Twigs for my backyard used as log loads. Not on cars here because I kept a small supply of logs in a box on layout fascia, sent empty cars to reload point and dropped in "live loads". Log bunks allowed logs to be loaded without chains etc. to model the loaded part of the move. Actually loaded and unloaded the cars.
Santa Fe sulphur gondolas (I spell "sulphur" the Old way, because that was the spelling used by the industry and by Santa Fe when these cars were in use. Before it was simplified to "sulfur.") Loads made from floral foam cut to fit custom-built cars, painted with yellow tempera paint mixed from powder, then sprinkled while wet with dry powdered tempera paint to give loose appearance as it soaks up moisture from underneath to set. Loop of very thin wire at end of each load to make removal easy when car is delivered to sulphur export terminal at Karankawa, my version of Galveston.
I wonder if a person could find small enough chain, cheaply, in any dollar store- If they have any costume jewelry?
Here are a few more. The first one I got the idea for after seeing an 89 ft flat car one evening with 3 of these post office LLV vehicles on it in a NB train on the coast line in Santa Clara, CA. The other two loads with U-Haul trailers has no prototype reference that I know of. Seen lots of them being dead headed on flat bed trailers but never on a railroad flat car. Apologies for the letter boxes in the photos, I was selling the vehicles on ebay for awhile and these photos were ones used in the listings.
The article has limited application for N. For large loads with big footprints the magnet method will work. However the magnets used in the article are a scale 1.75 feet wide in N. If you have a load with a small footprint, like a round boiler or storage tank on its side, a vehicle with small wheels, or anything resting on struts the exposed magnets would look like manhole covers under the load.
Alkem Scale Models also has a line of HO etched brass tie downs and turnbuckles that might be useful for really big load in n scale: http://www.alkemscalemodels.com/
Concrete square box culverts sections from the caps found on certain "flavors" of Elmer's Super Glue. Inset photo- another variety of Elmer's Super Glue has caps that look like concrete imitation castle towers that might be entrance to a kiddy park or part of a miniature golf course. More limited possibilities.
SP&S in the early years was always short of cars to carry wood chips. So they took some early smaller wood boxcars, removed the roof, added some top board extensions and a wood chip car was born. My rendition from some undec. MT cars. SP&S boxcar converted to woodchip service. by John Moore posted May 28, 2006 at 6:30 PM While the load does not show there is some indication of what this unusual car hauls. The left overs from the distilling and brewing processes from both the brewery and the distillery to be turned into animal feed. Drop bottom gondola and parts from the parts box plus some styrene. IBCS drop bottom covered gondola. by John Moore posted May 28, 2006 at 5:52 PM An yet another series of homemade cars this time pulpwood cars. The logs are made from Azalea bush trimmings. The twigs make excellent logs due to their bark texture.
And here are a few more, I didn't realize I had this many ! The idea to put a Wheels of Time LATL bus on a flat car came from page 90 in the book "Pacific Electric In Color, Volume II" which has a photo showing just a glimpse of a similar bus inside a automobile box car. This was another load inspired by a photo in a book. The book was "Southern Pacific Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment, Volume I". Page 41 has a photo with 9 cab over tractors on an 89 ft flat car. I got 5 of the Athearn C cab tractors on my 50 ft flat car. After following the link in Phillip's post to the Alkem Scale Models website, I noticed some of the prototype photos with a similar type of load and remembered I had one like that. This I purchased from one of the local guys who was making and selling them. I think he used the same type of chains as I did on my M5 Stuart tank loads.
I got the Elmer's Super Glue at my neighborhood supermarket, H-E-B Food and Drugs. Very limited on "hobby supplies".... but open daily 6AM to 12 midnight.
Santa Fe FT-V pulpwood rack car. 53'6" car kitbashed from 2 Atlas 50' flatcars with scratchbuilt dihedral deck. (Tilting toward center from both sides). Precision Masters bulkhead ends. The pulpwood load is reed floral stuff from the crafts store. Removable. (Not as good as the azalea twigs shown earlier by John Moore, SP&S.) Attempt to replicate prototype car photographed at Conroe, Texas ca 1980. On old layout...
Unfortunately not. It's not elsewhere, either; many have tried. Jewelry styles are generally made to lie flat and typically are not made simply like common industrial chain is made. Jewelry chains (cheap or expensive) also have their requirements for minimal strength so they're not fine enough for N scale purposes. In fact, I'd like to see the machine that does the 25 links/inch.
Another old photo from a few years back. It is a generator mounted on a skid for the logging camp that the plans for came out of I believe Timber Times. The small flatcar is also scratch built with sections of Z scale rail set into the deck. Also note that there small chain in the eyes on all four corners of the skid. A number of small fittings that can be used on other projects can be found with ship building supplies especially chain in different sizes. Brass chain can be chemically darkened but there are some brands that come as a dark colored chain not needing anything but a rust treatment again looking to the ship modeler supplies for the sources. The chain from those sources is often of a smaller scale than what may be found at some craft stores. On a sled or skid to be moved by donkey engine or rail flatcar. by John Moore posted Jun 25, 2006 at 3:57 PM A small Fordson tractor that had a front bucket added and a rear scraper blade mouted on a short 34 foot flatcar. Tractor on flatcar SP&S by John Moore posted May 31, 2006 at 5:48 PM And a flatcar that had a two deck framework structure added for the bridge and building gang given a top platform the work off of and space to store materials and a speeder. Bridge and Building Crew Rack and material car by John Moore posted May 31, 2006 at 6:03 PM
Nothing special. Just a "live load" with fine ballast at a gravel pit loading site in the woods. I built the loader with the idea I could pour ballast in the hopper and it would run down to fill the car just like the prototype. Didn't work all that that, so I kept ballast in a little dedicated cardboard can with a lid (leftover from individual serving snack chips) and pour ballast in car to load it. When car went to staging representing destination, I tumped its load back into the can to make the car an empty for return trip.
