It works, but be patient.
Having used the old track cleaner with its soft pad, and not being able to obtain the Hornby pads now, and using the substitute pads that are useless, i bought the new track cleaner from Hornby R296, and then saw on utube, it seems to be useless as well. So, when it came i thought well, lets try it, so i put it on the track, with a pannier tank to push it, and a brake van on the back, and sent it round the track, and it derailed 3/4 of the way round. So, i put the loco at the front, and the brake van at the back, and watched it go round 3 times with out a problem, set the alarm for 1 hour and left it. When i came back, it was still going round, so i stopped it, and looked through a magnifier glass at the pads and i could see that it had worked, then looked at the rails, and they were shiny, so it works, but takes its time.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned