Two quick questions:
I removed a running board from an Athearn boxcar and I want to fill the holes with a filler putty. Any recommendations on which one to buy?
I need to glue the weight to the floor of an Accurail three bay car. Any recommendation on which adhesive to buy?
Thanks!
The trouble Iāve had with various putty made for styrene is that you canāt overcome the shrinkage then it becomes a chore to level it off even after repeated applications.
When I fill holes in particularly thick sections such as an Athearn roof I like to make a tapered length of sprue then push it into place (figure out if the hole has a slight taper which it probably does) and push the piece of sprue in from the wider side of the hole, touch it lightly with liquid glue from the underside, trim it off and file then sand it flush. A very fine mill file and sanding sticks (like emery board) work best. I have a little heat gun thatās ideal for heating sprue and when it gets soft I give it a slight pull and it takes on an āhourglassā shape.
Iāve used Walthers Goo in the past but it will have a tendency to react with the plastic which is no good. The recent E6000 adhesive is pretty good at sticking weights without damaging the plastic:
Otherwise I use double-sided foam tape.
Good Luck, Ed
I use a similar method to Ed but finish off any gap with a smear of Tamiya Basic Putty, as the Bear should not be allowed near a heat gun!
As for affixing weights, I use a non-acid cure paintable caulk.
Cheers, the Bear 
.
The only thing I might add to Edās answer is that, if you use the right color sprue and are careful with stretching the taper, you might be able to avoid repainting the roof or sanding after the āplugsā are inserted into the roof holes.
Edās approach is probably the best. I would have used Testorās putty - mutiple coats because of shrinkage. I use an x-acto blade to apply the putty, in thin coats, as if no sanding was required. Yes, as mentioned by Ed, it requires a bit of time.
For the weights, I use silicone.
Simon
To avoid shrinkage, you could try using Milliput two-part putty. It does not shrink when it hardens. It sands to shape with ease.
Iāve used E6000 too. Itās pretty strong stuff!
I will answer your adhesive question. Beacon 527 is my go to adhesive for gluing metal weights to plastic floors. You can always find it in the craft aisle at Walmart.
Awesome, excellent set of tips and reports of past success! Hat tip to you all!
Many years ago, a fellow MRāer told me to remove the running board from my Athearn boxcar and fill with squadron putty & sand.+ paint. Sounded simple enough but I didnāt get around to itā¦ I like Edās approach to fill the hole with a shaped sprue, glue, file, sand, and paint. (Ed gave a more thorough description than I did). The boxcar roof was painted silver so I will need to repaint the roof. I do have a parts car that I can use for practice.
Two of the suggested adhesives (E-6000 and Beacon 527) are available at the local Walmart. Ed also suggested double sided tape, a duh moment for me, given that I have ready supply the train room. Iāll give the tape first shot and if that doesnāt work, Iāll buy one of the adhesives.
Thanks guys!
As to an adhesive, would hot glue attack the plastic? I think not but wouldnāt go on record with that thought. Whereas I use A-Line 1/4 oz weights I just use the attached double sticky tape.
Regards, Chris
Hot glue would not āattackā the plastic, but the heat might be sufficient to melt or warp the application area, particularly if the higher temperature setting were used. I also suspect the glue would start to harden before you could fully press the weight into position, so the bond might not be flat and thin. That said, the bond would have the essential characteristic needed for āsuccessā ā it would be flexible against shock.
It is possible that preheating the metal weight might allow easier final installation.
CM Shops and Detail Associates sell plugs for Athearn boxcar roof walks.
Maxman,
Can you tell me which search term you used? I canāt find the plugs in either store but maybe I am using the wrong search itemā¦
Thanks
Blockquote IDRick
Two quick questions:
I removed a running board from an Athearn boxcar and I want to fill the holes with a filler putty. Any recommendations on which one to buy?
I need to glue the weight to the floor of an Accurail three bay car. Any recommendation on which adhesive to buy?
Thanks!
For filler for the holes I would use BondoĀ® Glazing and spot putty
Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty, 00907ES, 4.5 oz, 1 Tube - Walmart.com
For adhesive for metal to plastic, I would use Aleeneās Tacky Glue
AleeneāsĀ® Always Ready Original Tacky Glue 4 fl oz, Premium All-Purpose Adhesive - Walmart.com
Good luck
Search term I used, drum roll please, was āroofwalk plugsā 
(You wil have to copy/paste the above to see them. That will eliminate the Pardon Our Interruption thing)
I have a couple sets of the CM shop items and I see that they are all made a little differently.
The items I have are for an Athearn wide vision caboose; a 50 foot boxcar; a 50 foot double door boxcar; and a 50 foot outside braced plug door boxcar. I presume that they may have had other flavors.
They are basically the same in that the āplugā is really a styrene rod and the instructions call for one to drill hole/insert, glue plug.
The difference between the sets is the way the external ends of the rods are formed. All are contoured to match the curvature. However if the existing hole is in a portion of the roof where there is no rib, the end of the plug is smooth. If the existing hole intersects with one of the roof ribs, the plug has a raised fillet that is supposed to match the missing portion of the rib. I believe that the intent is to eliminate any hand filing/shaping that would occur if one were to just stick a round sprue in the hole.
{pobably more than you wanted to know}
ps: youāll probably have to search for these thingsā¦not likely any local hobby stores will have these around.
Maxman,
You got me thereā¦ 
I did not look on ebay and was searching with a different order of terms on google. Interesting parts and have useful utility, but jeez, they are way overpriced when you factor in shipping. Thank you for providing the links.
I used āroofwalk plugsā as a search (microsoft Bing). The Ebay references were from the search result.
Those things may be pricey, but there is the trade off between convenience and the time it takes to do all the hand work. Kind of like flex track vs hand laid.
Oh, and the sample packages I have are marked 49 cents. Must be a supply/demand thing.
Maxman,
I agree that there is significant convenience to using the commercial plugs. May appeal to many MRāers.
For me, I have sprues just sitting around. No cost to try them on a practice car and perhaps learn a new skill (or not, as I am not as careful as other MRāers). Perhaps I will try the commercial ones if not satisfied with my work with sprues.
Thanks for the links and the heads up! Take care!