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Which Model Railway Track Cleaner is Best? CMX vs Woodland Scenics vs NEW Gaugemaster Product!

Dean Park Model Railway

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Weclome to Dean Park Model Railway and a very important brand new product test to help with your model railway track cleaning.

Featuring products from Woodland Scenics, CMX Track cleaning wagon and Gaugemaster Track Cleaner Pen.

Keeping your model railway track clean is essential for reliable running, but with so many products available, which one actually delivers the best results? In this video from Dean Park Model Railway, I put four popular track cleaning tools to the test to find out.

Featured in this comparison are the CMX Track Cleaning Wagon, the Woodland Scenics Tidy Track Rail Tracker, the Woodland Scenics Rail Pal, and the brand-new Gaugemaster Track Cleaner Pen. Each product is tested on the layout to see how well it removes dirt, improves electrical contact, and restores smooth locomotive performance.

Rather than relying on claims or first impressions, I compare how easy each product is to use, how effective it is at cleaning the rails, and whether it's worth adding to your maintenance routine. From traditional cleaning methods to the latest innovation from Gaugemaster, you'll see the strengths and weaknesses of each before I reveal my overall verdict.

If you're wondering which track cleaner offers the best value and performance for your railway, this video should help you decide. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your own experiences with these products in the comments. I'd love to hear which track cleaner you trust most on your layout.

20 Comments

@Proper_Chuffed 2 months ago

Super comparison video David, I am absolutely sold on a CMX now 😂

@Quince828 2 months ago

Thanks for this comparison. Not all the products are easily available here but there’s so much controversy online about the best way to clean track it’s good to have an evaluation of the commercial products.

@OOElectronics 1 month ago

A lot of my track is out of easy reach. I use the Sharge which as noted is similar to the CMX. I also use the old Triang track cleaning vehicle and have added weight to it. As your tests tend to confirm, fluid is really needed to be effective especially if the operation is remote where pressure by hand cannot be applied. I also use the Dapol cleaning vehicle. It isn't great at rail cleaning but the vacuum cleaner function is effective as is evidenced by the waste bin on it. I use a radio controlled loco to haul it so the track power can be on full to max out the vacuum function but allowing the speed to be low which is the best operating condition. Great video.

@TATICMOOR 1 month ago

Yep, depending on your track planning and scenic areas will determine which or a combination of cleaning products you use. Also the cleaning solution used is important on how it breaks down the dirt. I've used the old Hornby/Triang box van version with a pad attached and dripped soaked with IPA, along with a track rubber that I only use on the harder visible dirt I can see. I do plan to modify the box van with a magnetic roof, and a tank inside filled with IPA, and a breathing hole so it flows smoothly. Then possibly enough weight (2x 10gm tyre weights) to keep it pushing down on the tracks. I do find the track rubbers harsh on the rails, but it can be replaced by the finer grit papers wrapped around it instead. The Hornby Anne/Clarabel coach type cleaner with grit skids would be similar, but weight would need adding to it. Though IPA on a cloth wipped over the rails regularly should keep them clean enough to run your trains.

@martinroberts2811 2 months ago

I model in 0gauge and CMX for me is the best like you I'm glad I bought when I did

@coreygreen4645 3 weeks ago

Hi David this video was very helpful, I have two ways of cleaning my track I use the old peco rubbers or my union Pacific cleaning wagon from walthers which has a spring loaded rubber on it and I use my biggest loco to push it around my layout to clean the track.
Cheers from Corey G in Australia.

@Modelrailwaysaroundtheworld 2 months ago

Hi Dave excellent video I recommend the cmx have on since 2015 cost 99 dollars from the US but save a huge amount of work I also have used cotton buds with small amount of white spirits with no issues or damage to track being do this since 2013 . Gonna give the woodlands scenic tidy rail tracker a go cause starting to put in bridges once again great video and always enjoy the channel all the best modelrailwaysaroundtgeworld YouTube channel 👍

@JimSmith-d9t 2 months ago

Very informative and useful. I have a Sharge tank, similar to the CMX unit, but cheaper and made in Scotland! The good old Peco rubber does still have a use though - specifically after painting track and ballasting, when a bit of abrasion is needed.

@Madonsteamrailways 2 months ago

That Class 37 sounds gorgeous!! All my digital sound locomotives and multiple units are steam and diesel. Mostly steam!!

@LeicestertmdGary 2 months ago (edited)

Nice one, dave great to see that other cleaning products are available on the market 👌 if you like me £300 is a chunk of money for most people but on the other hand cleaning tracks is just as important as buying sound locos 😊 thanks for sharing this one david. At the minute, i use a gaugemaster polishing block and IPA on a rag

@rodericfindlay4147 2 months ago

Nice job. Very useful comparisons and sensible summing up at the end. That is all very helpful. Thank you.

@St-Ives-Junction 2 months ago

Useful video, thanks for sharing 👍

@ianferguson256 2 months ago

Brilliant video 👍

@cedarcam 2 months ago

I use meths to clean the track, it quickly dries and leaves no film on the rails. I have an Ultra Clean wagon which was made by Lima, it has a felt pad which I soak and like the CMX can clean the whole layout including tunnels. I also have a 10 commandments track cleaning wagon which has a pad for each rail and that works well too, with the advantage of not rubbing paint off AWS ramps. The Peco track rubber is still used for heavy cleaning after rail painting. We went to Crewe works to collect some equipment and thinking they would have some good industrial cleaner I asked what they used on the electrical contactors. The reply was Meths and I have used it ever since.

@Micheal-n9i 2 months ago

Interesting comparison of track cleaning methods. I started off many years ago using the old faithful track rubber. Having a number of long tunnels on my layout, I found tack cleaning difficult. In view of this I opted to purchase the TMX track cleaning truck, probably 20 odd years ago, which cost around £60.00. at the time. Probably the best investment I ever made, even at the price. I have always used Isopropanol, which I think was recommended by the manufacturer. I have found this the ideal cleaning agent. Cleaning the track perfectly and leaving the track dry after application. I also found pushing the cleaning truck rather then pulling it as I found this also nicely cleans the locomotive wheels. I have found the class 20 makes an ideal track cleaning locomotive. hope this info helps. Cheers Mike

@vivianhughes9347 2 months ago (edited)

I haven't used IPA for rail cleaning for years, as it is polar and you have to keep cleaning time after time! I use an electrical contact cleaner such as WD40 Specialist Contact Cleaner - NOT THE "NORMAL" WD40. Spray a small bit onto a soft cotton cloth wrapped around the forefinger. For tunnels etc make your own pad on a stick using squares of supermarket spongy cloths. Rails keep clean for months on end.

@1701_FyldeFlyer 2 months ago

I use a 'Sharge' which is similar to the CMX but a lot cheaper at half the price and, looked more like a tanker wagon. Made in Scotland, the website for Sharge seems to have disappeared and looks like they may have stopped making them due to poor sales, which is a shame.
I also use a GaugeMaster jumbo track rubber that actually is made of a rubber compound , doesn't scratch the railhead. nor leaves tiny particles on your layout. It doesn't smell either!
Although GM say the dirt is absorbed into the rubber compound, I like to clean its surfaces from time to time with a little IPA and a cloth as some of the dirt does seem to sit on the surface and I don't want to smear this over the track.

@daviemaclean61 2 months ago

A good review of all the different methods. I might pick up one of those pens next time I see one. Though I must admit my track only gets cleaned when trains stop running! My bad! Cheers

@andrewstevenson5449 2 months ago

Excellent comparison, Dave, thanks. Slight concern with that Gaugemaster pen thing is that the spongey applicator is going to get so dirty over time, that it's going to end up spreading muck. I think there'll always be a place for track rubbers for stubborn filth, especially if you've not run your layout for a while. I got one of the DCC Concepts ones when they came out: don't know if Layout Concepts are still doing them: it's effective, yet feels less aggressive than the Peco rubber.
Many years ago we had one of the OO/HO LUX vacuum cleaners (so similar to the Dapol vacuum cleaner that I wonder if they're the same), which was great at picking up Peco rubber crumbs, mice droppings, loose ballast, odd tiny screws, dust etc, and worked everywhere on the (then large) layout.
I'm now building a much smaller TT layout, and when I saw an offer on the trio of the LUX vacuum wagon, track-rubbing wagon, and motorised wheel cleaner for TT, I couldn't resist. The layout isn't operational yet, so can't comment on how well they operate, but note that the two wagons are motion-activated, and the wheel cleaner can be fitted with its own DCC decoder. Charlie at Chadwick and McKinley both use the motorised wheel cleaner for their OO layouts. The LUX set of three make the CMX seem cheap, but of course you're getting far more.

@rcav8r2 2 months ago

I am relatively new to all this, but I clean my medium sized N-scale layout with a small block of 1x3 ( soft pine lumber) . With nothing to support it, I just don't like anything that will scratch the track, nor any liquid that may leave a residue and attract dirt. When the block gets covered with grime, I just run it on a sanding belt and good as new. So far it seems to be working just fine. When the block gets covered with grime, I just run it on a sanding belt and good as new.