I finished a full out 4 hour switching session and put all of the engines, rolling stock through the paces for a entire workday. Broke down a inbound train and in process of building a outbound train.
Some of the RTR (Ready to Run) Rolling stock derailed at the crossovers where the tension on the couplers are the greatest. Basically they are just TOO LIGHT, WAY TOO LIGHT to do the job.
Specifically the Atlas 50 foot DF RTR Boxcar, Athearn Railbox 50 foot RTR Boxcar and the recent three bay ATHEARN Covered hoppers.
I fixed the problem with the boxcars by doubling the weights in them. I could not understand how to get into the covered hopper. Me thinks Im drilling a hole and pouring some copper BB shot into that thing where the sun dont shine.
Took me all of 10 minutes to solve the weighty problems in the entire train.
Come on Model Railroad Rolling Stock Makers. QUIT trying to save a buck and stop selling rolling stock that you know durn well are a tad LIGHT for the job.
Must be that Chinese beer or something they drink over there. Hefting those pre-production cars and thinking that they are plenty heavy. Ugh.
Makes me think about pulling power of the model locomotives. Are they building LIGHT rolling stock deliberately to try and cover up wussy engines that cant?
Hmm… Oh yes, one final thought. There is a method of weighting cars to meet suggested standard with so much ounces per half inch of length of rolling stock.
Phooey… All hooey I say.
My standard is to add metal weights until the wheels stay firm on the cross overs and dont derail.
I thought weight was the answer till I ran my first Intermountain car. A hopper that doesn’t have the weights installed yet. I can push or pull this thing at any speed through any kind of track work and it just won’t derail! It’s got those flexible IM trucks and plastic wheels and it is FANTASTIC! I bet it doesn’t even weigh 2oz.
Make your rolling stock as heavy as you want. I’ve got a big boy that can pull 180 cars, a challenger that can pull 150, and an FEF that can pull 140. All of those are NMRA weighted. Double the weight, I’ve still got a decently long train with more cars than I own…
Overweight cars aren’t a problem. That’s what they make Dremel tools and sharp knives for. Of course you may not like the look of the final result [:)] My solution is to add more power. Just mu a 5th or 6th P2K SD60 up front and we’ll get them moving [^] Nothing that 8-10 pounds of HO locomotive traction can’t solve… With that configuration derailments aren’t an issue. You just drag them around the layout, on the rails or otherwise [:P].
Ok, so I think it is time for me to ease up on a bit on the caffine this morning and stop watching Tool Time…
Well, this is all very interesting and I’m sure I could find the info on the net but I’m just wondering what the recommended weights are in HO scale for the different types of rolling stock or are the weight standards the same. You know 5 ounces, 6 ounces, three pounds, whatever.
The NMRA Standards call for 1 oz. plus 1/2 oz per inch of the model’s length. Thus, a car 5.5 inches long (40 scale feet) should weigh in at 3.75 oz. The calculations for whatever cars you have are easy enough to do and an inexpensive postal scale is handy for actually determining car weight.
All of my cars are at the NMRA recommended standard except for the odd car that has a problem. Any problem cars get extra weight added to them. I have never had any problems with cars derailing for over 2 years now while operating my layout. Two big offenders for derailing where all of my Proto Heritage Steam 0-8-0 tenders, while going backwards over a turnout they would constantly derail and my Athearn Bombardier passenger cars. The Bombardier cars were notorious for being poor running cars. Once I added more weight, 2 ounces above the NMRA standard they just don’t derail. In my opinion weight is the “fix all” for problem cars.
I had no problem getting my Athearn covered hoppers apart. I just inserted a flat tip jewelers screwdriver between the upper and lower sections of the body near the ends and gently pried them apart. The car in the photo was very close to the NMRA specs but I wanted it spot on. Four pennies did the trick.
I rather suspect that the NMRA RP was driven, at least in part, by Ed Ravenscroft’s experiments with his operating hump yards. IIRC, he was NMRA president at the time. If anyone wants to change or update the present RP, I’m sure the NMRA Engineering Committee will be happy to provide guidance. Expect to do a LOT of experiments - and documentation.
I inadvertently discovered a use for some seriously underweight RTR 4-bay hoppers - as bird-dogs for obscure trackwork problems that had eluded my train of designated trackwork checkers. (See my “Derailments” thread in the Layout forum.) Once rebuilt they will be a lot heavier.
Hey, they’re not pennies! They’re “Lincoln weights”. I think they’re great, and often use them in conjunction with cellulosic molecular bonding strip (available for $2 in the paint-sundry aisle).
I think RTR rolling stock tends to be light because a lot of modern locomotives, while they run very smoothly and quietly, are a little shy on pulling power.
PROBLEM is non-uniformity.- Heavier cars tend to pull lighter cars off track on curves.
BEST ANSWER is to have all cars the same (weight,size,& trucks). Best COMPROMISE was NMRA’s 1 0z. per car plus 1/2 oz. per inch recommendation which seems to iron out the many variables…
A wide disparity in the weights of cars within a train will cause more problems than cars that are light. I run “live” loads in my open cars, so a loaded 2-bay Athearn hopper weighs 8 oz. The normal 12 car train will move well anywhere on the layout, pushed or pulled, as long as all cars are either loaded or empty. If, for some reason, I needed to move loads and empties in the same train, I simply “block” the train with the loads to the front, empties to the rear. One or two heavy cars at the rear of a train of empties won’t cause a problem, whereas one or two empties at the front of a long train are in trouble if the rest of the train is heavy. On general merchandise trains, empty hoppers generally go to the rear of the train, as there’s not a lot of room on this type of car to add weight. All of my gondolas and flatcars, though, are 6-8oz., and can be easily operated empty at the front of a long train. Here’s a modified Walthers GSC flat at the front of a 71 car train:
While adding weight may hide a problem, fixing the track problems will solve the problem. Yes, there’s a correct weight, but there’s also a correct radius for the track, and a correct flatness of the railheads, etc. In the long run, I like Chuck’s suggestion that you use these “troublesome cars” to locate the real villains, your troublesome track spots.
You’re right that track problems should be corrected first, but even the best track won’t solve the problems that occur when there is a wide range of car weights within a train, especially if they’re in the “wrong” part of the train. Rather than cars being “light” or “heavy”, it’s more important for their weights to be “similar”.
