Who makes the best track rubber?
Model railways can be dirty places, just like the real thing. Oil, grease, dust, moisture, paints and glues all lurk in and around our tracks. Locomotives and rolling stock also have a habit of depositing particles of dirt on the rails. A track-cleaning block, or ‘rubber’, offers the simplest solution, although they inevitably leave behind a dusty, gritty deposit that needs to be brushed or, preferably, vacuumed away. Rub the block gently over the tracks, taking care not to damage delicate details, including point blades.
PECO
Cheap, easy to use and made from a tough material, a light rub along the heads of your rails will remove even the most stubborn deposits from any gauge of track. It does leave a fair amount of debris in its wake though, a problem that increases with the age of the rubber. Peco recommend that rails are wiped with a little Power Lube (Ref. PL-64) following burnishing with the rubber to maximise electrical contact and reduce tarnishing. Product code: PL-41 Price: £3.75 Availability: Peco stockists
DOGA
Produced for the Double O Gauge Association (DOGA), this has plenty of abrasive power and sheds less debris than Peco’s version. Designed for 4mm scale use, it’s also suitable for other gauges, although the larger size makes use on ‘N’ gauge layouts a little tricky. The block loses its ‘rubbery’ nature after a couple of years, but performance does not dip appreciably. Members of DOGA get a discount on the cost, so maybe it’s time you joined! Product code: N/A Price: £4.80 (£3.80 to members) Availability: www.doubleogauge.com
GAUGEMASTER
Available in large and small sizes, Gaugemaster’s offering also boasts impressive performance. Like others, it sheds debris when you use it, but the fairly aggressive grade of abrasive makes easy work of the most stubborn dirt deposits, including dried paint and glue. The larger size offers a long lifetime and comfortable handling, but it also makes the rubber a bit cumbersome in tight areas, especially on small-scale layouts. Product code: GM26/27 Price: £3.25/£5.95 Availability: www.gaugemaster.com