Does anyone know what the average weight should be for a 30’ N scale boxcar, and a 40’ N scale grain car is?
Thanx
Ben R.
0.5 ounce + 0.15 ounce per inch of length
The lead weights on the market come in 0.25 ounce segments - a nice number, but with a problem. The NMRA recommended formula of 0.5 oz + .15 oz / in may not come out right on a multiple of .25 oz.
I use a slightly different formula: 0.5 oz + 0.2 oz / in, as well as the NMRA version. Then comparing the result of the two methods, if the nearest multiple of .25 oz falls in between, then it’s a perfect fit. If not, I select a the next higher multiple of .25 oz. I believe it is better to round up, rather than have an underweight car.
Remember, the difference is less than a quarter ounce.
I hope this approach works for you.
– Tom –
Use pennies, they’re cheaper than lead, as for weighing buy a cheap postal scale or get friendly with your local postmaster.
A postal scale that reads in Tenths of an ounce costs 40.00 from the PO. It is a very nice scale. Link to scales:
http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productCategory.jsp?prodCatCursor=8&passFlag=2&fromSearch=yes
Saldana