Wheel sparks-What to do?

[River Witch 14]

This is something that I have not been able to fully control.I have tried to keep the tracks and motive power wheels
as clean as I can. I even took a track cleaning block and cleaned the inside edges of the rail head to make sure there
was no crud that could cause sparks.
Try as I might,I still get them but not really bad,but they are like a tooth ache that won't go away.
Has anyone else experienced this and what steps have you taken to prevent this?
BobS

[BR60103]

Have you cleaned the wheels on the cars as well? If you don't, they put a layer of dirt back down.

[Charlie B]

Bob, I use a tiny tiny tiny tiny bit of Automatic Transmission fluid on my track. I spread it about 2 inches on each rail and let the cars and locomotives spread it. I only have had to do it twice this year and that is after some track work. I don't have stalls or sparks. It doesn't take much, what is left in a quart bottle after adding to a car would be enough to last years. However, if you are getting a spark from a short that's a different story.
Charlie

[River Witch 14]

Thanks for the replies.Some good info here.
David-what do you use to clean the wheels on your rolling stock? On my diesels I hook 2 wires to power pack to spin the wheels
and then using a q-tip and 70% alcohol on the wheels paying close attention to the area where the wheel flange and tire meet.
This removes a lit of crud from the wheels.
Charlie- is ATF the only oil that can be used? What prep work do you do prior to applying the oil?
Thanks again
Bob

[Charlie B]

Bob, it is the detergent in ATF that does the job. If the track is not too bad I do nothing but put it on the rail and let the train do the work. I have plastic wheels on man of my cars and they stay clean too.
Charlie

[BR60103]

Bob:
my initial wheel clean is done by putting a paper towel over a length of track, wetting it with track cleaner, and rolling the car back and forth over it. Usually I wet a couple of inches at the side of the towel, enough to do a wheel plus a bit, roll the truck at one end through it a few times, then move to a dry section and roll it some more. When the towel has black streaks, I shift it sideways. Repeat until there are no more black streaks. Turn the car around and do the other end. Try pushing the car sideways against the rail to do the flanges.
   
I use Aero Locomotive works track cleaner.
I also use the paper towel with locos by putting it on powered tracks and using the electrics to spin the wheels. Doesn't work with all locos.

Sometimes there is gunk that is really thick or stuck. I use a wooden stick (I have a collection of ties) to prod it off. I used to use a screwdriver but changed to wood.
Look at the gunk occasionally. If it collects on one side of a wheel, you may have an eccentricity/concentricity problem with the wheel set. One dirty wheel on a truck may mean that the wheel is being held high.

[nachoman]

What kind/brand of cars/locomotives are making the spark? What are your rails made off? Nickle Silver? Brass? Steel?

If you locomotives are old Athearn, the material they made their wheels from back then simply sparks. There is not much you can do about it. Same is true if you have steel or brass track - some amount of sparking is expected no matter how clean you keep your rails.

[River Witch 14]

Thanks for the tips guys.
Kevin- my 3 diesels are the ones that spark. They are all older Athearn BB diesels.
I just made a track cleaning car which I plan to use on a regular basis. For the diesels I
find that if I clean the wheels on a regular basis with a q-tip and 70% alcohol the amount of sparking is nil.
FYI-the rail is nickle silver.
BobS

[nachoman]

Older Athearns spark, no matter how clean the rails or wheels are. The only way to stop them from sparking is to replace the wheels with nickel silver wheels. It's pretty easy to do, and not very expensive.

[River Witch 14]

Thanks Kevin-
Would Athearn carry nickle silver wheels for the older diesels?
Or where would you suggest?
Thanks
Bob

[nachoman]

Athearn, NWSL, and JayBee and maybe others all make replacement wheels. I think the Proto2000 wheels also fit. It's simply a matter of pulling the cover off the bottom of the truck, removing the wheelsets, pulling the wheels from the gear, putting the bearings on the new wheels and pressing back into the gear, and re-assembly. Once you get the hang of it, it only takes a few minutes. I can't remember if you have to remove the sideframes, though.

[River Witch 14]

I checked out Athearn and they show two different size nickle silver wheel sets- 42" and 40".
What is the proper way to measure the existing wheels? I would assume it would be across the face of the wheel without
including the flange.
Thanks again
Bob

[BR60103]

Wheels are always measured over the tread. Prototype wheels have a nominal size because they are allowed to wear, possibly several inches.
Model wheel flanges are oversized compared to scale. On some steam locos the wheels are modelled smaller than scale because there isn't enough room, otherwise, for a pair of model flanges.

[Russ Bellinis]

I don't remember if it was in an article in MRH or a post on the message board, but Joe Fugate uses mineral spirits (paint thinner) on his rails to stop sparking. He does it the same way that Charlie B mentioned using atf.

[River Witch 14]

Thanks again guys for the replies.
I think I am going to take Kevin's advice and change the wheels over to nickle silver.
I had contacted Athearn and they have the wheel sets for the older BB diesels in stock.
They are around $15 for 6-8 wheel sets.
Bob