Seeing as cars have a pretty specific weight-length ratio, what would be a good/accurate scale to get so that I know when I have a car at the proper weight?
I found this from MicroMark: Car Weighting System
Now, I’m not averse to spending the money if I need to; I’m just wondering if there is a cheaper alternative.
A postal scale can be used and are usually less than $10 at stores that sell office supplies such as Wal-mart, K-mart, Staples, etc.
I use an inexpensive digital postal scale.
Digital Weight Watchers food scale. Measures in 1/8th oz. incraments. $15 at Target.
hey now, it also comes with fourty eight 1/4 oz weights, a value of 9.95, that is if you act now.
[ditto] Mine weighs to the nearst 0.1 oz and cost about $12 at Staples.
Ron
awesome, thanks guys.
$20(ish) is a lot easier to swallow than $50…
Get the scale others have mentioned for a few bucks and forget those lead weights. They are self-sticking but they fall off after about a year…trust me on this. Get your pennies out of your “change” drawer and glue them with “Alene’s Tacky Glue”, available at craft stores for cheap.
Hope this helps.
Mondo
I use an old postal scale given to me by the clerk after one of the rate changes. Hey, the price was right. I do like the sound of the electronic digital ones though, for 12 to 15 bucks, you can’t beat it. I also use auto wheel weights with the sticky tape. I bought a box many years ago and am just now running low.
Tilden
I use a diet scale. I prefer it over the postal scale because it has a shallow dish that can easily hold all the parts of a kit. I put all the parts and trucks and couplers in it and then add weight (usually pennies) until it meets NMRA RP 20.1.
Enjoy
Paul
I use a walmart electronic kitchen scale. It’s good for 5 pounds and has a dish to catch all the little parts. I recall ounces in 1/8 fractions in between the big Ounce numbers. I think my cost was about 10 bucks.
Considering that pennies are a good substitute, and that 12 ounces of weight MIGHT be enough for a dozen cars (at 6 pennies each,) I don’t think this is a bargain!
Count me in the postal scale crowd - mine being an antique from my father’s estate.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I use an old postal scale. And for weights, I use fishing sinkers, in various sizes. Just take a hammer and pound them flat. A little sticky glue, and you are in business.
I have a postal scale that no longer holds its calibration, so I’ll be purchasing a digital kitchen scale.
Tip:
For freight/passenger car weights Home Depot and Lowes sell strips of flat steel (3 to 5 ft. long, and 1/4" to 1" wide) in the hardware sections. These are great for boxcars, reefers, gons, cabooses, passenger cars, etc.,. With a rotary tool, just cut the steel to whatever length is desired for your car’s interior. This eliminates having to use 3, 4, or 5 multiple pieces as many of us have over the years. In a number of cars just one piece of flat steel will bring them up to NMRA’s recommeded weight specs.
For 3 and 4 bay hopper cars, I still fill the bins with BB pellets and drench them with Elmer’s Glue or Walthers Goo.
One thing that has always bugged me is watching a train running on a layout, and seeing cars “wobble” as they roll over rail joints or turnout frogs. ( I’ve seen this on professional model railroad videos!)
With the proper weight and metal wheels, this is pretty much eliminated.
Is there a chart available that tells you what the freight cars should weigh in regular ounces or do you have to convert the measurement from the scale weight?
Bill
cars (in HO) should be 1 ounce plus 1/2 ounce for every inch of length. eg a 40ft boxcar (6" long) should be 4 ounces.
Its the NMRA RP 20.1 (I think… it’s something close to that)
Count me in with the postal scale crowd.
Are you sure? The formula you give says 1 ounce plus 1/2 ounce for every inch of length. Going by that, a 40’ boxcar at 6" long would weigh 9 ounces! (1 1/2 ounces for every inch).
Rather it should be 1 ounce of car weight with a 1/2 ounce of weight added for every inch = 4 ounces. That makes more sense.
I appreciate the info on the weights.
Thanks for the link to the NMRA standards Paul.
Bill
I find the cheap food and postal scales that use springs are horribly inaccurate. If not out of the box certainly after a few years. Our club has three of them and they never agree on the weight. I think the MicoMart might be a better idea. I use a scientific balance that can measure to 1/10 gram, but I think it was more like $300, so it is way impractical for most people.