Now that I'm getting back into my modeling a bit more regularly I've been wondering about car weight. I've checked the NMRA standards that recommend .5oz per car plus .15oz per car inch in length. However, and not wishing to start another debate bout the merits of standards, what's been your experience of the practical application of this?
It's in the right ballpark, but at the 80% range-ish. Ya know, I've found that your hand is just about as good as a postal scale. Pick up the car, and wave it around. Can you feel the weight? It's good enough. You can go down a bunch of cars and fix all of them in a few minutes. If you put a pique (usually a bamboo skewer) into your MT couplers to uncouple and the other end of the car derails, your car is too light.
Personal Standard I use 0.8 to 0.9 ounces for all cars, regardless of length. That seemed to work better for me on my trackwork. I "tested" it by backing 40-50 cars through a 180 degree, 24 inch radius curve. I also do H0 scale and I do use the NMRA standards on that scale. [edit 1] I do use a postal scale.
I recently weighted my remaining cars. A few of us tried the "hand wave" method and we were way off. The theory is that the oz per inch lends consistency and reduces a heavy car pushing a lighter one off the track. I bought a $16 postal scale.The digital ones at $40-80 are a bit of overkill, since I don't think the oz per inch has to be absolutely perfect. I shoot for the NMRA range, but never accept less than an oz of weight, even on shorter cars. In my experience, just a little bit of extra weight really does reduce derailments. However, I have to curb my tendency to overdo it. If you weight a 25 car train, even just to NMRA standards, and try to push it with your hand, you can feel the difference in the overall heft! That may not be a problem with flat grades, but it does tax your motors and may shorten their life if they think they are always pulling uphill!
1 oz. per car regardless of length. It seems easier to figure and get the right amount of weight. I use a Postal scale. I use fishing weights flattened and super glued over the trucks. If a car is close to 1 oz. when first put on the scale..."close enough is good enough" .
Thanks for all the practical suggestions. I have a good set of digital scales I can use to check the weight and a ready supply lead from some figure casting I can use to add any required additional weight.
Oh no, I'll have to get a postal scale now. Odd, but I can pull 100 car trains around the mountainous layout at the club and cars weighed by hand work just fine. Oh well. :mtongue:
Another approach is what I do: Simply add weight to match what MicroTrains cars already weigh. This is consistant, and cuts down on extra weight being hauled around. I have to add weight to Atlas cars and some others. I have no grades and my c55 trackwork is usually pretty good.
Tony and all tuned in, I've used the hand wave method for HO and that seems to work fine. I do pretty good with the hand wave but I will always double check my postal scale to see if my perception is within the ball park. Grin! For N scale, I'm a bit off so I've learned to use a postal scale. I keep my 40 foot freight cars at .8 to 1 oz., graduating up as needed. The longer the car the more weight it requires. For example, my passenger cars I like to keep them at or about 1.8 to 2 oz's.. The key here is to remember more weight simply adds more drag, which means or translates less train cars in a consist and/or more locomotives tied in on the point. In HO, along time ago, I went through weighting my cars. "If it won't stay on the track add more weight", was the mindset and thinking of the day. I was clearly under the impression that more weight meant better running cars. When the real problem or problems had more to do with my track work or properly gauged wheel sets. Said another way: Properly gauged track and wheel sets, plus ironing out the odd kinks and angles in the track will improve performance significantly. I also learned that keeping my train cars at a standard weight added to the overall performance. On my N Scale home layout, I discovered to my delight one locomotive will pull 10 - 15 freight cars or 10 passenger cars up my 2% grades, around 18 inch radius curves. You need to know, this is with properly weighted train cars running on MTL or Kato wheel sets. The rule of thumb on the layout is a locomotive must pull, a minimum of 10 train cars, up the grades or it gets sold off, torched or scrapped for parts. Preferably... without traction tires but that's another issue for another time and thread. Summary: Adding more weight is not the solution to the problem. Then what is the solution? It's double checking the gauge of your track work and wheel sets and ironing out those odd kinks and angles of your track. Wider curves might be applicable here as well. That should cover it.
But the new Atlas cars, at least the fishbelly and offset side hoppers have a cast frame and outwweigh the MT cars. I'm getting weights of .6 oz [20g] for the Atlas vs .4 oz. [11g] for the Mt's. These are still less than the NMRA recommendation of .8 ounces.
Tony, Tell your wife that you need to watch your weight, and you need a scale to weigh pasta, etc. to not eat so much. I told my better half this, and it worked for weight control, and I use the scale all the time for weighing cars.
Harbor Freight sells a small digital scale for about $10.00. It's battery powered and will weigh up to 1 pound. It will fit inside a shirt pocket. I bought one and it is as accurate as my digital postal scale that cost $29.00 at Office Depot.
IMHO...As everyone continues to strive for things to be 'prototypical' in N Scale...using a 50 foot empty boxcar for instance...weight should be added until each car weighs roughly 500 pounds !!!! .
Must be that new math I keep hearing about. I get 0.546864 for a car weighing 70 tons. A car weighing 100 tons would scale down to .78125 ounces.
That is a good point, I guess I've got a few cast and other assorted odd freaky cars that are "too heavy" to my standard. Oh well, I sorta go for a 95% rule anyway. cool:
Must be my calculator I guess... 70 ton = 140000 lbs...divided by 160 = 875 lbs or 14000 ounces. 100 ton = 200000 lbs...divided by 160 = 1250 lbs or 20000 ounces. I thought I was being generous at 500 lbs tare weight...hmmmmm :tb-wacky: Math never was my strong point...LOL .
one loaded coal car at 1:1 scale = 263,000 lbs or 4,208,000 ounces 4,208,000 ounces divided by 160 (width) = 26,300 ounces divided by 160 (lenght) = 164.375 ounces divided by 160 (height) = 1.02734375 ounces
:tb-wacky: What does width, length and/or height have to do with it? Just curious. :tb-wacky: The 1:160 already scales all dimensions equally...JMO * Where is Pete when we need him...hehehehe .
For me here is my rule since I have a 2% grade and I run anything from steam to modern diesel. If I run modern diesel and I need it I will put some weight into my coal cars Atlas seem to need it. Now if I run steam and older two axle locos then I will put no weight in my coal cars. Most of my boxcars are already weight because they are almost all Micro Trains and so forth. If you wanna run long consists on a grade then I don't suggest putting to much weight in any cars because you will need to add more motive power and if you have a small layout then this will not work I hope my two cents helps somewhat.
Here is what I found on a model car site. It's the scale ratio cubed... So (1/160)^3 So.. Take your weight x 0.000000244140625 Weight would be Tons x 2000 x 16 to get to ounces. If you say an Empty car weighs 30 tons then: 30x2000x16=960000oz 960000oz x 0.000000244140625 = .234375 oz A Loaded car would be about 1 oz .... maybe I'm wrong.. who knows.. ~Ian
