Hi all,
Many years ago I got a tip to use pennies for weight in certain kinds of rolling stock, mainly boxcars and reefers so that’s what I like to do. The cost is right, usually $.20 a car, so I just glue together a stack of 10-pennies, which is an ounce and usually add 1-2 a car which so far has worked just fine. Anyone else do this as well?
Alvie
No, it’s a waste of money [D)]
That’s what I do. Cheapest weight option there is. Of course, it’s only good for closed cars. I started doing this when buildign Branchline box cars. Both the Yardmaster and Blueprint cars come with a pair of steel nuts for weight, but it’s not enough. Initially I tried getting more of the same nuts, however the typical quality found at the big box stores are very light weight and it took too may at too high a price to get the needed weight. That’s when I hit on pennies. I get the closest even number of pennies required and break them into even groups to distribute the weight evenly - don;t want the car to roll down the rails tilted to one side. For the Branchline cars this seems to take 10 pennies, so I make 2 stacks of 5 each, with CA. Once this dries, I then CA each stack next to the existing steel nut, centered on the floor.
–Randy
i still use old automobile wheel weight. i know the lead is toxic but i don’t lick my fingers or pick my nose while working with it. sheet lead like plumbers and roofers use is also handy if you can find any. it is easy to cut and shape.
charlie
I use to, bet there a few dollars in penny going around the layout as I type. But I got sick of super gluing my fingers together. [:)] I now use self sicking wheel weights, much easier to mount. I get mine from a friends shop, I give him a buck for a stick. That is 3 oz of weight.
One of the things I like about the wheel weighs, is I cut them so I can mount them on the underside of flat cars and gondolas.
Cuda Ken
Since I can’t buy any material cheaper than pennies to weight my cars, pennies it is! I used to cement them in place with CA but I later discovered that latex caulking works even better! No fear of gluing my fingers together either.
I use pennies whenever I can. I put the car, trucks, couplers on the scale and add pennies to get the right weight. For boxcars, I spread them them evenly over the floor and pour on white glue until they are just covered. The dried glue wedges them in place.
Enjoy
Paul
Well, given that pennies are worth 2 cents a piece in materials now, you might be better off using steel nuts or washers.
I use steel stick-on wheel weights. Got them from Wurth, a supplier of mine.
Didn’t cost me a cent.
Gordon
Well, the cars are worth more now!
Heh heh!
I use #8 or #9 shot & white/yellow glue, just cuz I have some on hand… Sticky weights if I need it in chunks.
Alvie, I think you are using “common cents”. … [2c] [swg]
I haven’ t experimented much with underweight cars ( and I do have plenty of them) I have bought a package of bar lead just for that purpose. I also have a postal scale that will get me close to the NMRA standard. I have aoready used some of it on a caboose I scratchuilt and it worked out just perfectly. I believe I used CA glue for the adhesive. I just cut a piece of the lead off and glued it to the frame inside the carbody.
I’ve use pennies in tank cars that need more weight. I dont glue them in, just use some wadded up paper at each end of of the open area inside the tank body to hold the pennies in place.
I use bird shot from a gun shop.
Rich
Yeah but the acquisition cost to you is always one cent.
Well, you just gave the LION an idea. Him has been using lead slugs from the print shop, but him needs not only weight by some offsets to hold up some circuit boards. Him will not use pennies but instead will use washers, then you can inject some caulk into the hole to lock them together and into place.
a ROARING good idea… I will let you know how it turns out!
I should use pennies seeing I have around $40.00 in a jar!
But,I’ll keep adding to the pennies till the jar is full then take 'em to one of those coin machines that counts the pennies for you and gives you a slip of paper to turn in at the store’s office for your green cash.
I’ll take that money and buy and add it to my monthly hobby budget.
See I keepmy change around until it’s too big to carry then take it to the counting machone. But pennies just aren’t worth the bulk. I always seem to have more despite using them as car weights.
If you get other weights for free, by all means, use them. But to get the weight of 10 pennies in lead or steel washers costs more than 10 cents! So lacking a ready source of free alternatives, I opt for the cheapest per pound. Heck, pennies are worth more than a penny in the metals used, but it’s illegal to melt down US currency.
–Randy
Hey. Technically, what your doing is a federal offense, but what do we care, I would suggest that you use something like a steel washer or nut, even some small nails. Give the pennies you WANT to use to your local food bank or some other reputable charity. That’s just my opinion, whatever you choose to do is fine. Thanks.
If you can use solid copper pennies, that would work. Unfortunately, pennies since the early 80s are copper-plated zinc, and weigh much less than the copper ones. Sheet lead is the best stuff, if you can get it. Failing that, wheel weights are the next best bet.