NMRA Weight Specs

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi all, Been looking around for a recommended weight spec’s list for Plastic model cars, so far have had no luck.
I recall MR mag. published one years ago. Is it still available… thanks…

2

Look at this link. You may find something while you dig around.
http://www.nmra.org/

3

Here is the NMRA specs:

http://www.nmra.org/standards/rp-20_1.html

Basically the ‘RP’ wants 1 ounce, plus 1/2 ounce for each inch of car length(HO). A 40’ box car is 6" long, so 1 + (6 X .5) = 4 ounces. Most HO cars are very light(2 1/2 ounces is typical). As you can see, the weight increases with the overall length. They key is that all of your cars should weigh the same in ‘proportion’. All of my cars are weighted as close to these numbers as possible(flat cars are real tough to weight), and I use metal wheel sets in all of my cars. Operation is excellent, and the cars roll so much better with some ‘mass’ built into them. Of course I may not be able to pull as many cars, but that is just an excuse for more engines!

Jim

4

Thanks Jeff… Found exactly what I was looking for there. Although you have to poke around a bit to get to it…

5

Thanks for the link. I’ll add it to my library.

6

Many thanks Jim… I found that page and it’s just what I wanted.
I recall, years ago MR published a calculated list in their Mag. which I used to subscribe to. it was very handy and I used it all the time. Somehow I seem to have misplaced it… thanks again, all.