Could you make a track bumper out of left over atlas code 100 track? The walthers end of track bumper looks like a Romax staple sodder to two code 100 rails with a piece of styrene glued to the top. I know I could use those colorful thumb pens, but that wouldn’t look very realistic.
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Thanks
Chris
Hey Chris:
Absolutely you can make track end bumpers out of Atlas Code 100 track (or any other track for that matter). When I made mine I just bent the track section to form the two legs as well as the place for the bumper pad. I built the front legs out of brass strip. You just have to remember to use insulated track joiners to connect the bumpers to your powered track. Otherwise, you will have a direct short!
Regards,
Dave
Dave, do you have any images of the track bumpers you made?
That may be a little harsh regarding the Walthers track bumpers. I used to purchase the Tomar Industries track bumpers, both Code 100 and Code 83, at a cost of around $5.75 apiece. Then, I bought a dozen of the Walthers track bumpers at $1.00 apiece, and they look pretty good.
Here is a photo of the three types, side-by-side. From left to right, the Tomar Code 100, the Tomar Code 83, and the Walthers track bumper.
Rich
Perhaps you’ve looked at actuals, but a google image search gives lots of examples to work from:
I like the kind I purchased but cannot find them now. Maybe Tomar. One technical issue to watch for, I found that with metal wheelsets one can create a short with metal bumpers at the insulated gaps if the two wheels get so close to the bumper that they bridge the gaps when atop them. It was easy to solve by adding a wooden pad that kept the cars (wheels) from getting so close. Simple also to just ensure the rails are not too long.
This thread brings back unpleasant memories. I installed three Hayes metal bumpers soldering them to the track. It was several months later that I tried to run trains. I looked and took up track and a threeway turnout until using a multimeter I came to the bumpers. How dumb I felt.
In addition to metal bumpers sometimes a pile of gravel is used.
Bob
Chris,
Those must be different from the all-styrene 12-pack that I have. I reinforced mine with 10 x 10 dimensional wood and they work quite well:
In fact, I wrote up a how-to for them. If you’re interested, here’s the link.
Tom
Tomar bumpers that I have had for years - they terminate two of the yard storage tracks.
I’ve also seen people take ties and put them across the ends of tracks; I’ve done that too using track nails or spikes.
Indeed, and sometimes a number of crossties lashed together are used as a bumper. The Atlas “snap track” bumper resembles the sort of bumper one sees at places like Chicago Union Station – it appears to have a modest springing action. And very old bumpers were cast metal that looked a bit like the old Lionel bumper, without the red light on top.
There are of course also wheel stops, which I guess are not bumpers because a bumper stops a car or engine by hitting the coupler head on. In some ways a pile of gravel probably acts as much like a wheel stop as a bumper. I have also seen a single cross tie lashed to the rails in front of a regular bumper presumably so that the coupler does not take the full brunt of the pounding should the bumper ever have to actually do its job.
Dave Nelson
Reminds me of a dumb thing I did many moons ago. Just got finished wiring a 1-1 building 4 floors high and everything was perfect till the last circut, it triped the breaker. Looked for the dumbest thing I could have done and sure enough, on the very last outlet to finish the entire job, I plugged both wires into the same side, very easy fix but so stupid on my part.
If you use styrene you don’t need to isolate the track electrically.
Like Bob I used a pile of dirt, but put a stack of ties across the face for the wheels to bump while the coupler went above the ties, coluld bury one for the coupler to bump too. If the dirt pile is sloped enough, it can be used for end unloading.
Good luck,
Richard
Re: Pile of dirt bumper.
In Amarillo the BNSF uses a former bit of Rock Island track for storage. The stub end, just short of a gap where a bridge over a road had been removed, had a ‘bumper’ of ballast - about three dump trucks worth.
One time when I went by there was an NS covered hopper sitting astraddle of the pile. Apparently someone had overestimated the capacity of the track.
As for bumpers in general, I have seen a single tie chained to the rails, crossed ties imbedded in the ballast, fancy manufactured bumpers, homemade out of scrap iron bumpers, one that looked like a low trestle bent (driven piles) and a couple that looked like re-purposed bridge abutments. Also lots of rail buried in ballast.
The oddest end-of-track devices I’ve ever seen consisted of two steel plates 430mm high welded to the railheads, with cutouts that would exactly fit the standard JNR 860mm wheel. They were painted oxide red. (JNR Haijima station, 1960s.)
CHuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
That’s a quick & dirty favorite of mine too. Especially for non class A RR who did everything on the cheap.
A pile of gravel is good enough at the end of this scrapyard:
I’m also a fan of the plastic Walthers bumpers. They are easy to assemble, and with a bit of paint and weathering they look pretty good. I’ve got a lot of sidings, and I like to be able to have uniformity where a lot are visible in one space. The Walthers ones let me do that without breaking the bank.
Marlon:
Here is one of my scratch built track bumpers. I used rail instead of brass rod for the forward braces which I guess isn’t exactly prototypical:
These were very easy to make. Changing the design to use brass rod (actually, I would use phosphor bronze) for the front braces would be a no-brainer. If you have some scrap track you can turn these out in a few minutes, and they will be cheaper than the ready-made ones. I will repeat my caution about the need to use insulated track joiners to connect these to your track.
Dave
So far no one has mentioned the Peco bumpers. They are a nice representation of the Hayes Model H. I’ll post some photos when I get a chance. They clip in nicely between the rails.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Peco-HO-SL8340-Hayes-Bumper-Kit-2-p/pec-sl8340.htm
That’s only $1.70 each (well, the shipping may pinch that up a little) These look less “klunky” than the Walthers ones. Tichy’s are pretty sharp, too!
https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/c/ho_trackside/p/8165/Default.aspx
The Tichy’s are nice because he includes the bolt plates for the web of the rail.
I also use the Hayes wheel stops on some yard trackage, too.
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Tomar-HO-Hayes-Wheel-Stop-p/tmi-803.htm
Out of stock at MBK but you can find them elsewhere.
I like bumpers so much I just had to have one to call my own…
Have Fun, Ed
Ed:
Yes, my home made bumper stops do look a little clunky![:$]
If I can comment on your caboose, you are missing a coupler! Without a coupler that track stop is going to be mighty hard on your caboose! Coupler height seems to be off by a bit too![swg][(-D]
Sorry, just kidding! I love your caboose![bow] Oops, let’s get that right - I love your ‘garden shed’. May the bureaucrats live on in eternal bliss![(-D][(-D][(-D]
Dave
Dave, your homemade track bumper looks just fine.
In HO scale, and especially in N scale, viewers can hardly notice any detail anyhow.
Good job !
Rich
Depending on the era and area, one can also use these wheel stops.
Sometimes a couple of crossed railroad ties or old joints of rail and a pile of gravel are all you need.
Ron