In case you are not aware of who Micro-Mark is, in their words, 'Micro-Mark is THE mail-order source for hard-to-find tools and supplies for any profession or hobby that requires the use of specialized precision miniature tools.' This is very true. Their catalog is very extensive. I also have to say I would highly recommend them. Their customer service is top notch. Questions that came up during my writing and testing of this product were quickly answered.

In this session, I will review my experiences with 1 of the 2 tools I recently purchased from Micro-Mark. The HO Track Cleaner. In up coming Tips & Tricks update, I will review the Microlux Multi Scroll Saw.

HO Track Cleaner Part # 82992

To be honest, I was not sure why I bought this item. I was using a Roco 10002 track cleaning block which I really had no issues with. But I had just ordered a scroll saw from Micro-Mark 2 days earlier and I happened to see this on the back page of the catalog and thought to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did. The head is a hard rubber like material, similar to a Brite Boy. You do have to assemble the head to the end pole using a large flat blade screw driver. (The cleaner kit comes with a couple of handle extensions, which are screwed onto the handle as needed.) Now you're ready to clean track. For me, within the first few seconds I knew my Roco cleaner was going to be retired. This cleaner cleaned my dirty track with little effort. It flowed with the track and best of all, there was no residue to clean up afterwards. Unless I slipped, it did not mess up any of my ballast. As soon as I ran cleaner over my track, I was running trains. I then used it at the Great American Train Show on the club layout. The results were even better! While trains were running, I could clean track that became dirty without shutting down or worrying about cleaning residue. I could actually, and DID, clean the track right in front of running trains with no problem. One of our club members asked about head replacements, if the head wore down. Since I had not seen anything in the catalog about this, I asked Micro-Mark about it. They replied to all of my questions very quickly. At first, I was informed that replacement heads were not available saying, 'We have never experienced the head getting clogged, however, if you have experienced residue forming, we would recommend using a file to clean the head'.
Note: A later E-mail from Micro-Mark informed me that they do have replacement parts for the track cleaners.
Since originally they did not have replacement heads available, I decided to see how long the head of the cleaner might last. For my test, I took the head off and used 'back' side of the cleaner. I grabbed my coupler test track and ran the cleaner across the track very fast and very hard. So hard that I almost burned my hand on the track it got so hot! I did this for about a minute, 5 times.

The pictures below speak for themselves.

Here is the cleaner brand new.

The cleaner after the test was complete.

As you can see under normal usage the head should last a long time. Although there is some gouging on both sides, it's not likely you'll ever abuse it the way I did!

The track cleaner is also available in O, N and G scales. The cost of the cleaners range from $18.95 to $27.95 depending on the scale you need.

As replacement parts are not shown the web site, Micro-Mark provided me with the following information;
You can call them at (800) 225-1066 or write to them with the part numbers below. I suspect you can also order extra extension rods if needed too.
N scale head #83076 for $5.95
HO scale head #83075 for $8.95
O scale head #83077 for $10.95
G scale head #83078 for $16.95
The G scale version even comes with an extra extension piece so you can clean track while walking around your track.

Overall results.

Pros 1. No mess to clean up after cleaning your track. 2. It will last a very LONG time. 3. Extension handle lets you get to hard to reach places like tunnels and bridges with ease.

Cons 1. Didn't buy it sooner. 2. Would like to see a link on the web site for information as to how to order replacement parts.

In conclusion, I Give this product a rating of 10, an absolute must have item. I myself cannot see using anything else to clean my track in the future.