Just a note for those concerned about lead toxicity: The strips of 1/2oz adhesive wheel weights can be had lead free.
Regards, Peter
Thank you Peter, I wasn’t really worried about it[:)] Lead or not, I’ve ran across so much lead, asbestos, and other crap in high-volume all my life that it’s no wonder I ain’t dead yet[(-D][:-^]… knock on wood! With that, I’m going to go put on some Led Zeppelin[Y]
I buy micro trains freight cars. They are all weighted correctly… Unlike the waiter I had at the restaurant the other night that did not get his 20%, he did not wait me correctly… I’ve been known to go 25-35 if they’re good[swg]
TF
Yes they do. It doesn’t matter your geographical location, if you don’t want the roof to leak around a chinmey, it needs to be flashed.
It doesn’t matter what type of roofing is used, slate, asphalt or/and fiberglass shingles, wood shakes, or thatching, a chimney, along with any pipe or structure that penetrates a roof, needs to be flashed.
Mike.
Yes, Tuckpointing, No?
TF
Plumbing vent penetration through the roof, we’re back to lead. The compressed lead boots last the longest! The rubber slip-on ones… Ahhh No[swg]
The main reason to add weight to rolling stock is to improve its performance, especially relative to keeping it on the track and preventing derails. To this end, NMRA has established their Recommended Practice RP 20.1 to provide guidelines to optimum car weight. In the first place, it is important to note that there is nothing particularly scientific about this RP; it was mainly established based on empirical operating experience and what seemed to work well, in regards to rollability and trackability. In the second place, RP 20.1 is only a RECOMMENDATION; it is not a minimum or maximum or a mandate, merely guidance as to what might work well. As with most things, YMMV (your mileage may vary). Just for fun, do a web search on “NMRA 20.1 Car weight” and check out some of the spirited discussion on this topic.
In the third place, in modelling as in prototype, the locomotive must pull the cars, and the heavier the cars, the more work the locomotive has to do. Keep in mind that heavier cars translates to more load on the locomotive’s power train. Not only up and down grades, but also around curves and through turnouts and crossovers. Also bear in mind that unlike prototypes, model railroad rolling stock have no brakes. So a long train of heavy cars may actually run-away on a down grade.
In my own experience, approaching but not exceeding the optimum weight (±¼ ounce) has worked well. I typically use adhesive-backed stick-on weights available in most hobby stores. (Harbor Freight offers a 12 oz package of ¼ ounce stick-on steel (Fe) wheel weights for $8.99.) I have also found a similar weight in ½ ounce size. With most cars, there is usually a way to easily separate the molded shell to conceal the weights inside, without distressing the car body or its features. As s