Articles of Interest in Model Railroading
Coachella Valley Model Railroaders is proud to share articles of interest in model railroading and the history of railroading with club members, fellow hobbyists, and anyone interested in such topics. Learn practical track cleaning tips, appreciate the broader story of rail travel and transportation, and more with these articles of interest.
Track Cleaning
A clean track is essential for reliable model train operation. Keep your model trains and DCC functioning perfectly by cleaning your tracks.
Our model railroad club uses Centerline Products CNC-machined solid brass model railroad track cleaning cars, along with CMX HO brass track cleaning cars and mineral spirits, on our nickel-silver rail. We have found that these products do an exceptional job.
Helpful Track Cleaning Tips
Take the Current Temperature into Account When Cleaning Your Track
Temperature has a significant effect on the fluid drip rate of a nickel-silver track cleaning car. The track cleaning cars were calibrated with reference marks set during hot summer conditions. So, the reference mark will work in the summer but not in winter.
Adjusting the Track Cleaning Car’s Needle Valve for Optimal Drip Rate Before Use Before using a track cleaning car, raise it to eye level and open the needle valve until a drip appears. Then, adjust the valve so that the next drip occurs after counting backward from 5-4-3-2-1, or 5-4-3-2-drip. This will result in approximately 12 drips per minute, as recommended by the manufacturer of the track cleaning car.
History of Transportation
We highly encourage club members, fellow hobbyists, and anyone interested in the history of transportation to read “A History of Trolleys, Light Rails, Street Cars and Subways“. This engaging article was brought to our attention by Kerri, a young girl working on a school project about the history of transportation, the pioneers who changed travel, and important moments in transportation history.