Clean track is essential when operating a model railway, and without it comes the frustration of poor operation. MARK CHIVERS surveys a range of readily available track rubbers in our latest Hornby Magazine Equipment Guide and highlights our pick.
Above: For this Equipment Guide we selected 10 readily available track cleaning rubbers ranging from budget friendly to comprehensive.
DIRTY OR TARNISHED rails can lead to poor electrical contact between the track and locomotive, which can result in stuttering or jerky movements on a layout. As with the full-size railway (albeit for different reasons), to overcome this a regular regime of track maintenance is necessary which involves cleaning all the rails. There are many methods for cleaning the track from liquids to track cleaning wagons and the long-standing track rubber.