# Standardizing car weight



## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

I remember someplace here that someone recommended weighting cars to a specific standard weight of between 3-4 pounds. I don't seem to be able to find that thread. Anyone know where this thread is?

Thanks,
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

If a car comes with plastic wheels, I'll replace them with metal ones. That adds enough weight to help lower the center of gravity and keep the wind from blowing them over. I don't see any reason to standardize the weight of cars.

If you have heavy and light cars, put the heavy ones at the front of the train, because if you have tight curves a string of light cars in front of heavier cars might clothes-line, pull them over on the curve.

Too much weight in the cars might lead to excess wear in the journals and if you have any grades extra weight will make the engines work harder.

Chuck


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Good morning Mark.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Pete! (??? !!!)

Mark, could it be this thread:

http://forums.mylargescale.com/21-rolling-stock/17481-evans-box-car-weight.html

Greg


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg we are in the same train club and neighbers


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Pete, your avatar has Canton Ohio listed, are undercover here in San Diego?

Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Greg he is friends with Mark and using MLS like a facebook hello ....


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Sorry mark did not to hijack. Mark I use large lead sinkers. The type you use for fishing. I take a hammer and flatten them out it is cheap and does a good job. The extra weight helps the cars on the track. See you at the scope meeting.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks for the "translation" John


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Greg,
Thanks. Exactly what I was looking for. I even looked on your web site, but couldn't find anything. Do you have anything about adding extra weight there?

I've had several in our club ask me about why all of my car's are so heavy, 3-4 pounds. I told them about seeing comments to a previous question that I posted some time ago, 2011. Darn if I could locate the previous thread though. 

I've had such good luck with the 3-4 pound weight range, it's hard to imagine anything lighter. I'd start pulling my hair out if I had to regress back to the original weights. 

_Pete, Hi. Good meeting today. _

Again, thanks for locating this for me. 

Mark, 
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

*Facebook!!!!*

Facebook, what's that. Don't want anything to do with it. Heck, I still use a flip phone.

Mark

*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

*Evan's Box Cars.....*

Greg,
I forgot to mention that you also fixed the problem with my Evan's box cars. 

I had trouble with them tracking around some of my curves until I ground down those post on each side of the truck. Just had to take them down a little bit, but that was enough to eliminate the problem. I had a couple LGB cars that I also had to do that trick with. They were the larger covered hoppers. 

Thanks,
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


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## Ted Doskaris (Oct 7, 2008)

From my experience on my outdoor layout with double loop grade, I found that the longer and taller a car is, the more weight it should have and be placed in the lowest possible position. Adding metal wheels is a must, too.

-Ted


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm still using the formula given to me by a couple of PHD types in the weights & measures 
division at the old Nat'l Bureau of Stds, (now NIST), back in the mid 50s... Worked great for 
me in all scales for almost 60 years now... The figures below R rounded off #s for various 
LS scales, an its in ounces per prototype ton...
Paul R...

1/32 = 1 oz per prototype ton
1/29 = 1.3 oz ditto
1/24 = 2.3 oz ditto
1/22.5 = 2.8 oz ditto
1/20.3 = 3.8 oz ditto


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

the formula is the prototype weight divided by the cube of the scale...

long since known, since weight is related to mass and mass is related to volume, that's why you divide by the cube of the scale.

Regards, Greg


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## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

I assume that the chart about refers to empty weight or LT WT of the car. A 100 ton hopper is actually a total of about 130 tons gross weight. 

Therefore a loaded Aristo 100 ton hopper

1.3oz/ton x 130 tons = 169 oz. 

That's about 10 1/2 pounds! It will take a pretty good set of diesels just to pull a 20 car train.

Most 50 ft cars are roughly 30 tons light weight. So that calculates:

1.3 oz/ton x 30 tona = 39 oz just under 2 -1/2 pounds 

Similarly 40 ft cars come in at about 2 pounds.


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