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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Keep Lionel track running clean
Q. My nightmare! I have 700 pieces of Super O train track made by Lionel in the 1950's. It has tarnish and some little spots of rust, just starting in tiny spots but the tarnish is bad. The center rail is copper and the base ties are resin plastic the tracks are of an unknown though magnetic metal that has a brass type color to it when clean. I have to clean all the track, and was wondering since I know that time is a factor, as well as the number of separate parts there are: is there a way to clean it without hurting the plastic? With some kind of a dip, wait and rinse, then dry? Any other means is just too much work, and replacement new is the alternative. and the cost for that is several thousand dollars for the accompanying parts to all fit together correctly.
James Hennig
- Ocala, Florida
2003
Q. Don't have anywhere the amount of track you have but have the same problem. If you found a way to clean this "Super O" track without damaging it I would appreciate your input.
Thanks,
Al Donath- Des Plaines, Illinois
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
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] , scotchbrite
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links]
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
⇦ this on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links]
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,
- Long Island, New York
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 ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] works well. When track and ties are dry, apply ArmorAll ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] 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 ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] or Brite Boy ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] is OK. Happy railroading.
Brad Parker- Olympia, Washington
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
- Monessen, Pennsylvania
2008
Ed. note: That page no longer exists, but the Wayback Engine at web.archive.org maintains a copy.
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 ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] .
Ed Mueller- Helmetta, New Jersey
2008
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
- Laguna Niguel, California
November 25, 2012
A. After reading about Comet [affil links] cleanser, I tried it and then saw my wife's Barkeepers Friend ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] on the counter. It is a cleanser and a polish. This works even better than Comet. I then pass a bronze wool ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [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.
Bob Eaches- Bergenfield, New Jersey
January 24, 2013
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.
GREGORY TICE- CAMDEN DELAWARE
March 2, 2022
Q. DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX THE 112 SWITCHES AND OR HAVE ANY PARTS? I HAVE 4 AND 1 HAS A BROKEN GEAR. AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET A COPY OF THE INSTRUCTIONS IF ANYONE HAS ANY.
HARRY MCINTOSH- ERIE, Pennsylvania, USA
February 2, 2012
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.
Bali Das- Sunrise, Florida, USA
Q. Collecting Super O so that I can build a layout for my grandson. How do you remove broken pins from the rails? Some of the track pieces have broken pins however, they can't pushed in as they have been locked in by some tool that pinched the rails.
Harold Jones- Sparta, North Carolina, USA
January 9, 2015
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.
- CAMDEN DELAWARE
March 2, 2022
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