Piko 37720, G-Scale track cleaning car

The spring is finally here and I was able to start my garden trains season now. One preparation step I've done before that was buying a track cleaning car to make my life a little bit easier after the winter. I did have high hopes for the product I picked considering it was not cheap at all...

The item I'm describing is Piko 37720. I've chosen it for two reasons:

• The similar offer from LGB requires usage of one of their narrow gauge cars which is something I'm not interested in.
• The Piko model is a nice piece of rolling stock overall and it can be used beyond its cleaning function.

Opening the box reveals exactly what I've ordered - a bright yellow tarp covered freight car (with some German labels).

The content of the package:

• the freight car itself
• a set of alternative buffers
• a user manual

There are also some details included and those were not immediately visible upon opening the box. There are six of those when only four are required. Does that suggest they can get lost easily? Don't think so - once installed they're very difficult to remove.

The manual describes the model itself, including the process of replacing the buffers...

...as well as the usage of the track polishing function.

The cleaning elements - the felt pads and the fluid - are delivered inside the car. Piko has provided two pads even though only one is used at a time.

The underframe of the car features a plate the felt sticks onto. It's very easy to apply and remove a pad.

The plate is not screwed tight and at the same time it offers some weight. This way it always presses the rails with a noticeable but not excessive force.

The cleaning plate can be removed completely which turns the track polishing car into a regular piece of rolling stock.

And this is what the model looks like without the cleaning functionality.

It looks good! Of course it's just a standard freight car with a tarp cover but the amount of details is very satisfying and obviously - I love the vivid colors. The wheels are made of plastic which was to be expected. I do not like the German text labels that much but the choice is understandable considering where the biggest Piko's market is.

OK, but does it work? Well, I've waited with this review until the season start just to be able to answer this question. I expected the layout to be extremely dirty after the winter and assumed these would be the perfect conditions for a test.

I was both right and wrong. To my surprise the layout's condition was not really that bad and my locomotive was able to run over most of my track. But there was one place - and that was inside a tunnel - where the train was having a lot of difficulties.

I ran the car through that tunnel around a dozen of times and the area became clean and the train started running smoothly. At the same time the cleaning pad became dirty. So, yes, it works.

It's difficult to judge the efficiency of this cleaning method. I do have a feeling I could get the tunnel part working quicker if I polished the track manually. But doing so would require me to go onto the layout and actually reach the problematic area with my hands. It's easier to simply run a train there, even if it takes more time.

The car has also some minor issues when the cleaning pad is installed. It does have some problems going over the Piko rerailer track and it definitely cannot pass over the Piko electric switch. But besides that, it performs very, very well and gets the job done.