Don't use sandpaper!

I would NEVER use sandpaper or something similar. The surface of the wheels will become rough and catch any dirt even faster!

Never use sandpaper

Not sure where you would find rubber traction rings,  if you don't have any luck in the forums you may want to do a Google search and include the maker and model of your locomotive. 

Never use sandpaper or similar material on locomotive or rolling stock wheels. 

For a general cleaning I do the following:

1. Get yourself a cleaner that is safe for metal wheels.  There are many opinions on what to use to include rubbing alcohol, model railroad track/wheel cleaner, etc....   I use automotive electrical contact cleaner that is also safe for plastics. (Main rule of thumb is a chemical that is not corrosive or leaves a residue.  "Also make sure to follow safety procedures per the warning label"! )

2. Get a clean lint-free cleaning cloth and soak a large area, (near one edge), with cleaner. 

3. Lay the cloth flat on your test or main track.  

4. Take your locomotive and place it where one wheel-set is sitting on the cleaner soaked cleaning cloth.

5. Set the other wheel set on the track where it can receive power. (Make sure this area of track has been cleaned first and remains clean during this process) 

6. "Holding onto the locomotive", apply power so that the locomotive wheels spin at a high rate of speed.

7. After a few seconds, stop the power, and move the wheel-set you are cleaning to another area of the cleaning cloth making sure the area is soaked with cleaning solution. 

8. Repeat the process until you no longer see marks left on the cloth.

9. Turn the locomotive around and repeat the process for the remaining wheels. 

***If the locomotive wheels are extremely dirty, (no way you can get power for the steps above), you may need to manually clean the wheels with a cotton swab soaked in cleaning solution.  "Be sure no cotton residue remains on the wheels"

***Once the wheels are clean, be sure to clean your track, including new track, before running the locomotive. 

Frog Snot

You need some Frog Snot for those traction rings.

http://www.bullfrogsnot.com/faq.asp

Bernd

Is the loco 4 wheel drive?

Because you indicated that the loco has rubber traction tires, that usually means it is a four wheel drive loco.  These loco's did not have enough weight to allow the 4 wheels to provide the traction to move the loco let alone a train without the tire.  With later all wheel drive, weight has been added so the need for traction tires is minimized. 

The other issue with the locos that had traction tires is that they are designed to have the tire in place.  The wheel with the tire actually has a trench where the tire goes.   This trench is slightly smaller diameter than the non trenched wheels.  When the tire is not there, solid electrical contact with the track is lost.  The loco tends to rock back and forth and runs in a jerky manner. 

Beyond this explanation, the particulars of the tire need and location varies with the brand and vintage loco.  The Frog Snot mentioned above will work to replace the tire, but it has to be put on to the thickness of the tire it is replacing to minimize the electrical contact problems. 

The traction tires are still available if you want to go that route.  Another way is to add weight to the loco and replace the trenched wheels with a set of non trenched wheels.  Again, finding these parts will depend on the brand and vintage of the model. 

In some cases, the loco's electrical pick up is from non geared wheels.  In that case the only way to clean them is to remove then from the truck and use cleaning solution type mentioned in an earlier response.  In this case you grab the wheel to be cleaned with the wet cloth in one hand and rotate the other wheel manually.  Dirt and gunk will come off.  Oxidation may not.  The surface should shine when finished.  If it doesn't then you will have to use something to make it shine.  The axles and the wheel inside surfaces near the outer diameter also should be clean and shiny. 

Good luck,

Larry

Steam Locomotive Wheels

I have a special problem loco.  I am looking for solutions for its wheels.

Loco Wheels.

On diesels, cleaning drivers is the same as for cars. For steam, the only way to be sure is to set the engine upside down in a foam cradle, rig a way to power it and hold something against the drivers. (One way I did was to attach power wires to the non-drivers that pick up - with alligator clips. But that won't work on all engines.) I agree about keeping wheels and rails shiny. And on my layout, the use of graphite has not affected/effected that. In fact, once you clean those wheels and rails, the addition of graphite has helped tremendously. And what strikes me as funny, is that everything runs better with graphite. The discussion about the use of graphite on grades is over my head.