What would be the approximate weight of a full sized axle with two 33" wheels attached? How many would usually be carried on 40’ car.
I have a bunch of plastic wheels that I want make into a car load.
2200 to 2400 pounds.
The flat will likely have a stencil on the side that says CAPY 100,000
100,000 / 2400 = 42 axles
You will have to subtract the weight of the axle supporting structure, of course.
The load will likely look a lot better if you use scale wheels rather than leftover wheels from modeling. I remember seeing some in plastic, but I can’t find any. That’ll be your homework.
You can, of course, do searches for photos that will illustrate the solution. Here’s a sample:
Ed
Tichy makes the scale wheelsets in plastic, although they’re the older style ribbed-back wheels. Part #3004 is 8 wheelsets, while part #3010 is for 96 wheelsets. These are kits, with each wheel set constisting of an axle and two wheels. They also offer a flatcar, complete with wheelsets and the racks to keep them in place on the car - it’s kit #4023.
I bought the latter, but built the flatcar as a MoW car, with homemade removeable sides:
…then assembled the wheels and racks as removeable loads for a 41’ gondola:
…and a 53’ gondola:
Wayne
I made a load of wheels for a gondola from the wheel sets I had been tossing in the garbage when replacing with metal wheel sets. Yes, they are the un-prototypical pointed model wheel set. This is one of those traps I’ve set for the rivet counters out there, to see if they will notice. I actually overlook many such details that John Q. probably has no inkling of whether something I correct or not.
I’m also cheap by nature and throwing all those plastic wheel sets away always bothered me! So, I felt this was a good use for them. Maybe someone should come up with a conversion kit for making them look right.
I find that scrap plastic wheelsets (most of my rolling stock is equipped with plastic wheels, but there were some kits that had improperly-formed ones which were unuseable) make good fodder for scrap loads, especially if they’re taken apart. Axles, and anything else metal goes into a plastic container of chemical blackener - I save all of the wire cut-offs from making grabirons or piping, along with bits of scrap brass, copper, and steel, tossing them in and adding more as it becomes available. Every so often, I dump the container onto some newspaper and let everything dry, then use it as scrap loads in gondolas.
Here’s one with some wheels - mostly pizza-cutter ones, although there are some plastic centres from Rivarossi passenger car wheelsets, along with broken sprung trucks, disposable lighter parts, something from a wristwatch and other assorted junk:
…and more of the same:
This carload is mostly axles:
…while this one is axles and the metal tires from those Rivarossi plastic wheel centres shown earlier:
…and this one mostly axles:
Wayne
Thank you all for the weights and the pictures.
[swg] Oh goody. This looks like a show me thread.
It appers that the axles have been torched off the wheels, and size dosen’t matter in this case. (Wheel size that is.)
Have a fun day.
Lee
