Lux-Modellbau HO scale powered wheel cleaner saves time and effort

Wheel cleaner saves time and effort

This cleaning machine effectively cleans oil and dirt off all types of rolling stock wheels. It can be used with all control systems including two-rail DC, three-rail AC, and Digital Command Control (DCC). It’s manufactured by Lux-Modellbau in five sizes for permanent installations in model railroads built in N, HO, HO narrow gauges, and TT.

The cleaner has a pair of tough molded-plastic sides with mounting flanges along the top edges. Eight spacer tubes hold everything in position, and eight brass rollers support the moving sliders. These brass sliders are faced with felt strips which do the actual wheel cleaning. (Abrasive strips are also available separately, but they’re intended for heavy duty cleaning and should not be used with traction tires.) A Faulhaber motor drives the cleaning sliders through a pair of cams.

The wheel cleaner requires a 15/8″ x 11 15/16″ slot cut in the roadbed. The unit drops into the slot and is secured with small screws through the mounting flanges, which are 5/32″ thick. Once installed, the cleaning sliders on our HO sample were the same height as code 100 track. Next, both approach tracks must be laid so the inside faces of the railheads are aligned with the sliders. The instructions also explain how to position the approach track ends to clear the cleaner’s oscillating movement.

Wiring consists of connecting one wire for each rail and two for the motor, which requires a regulated 12-volt DC supply. On DCC layouts, the cleaner motor can be controlled with a dedicated locomotive decoder.

When activated, both cleaning sliders move back and forth in opposite directions, parallel to the track. As the train passes over the cleaner every wheel is gently scrubbed clean. A pair of long springs (just inside the cleaning bars) contact the backs of the locomotive wheels to maintain electrical pickup while the treads are cleaned. Since the bars move in opposite directions, they also clean both car wheels on each axle.

As the cleaning strips get dirty, the sliders can be lifted out, turned around, and swapped from side to side. The polishing strips are self-adhesive and may be easily changed when the need arises. Either felt or abrasive cleaning strips can be used and isopropyl alcohol may be added to the felt strips to speed the removal of heavy dirt without harming traction tires. Replacement strips are available separately in packs of 20. The tabletop sample shown here includes a center third rail for use with some brands of European trains. The layout version is the same machine without the clear plastic base. This cleaning machine can eliminate a lot of time consuming and messy cleaning.

Powered wheel cleaner

Price:
HO layout version,$192.85*;
HO tabletop version, $248.00*;
pack of 20 replacement cleaning strips, $8.42*
*varies with exchange rate

Manufacturer:
Lux-Modellbau
Model Railroad Solutions, importer
1195 Velrose Dr.
Kelowna, B. C., Canada V1X 6R7
www.mrsonline.net

Description:
Ready-to-install wheel cleaner

Features:
Powered wheel cleaning action
Faulhaber motor