weight in n gauge wagons.

woodbury22uk · February 20, 2018, 07:32:53 AM

I have used coins of the realm as temporary weights, but I wish they would make them a couple of millimetres smaller so they could become the permanent weight. US and UK smallest coins tend to be around 18mm diameter, but the euro cent comes in at 16.25mm and 2.27 grams which is more useful.

Jerry Howlett · February 20, 2018, 10:15:47 AM

At last something to use my 1 cent coins for !! Just dropped one on the floor of the local shop I thought it was at least a Euro so spent time looking for it, Most annoying !1

Jerry

cjdodd · February 20, 2018, 10:45:37 AM

In fish keeping you use small bit of lead weight to hold living plants down to stop them floating. I use bits of that, you can pick it up from eBay for a few quid and it will go a long way as you don't need much.

broadsword · February 20, 2018, 11:52:31 AM

You can also get lead curtain weights from haberdashers
about the size of a 50p coin, easy to cut to the
required size/shape.

cjdodd · February 20, 2018, 11:57:34 AM

Or some of my wife's cakes they are like rocks.

dannyboy · February 20, 2018, 03:46:59 PM

I have made up a number of the Peco 4 wheel tankers. Before joining the two halves of the tank together, I put in a small amount of 'Liquid Gravity', with a runny superglue, (forget which one

). Makes quite a difference and you do not need a lot. The container it comes in still feels as heavy as it was when I bought it! Obviously, being inside the tank, it is not visible - it could always be covered by a load in an open wagon.

https://www.deluxematerials.co.uk/gb/rc-modelling/83-liquid-gravity-5060243900470.html

Merrylee · February 20, 2018, 07:06:32 PM

If you get the cheap wrist/ leg weights the keep fit brigade use then there
Full of really small shot.

Mix with a bit of pva and would make good weights.

Ron

PLD · February 20, 2018, 08:33:48 PM

Quote from: Old Crow on February 18, 2018, 09:00:26 PMWhat would you recommend and how much?

With one or two rare exceptions, the ideal weight for a wagon is what it left the factory with...
So contrary to many of the above comments, I would recommend NOT adding any weight unless the original weight is missing. With Peco wagons (especially if they were assembled from kits) it is not uncommon to find the weight missing from second hand examples where previous owners have removed weight to try to cure haulage problems!

The majority of derailment and other issues especially on point work are NOT weight related but an issue of the wheel-rail interface... Oddly the moulded nylon Peco wheelsets are right on the lower limit of Back-to-Back clearance to be compatible with Peco Points... Personally I would be changing the wheels not the weight.
I've never found a need to change the weight of a Peco wagon on replacement wheels (usually either Farish or Parkside)

Newportnobby · February 20, 2018, 09:20:39 PM

I must admit to having experienced zero problems with shunting Peco wagons over points but have never tried it with more than 25-30 4 wheeled wagons. Also I've not tried over a diamond crossing or double slip......................yet

Old Crow · February 21, 2018, 12:24:13 AM

Interesting! I did wonder about the plastic wheels and I've bought some metal ones. Have to say, going forward over facing points is problematic but a lot better with a bit of weight. Current problems - and again I'm using "pre-owned" are misbehaving bogies on older Farish suburban coaches. I'm having to redesign my trackwork to give smooth run-in and run-outs of points and no sudden reverse curves. Cursing a bit because the one point that won't be cured is in the middle of the main siding set! Ah well! I'm learning by experience.

Bealman · February 21, 2018, 12:58:16 AM

I have been following this thread with interest since it began, but have refrained from posting until now. Like NewportNobby, I too have heaps of Peco wagons, and to be honest, I've never really had any major problems with them derailing when being either pulled or shunted, and that's straight from the box. I have never found the need for any extra weight.

At the very worst, I've had the odd derailment on a diamond every now and again, but nothing worth fretting over. The three-way point at the Castle Eden station throat is also occasionally problematic, but it is a Shinohara product installed long before Peco three-ways became available. The rail on the Shinohara point is of heavier construction than even the Peco Code 80 (or so it seems to my eyes), and I had quite a bit of difficulty getting the inside surfaces lined up with the Peco stuff.

However, as stated earlier, I haven't yet found the need to add extra weight to Peco wagons.

George

Dr Al · February 21, 2018, 09:38:06 AM

Have the offending wagons had their internal weight removed?

If not, then they should not derail unless there is a track or coupling problem - I have stacks of Peco wagons and this is simply not a problem, even for large 40+ wagon rakes. There can always be the odd wagon with a droopy coupling etc, but nothing critical to running, and usually easily sorted out.

Adding weight is not generally a good solution to many problems, it's crude, and it rarely tackles the root cause of the problem.

Cheers,
Alan

Malc · February 21, 2018, 12:14:40 PM

I used this stuff. I didn't get if from here.
https://www.track-shack.com/acatalog/Deluxe-Materials-BD-38-Liquid-Gravity-250g-Deluxe-Materials-GM-DLBD-38.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzrTUBRCnARIsAL0mqcy_zZGr2tzrfydA0fr4OGby6Z0u58_k02Fd0LsmJDBckZQr3YjzxPsaAvTKEALw_wcB

dannyboy · February 21, 2018, 12:47:19 PM

Yep - that is the same stuff I referred to in #20. Like everything else, different sellers have different prices.

silly moo · February 21, 2018, 02:43:23 PM

I bought some vans from a Dutch friend of mine. They were a bit dusty so I decided to give them a wash in some lukewarm water, black liquid started seeping out of them, I took off the roofs to find that each one had a 'Zoute Drop' (salted liquorice drop) weight inside.

So all you need to do is go to The Netherlands and get some liquorice drops