Fleischmann Switches / Points
Any ideas on what to use and how to clean points on a switch? I am losing electrical conductivity on some switches when the points are thrown in the direction of travel. Thanks.

FLM Profi points are very lightly sprung - make sure that the springs are doing their job & clean the contact areas lightly with a fibreglass pencil. That should cure the problem, make sure that you wear latex gloves and safety glasses to prevent fibreglass splinters entering the skin/eyes.

You really should prevent this problem from showing up by soldering leads from the rails to the tongues and then use an electrical switch to feed the "frog". See instructions here. Cheers Olle

Hi Herb, You really shouldn't need to do any soldering. The points should come with two wire clips (that look like a paper staple) that bridge the electrical current onto the switch blades. Check out fleischmann's description on this page: http://www.fleischmann.de/?pid=2433 clean the contact areas lightly with a fibreglass pencil Avoid abrasive cleaning methods as this will cause greater soiling in the future. Why not try an electrical contact cleaner (make sure it is plastic safe) from your local hardware store? Cheers, JC.