I’m 98% done (plus painting) constructing a Tichy 42’ flat car, a rather nice kit. I see it only will weigh 1.1 oz plus couplers (say 1.2 oz.). Before I decide to figure out how to add enough unseen weight to the car bottom to get to NMRA recommended range, thought I’d ask:
a) what commercially available loads do you like, that have enough dimensions to add some weight into the bottoms of the loads (if I don’t want to build my own loads from scratch)?
b) is there a way to attach loads non-permanently so they stay in place but do not mar the deck paint job?
Not a commercial load, but a simple load to build that will add weight. Buy a steel bar a little narrower than the car deck at the hardware store and cut it to lengths. Use stripwood to separate the layers. Under the bottom layer, extend a couple of pieces over the stake pocket holes and put a pin through the stripwood to hold the load in place.
Walther’s makes some flat car loads that are hollow (tarp covered loads) and can have weight glued inside them. As for keeping them in place you could use a magnet in each load and a steel washer(?) under the deck. You need to use the super magnets as they are very strong and hold thru the plastic deck.
Chooch makes nice-looking flat car loads thst are made of resin and fairly heft. I use two sided carpet tape to hold them on. If you get the clear kind, it doesn’t show very much when there is no load on the car. Just be careful-- the stuff holds like the dickens, and all you need is a small piece.
Buy, or better still, make a load which suits the car, then “attach” the load to the car the same way as was done on the real ones: with stakes, blocking, and dunnage.
For a flatcar, construct a suitable load to match the width of the deck, then, with the load in-place on the car, secure it with stakes fitted into the stake pockets. Carefully apply appropriate cement to secure the stakes to the load, and when the glue has fully set, simply lift the load and its attached stakes from the car. For a removeable one-piece load, add the stakes and any necessary blocking with the load on the car. As long as you apply the adhesive neatly, the load should be easily removeable. Mark the underside of the load or the interior of hollow loads indicating which car(s) it will fit. Some examples are shown below.
A load of rail:
The rail is old brass rail pulled from Atlas bridges, while the stakes and blocking are strip styrene. Ca holds the rails together, while lacquer thinner was used for the plastic-to-plastic joints.
These loads were built from strip and sheet styrene, and weigh very little. However, because of the cars’ deep side sills, there’s ample room for extra weight, and most of my flats and gondolas weigh in excess of 6oz.
As for holding loads in place, something else that’s useful is that gummy, amber-colored stuff you sometimes find various labels attached to things with. It’s tacky, but is designed to not mar or react with the surfaces it sticks to. You can salvage it from things you buy, for instance, I recycle it from under the label of those reusable plastic containers you buy various sliced lunch meats in. I wonder if there’s a commercial source for it?
In the MRR,issue,June 2012,there is a article, in Workshoptips,Make flatcar loads,that swap in and out,similar to Wayne’s work. Worth looking at for Idea’s…
I think you are referring to Bullfrog Snot. The sticky stuff that holds things together and peels off quite easily. Won’t swear to it as I don’t have any or have I used used any, but that is what I was told was the commercial equivalent to the stuff we find on so many things.
Maybe. Bullfrog Snot just seems like it is something thinner and less tacky than this sticker sticking-stuff. When the BS sets up, you wouldn’t want it grabbing onto the rails like this amber-colored stuff would.
Woodland Scenics Accent Cement would also work well to keep a load in place, yet leave it easily removeable. You apply it to the load (a couple of strategically-place dabs should do the trick) let it dry until it turns clear, then set it in place. It can be re-used several times before it loses its grip, then you simply roll it off using your finger and re-coat. I use it to position figures, but occasionally move them elsewhere for variety or to suit situations for photographic purposes.
No ideas on removeable loads, but I just built 3 of those Tichy flats myself. Mine will be used as “idler” flats at my carfloat terminal, so they won’t be carrying loads other than some “incidentals.”
For these cars, I added real wood decking. It’s wood siding from Northeast Scale Lumber, cut to size and stained with a couple of different colors of India Ink.
The Chrysler and the Checker are there for support. Between them stands lovely Rita, meter maid, who wasn’t steady enough on her feet until the glue set. The owner of the Chrysler will now learn that a few cents in the meter beats a few dollars for the parking fine.
The Tichy flat car comes with a white metal weight that goes between the two sides of the center beam. It doesn’t add much weight. I replaced it with three pieces of lead sheet .040 thick cut to the same shape as the weight. Its not a huge increase in weight but it does add something.
I also made loads out of the same lead sheet representing heavy steel plate. That added a lot of weight but getting the lead smooth was a real challenge. I’m still not quite satisfied with the appearance because there are still some irregularities in the plates.
There was a Workshop Tips feature a couple years ago where the load was mounted on a removable second deck. The deck was made from .020" styrene with a siding pattern, and was cut to fit exactly over the original deck. Small pegs glued into the four corner stake pockets fit into notches in the removable deck and hold it in place.
I seen this on another video where the person used an old covered hopper without trucks chained down to a flat car. the C.H. was extremely weathered and banged up as if it had been in a crash. otto
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