IT ABOUT AN INCH PAST. A FEW TAPS AND YOUR TRACK IS READY FOR CLEANING AND NEW PINS. IT WORKS WELL.