TOMA Phase One: Modeling East Branch

The east staging now has a name, and the image above is the draft track diagram using the Copperplate font just as was used in the control panel at Nooksack. Unlike that control panel, it will just name the location and the tracks. The turnouts are manual; touch toggles will not be used here at the sceniced staging. 

East end of East Branch

Now that East Branch has a name and I have recovered from the MER convention, it is time to move forward with next steps. Two of the first steps are to paint the new track on the "run-around" extension and to paint the unpainted seam on the backdrop. The yard office, while complete enough to manipulate for positioning, needs to be completed. With those steps under way I can also finalize terrain dips and bumps, locations for roads or paths, and first layers of ground cover. To help keep me on track, I have created a next steps to-do list. 

Rails and ties painted on new runaround

Yesterday, I got started on my list by tackling the painting of the track here and the few places that new track had been installed on Nooksack. I have written about my process for painting track on this staging module before. One approach that I did a bit differently was to paint the ties soon after airbrushing the rails and ties. By the time I had cleaned the airbrush and related bottle, the ties had skimmed over, so I went ahead and painted the ties, mixing tie brown and grey craft acrylics as I went. While on a roll, I also unpacked some furnace filter trees to judge height and potential shadows on the backdrop, and after conferring with a photo pencilled in some outlines for later painting the gap in the backdrop.

Cleaning recently painted rails with wooden stick

As mentioned earlier, I painted the several patches of unpainted rail on the Nooksack module while I had the airbrush and paint out. After the acrylic paint had dried, but not really set up, I tackled cleaning the rails. I have found that the cleaned wooden sticks from my wife's favorite frozen yogurt bars are excellent for this task. Sliding them along the rails with two fingers and moderate pressure cleans the acrylic paint off easily. I am not sure how well this would work if the paint was allowed to set up overnight or if I was using oil based paint, but with freshly applied but dry acrylics it is the way to go.

This led me to consider one of the "research" sections of my next steps to-do list: track cleaning options. The frozen yogurt sticks are a keeper, but after doing some listening, reading, and YouTube viewing I am revisiting my track cleaning approach. 

I have been using abrasive foam blocks to clean the rail. I may continue to  do so after heavy scenery application, but my research suggests that abrasive blocks used regularly cause problems. They create micro scratches and, as Joe Fugate and others point out, the micro abrasions lead to excess oxidation from micro arcing of the metal wheels and powered track. One solution is polishing the railheads by burnishing with a stainless steel fender washer. I will pick up a couple of larger stainless steel washers the next time I find myself at the big box or hardware store. Many people suggest epoxying a washer wide enough to span both rails to a wooden block/handle. Obviously the track power needs to be off when this burnishing is happening! Joe Fugate again, points out a potential flaw to this approach. The fender washer polishing only hits the top of the rails without polishing the inner curve of the rounded rail, but the wheel is curved as it approaches the flange and this curve is a large part of the conductive surface. His solution is to also polish the rails with a stainless steel spoon burnishing along between the rails.

Cleaning the rail is not just for appearance and remediation after heavy scenery application, but for consistent conductivity and smooth running by removing dust and oxidation. Over the last few years, many online sources (Ron's Train's and Things is one) note the importance of using nonpolar over polar cleaners. Polar cleaners (typically containing some water) have an electrical charge and hence promote micro arcing and oxidation while nonpolar have significantly less potential for micro arcing and forming oxidation. A Joe Fugate Publisher's Musings in MRH explains this and lists some nonpolar cleaning solvents such as WD-40 Contact Cleaner, CRC Contact Cleaner and Protectant, and mineral spirits. 

Learning Points:

1. Wooden sticks for paint removal on rails
2. Abrasive blocks only for severe cleaning
3. Stainless steel washer and/or spoon for polishing rail
4. Replace polar solvent (isopropyl alcohol) with nonpolar solvent (mineral spirits) for solvent of choice for track and wheel cleaning