To make the job of wheel cleaning easier there are a few products that can be of help.

The cheapest way to clean wheels is to use cotton swabs and isopropanol or cleaning fluid (track cleaner). Wet the cotton swab with the cleaning fluid and rub it agains the wheel threads. Hold the opposite wheel on the same axle with your free hand. A service cradle, made of foam, is handy not to damage the model when it is upside down. Take great care of roof details, pantographs in particular. This method is cheap and effective, but time consuming.

Wheel cleaning track

Tomix makes a handy wheel cleaning device, which consists of a piece of Tomix 'Finetrack' trackwork (a 140 mm long straight section) with built-in wheel cleaning pads that are driven by a small motor. The traick is that you put cleaning fluid on the wheel cleaning pads, run your train or car on it, stop the train and turn on the motor that moves the cleaning pads. Now turn the wheel slowly (move about 5 millimetres / ¼ inch) and repeat. Move on until all wheel have been done. The cleaning track can be built into a layout, your hidden sidings / fiddleyard / staging is a good position for this useful piece of equipment.
If you have lighted coaches or cars with electrical pickup, it is wise to put in a little conducta lube on the wipers, to ensure good electrical contact.

Tomix wheel cleaning track
Peco service cradle Peco Electrolube
Tomix track and wheel cleaning fluid. Aerocar track cleaner


Products for wheel cleaning

• Cotton swabs: sold in supermarkets and all shops that sell body care products
• Service cradle: Made by Uhlenbrock or Peco. It's not too difficult to make your own out of soft foam.
• Wheel cleaning track: made by Tomix.
• Track / wheel cleaning fluid: made by Tomix, Aerocar and others. Do NOT use 'SR24', this stuff contains oil and leaves a film that attracts dirt.
• Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) : sold by chemist's and stores that deal in supplies for electronics workshops. VCR / tape / cassette head cleaner contains a great deal of isopropanol and is suitable for wheel cleaning.
• Conducta lube: is made by Aerocar and Peco (Electrolube). Also sold by Atlas and Bachmann under their own name. Kato oil could also be used.
  

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