how do i put weight in rtr tank cars

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I am making an oil loading depot.And i am backing three and four cars at a time.The weight of these ready to run cars is not good.How do i weight them down to make them back threw turn outs without derailing… Thanks for the help R.E.lucas Tpa. Fla.

2

It sounds like you have some bad track. You might want to check the switches themselves. Sometimes some filing of the points will help. If these cars run fine on the rest of your layout, then you have a bad spot in your track. Look at ALL your joints and switches, and file down any sharp edges. If that fails, get an NMRA track gauge, and check the rail spacing. Also, your wheelsets on the car might be out of gauge. This is easy to fix, just get the aforementioned NMRA gauge, and adjust the wheels by twisting and turning them on the axle. (This is assuming that you have trucks with plastic wheels and steel axles). If you have solid molded wheel/axles like some “train-set” equipment, you’ll have to replace the whole running gear on those cars.
As for adding weight to the cars, I’d suggest removing the “dome” from the tank car, drilling a 1/2 inch hole in the top and adding BB’s, then setting them in place with some “Elmers” type glue. Don’t put more than a few ounces of BB’s in though, you don’t want the cars to be “top-heavy”.
Todd C.

3

Hello. I think I have your cure. On the bottom take a drill bit and drill a hole, let say dead center or wherever is not noticable fill the car with a few ounces of bird shot lead, found at most hunting places. fill the hole with whatever works. If it is hidden you could even use clear window caulk, found at any hardware store.

You’ll want to lightly shake car to center the weight before putting it on the tracks, and after any future derailments you may have.

4

If you model in HO, the more likely culprits are

  1. truck-mounted couplers or 2) the so-called “NMRA” couplers. Either one can cause a derailment when backing. Convert to body-mounted Kadees and the problem will most likely disappear. If you model in N, again, the issue may be truck-mounted couplers. I would not try solving the problem with weights unless it is the last resort.

John Timm