Maintenance Pads

Regular track maintenance pays off more than a grand cleanup

Dust settles even on a covered layout and the layer on the railhead grows with every run. Anyone who goes over the track briefly and often never reaches the state where coarser means have to be used. That is exactly what these pads are for: they keep the surface up continuously and stop a thin film from turning into a continuous deposit that noticeably slows the transfer of current into the locomotive.

What is in the box

Inside there are two replacement pieces for the cleaning car of the Rail Tracker system. Their job is to wipe away grease, fine dirt and beginning oxidation of the metal, that is precisely the three things that appear on a rail first and come back fastest. The pads are fitted to the holder without tools and once worn they are simply swapped for new ones.

How often and for whom

The intended use covers HO and N scale. A sensible regime is to run over the track at every longer operating session, or at least once a month; on a layout standing in a dustier space, more often than that without hesitation. Short regular care shows immediately: the locomotive pulls away smoothly from the lowest speed steps and the lights in the train do not fluctuate. Let the pads work with light pressure only, because their purpose is to wipe the surface, not to abrade it. If dropouts still appear after a run, it means the deposit has already settled and a one-off, more thorough cleaning is called for.

A small thing that saves time

Getting used to running over the track at the start of every session means cleaning never has to be dealt with separately and operation stays reliable through the whole season.