BG John Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is there a recommended weight to aim for with 7mm wagons? I know there's one for 4mm, although I've forgotten what it is! I've got four wagons so far, all bought on eBay, and there's a slight weight difference! 2 Slaters MR 3 Plank Opens - 55 and 62 grams (The heavier one has the remains of a load in it) Parkside Dundas NB Coal Wagon - 364 grams Parkside Dundas NB Van - 314 grams I'll only be running short trains, so it's probably not a problem, but that's quite a difference and I'd like an idea what's usual. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Dougal Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is there a recommended weight to aim for with 7mm wagons? I know there's one for 4mm, although I've forgotten what it is! I've got four wagons so far, all bought on eBay, and there's a slight weight difference! 2 Slaters MR 3 Plank Opens - 55 and 62 grams (The heavier one has the remains of a load in it) Parkside Dundas NB Coal Wagon - 364 grams Parkside Dundas NB Van - 314 grams I'll only be running short trains, so it's probably not a problem, but that's quite a difference and I'd like an idea what's usual. Try looking up Wagon weightsStarted by cromptonnut, Aug 13 2010 06:10 on RM web. There appears to be some guidance here. D. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted June 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2015 I generally try and work on 1 ounce per inch of length. However 4 to 5 ounces ill do for most Slaters wagons. The main thing is to have consistency in a rake of wagons. If you are running any heavy ABS ones then they either need to be in a bunch at the head of the train or all the others need to be a similar weight. We ran a 33 wagon rake of cattle wagons on Long Preston and they were all roundabout 4.5 ounces. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Gauge O Guild technical manual recommends that 'stock should weigh not less than 1 gram per millimetre of vehicle length (equal to approximately 1oz/in) with a minimum weight of 125gm (4.4oz)'. Which is pretty much what Jamie has stated. It's generally only plastic kits that require additional weight, bogie wagons and the likes of ABS whitemetal are seldom have problems with derailment, if you had a problem with these it's more likely to be some other cause, like back to back or misaligned wheelsets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 So my Parkside Dundas coal wagon is almost 3 times the necessary weight, and the van 2½ times! No wonder the coal wagon has bent axles!!!!! I'll have to make exploratory holes in the floors to see what's in there! Presumably the GOG guidance applies to coaches as well. Here's the link to Cromptonnut's topic http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/20104-wagon-weights/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Presumably the GOG guidance applies to coaches as well. Quite so part of the full description states:- 'The increase in weight for increasing length is 25gm per 25mm, or 1oz per inch.This caters for longer wagons, 6-wheeled stock and bogie stock, including coaching stock' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
obconical Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 As has already been mentioned, as wagons can be made of plastic, resin, wood, white metal, brass, nickel silver and maybe even more materials, there can never be an `ideal` weight for one - not even using some sort of weight per mm or inch. Also, does this mean that you can never add or remove a load from a wagon - will that tractor on its implement wagon forever arrive and depart never having been delivered to the waiting farmer! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiderHead Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I'm using 100-125g/axle (tare) which seems to be good for running, and at ~2x scale weight gives a good impression of mass. I suspect having consistent axle weights also helps when running long mixed rakes, although I don't yet have enough stock or a big enough garden to test the theory! * edit: this is for etched kits with all steel wheelsets so it only requires a small quantity of lead flashing to ballast up to the target weight, can't speak for resin, plastic or whitemetal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 All four of the wagons I've acquired so far are plastic, and I've got another plastic one on the way. I'd like to stop buying them soon and start scratchbuilding, so there's a good chance that I won't end up with any heavy metal ones. I don't know what has been put in the two latest buys, as they weigh a ton, but I'm intending to cut a hole in the floor and have a look, and hopefully get some of it out! The layout I'm just starting will only take short trains, and many of them will be mixed, so will have no more than three or four wagons. Weight won't be a big problem, but maybe in future I'll build something bigger. I could probably lose 100 wagon trains in my garden, if the layout escaped from the house, but a finite life and bank account means that's very unlikely, especially as Colonel Stephens never ran anything that long! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted June 14, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 14, 2015 As I stated above consistency is the key. I had a train on Long Preston with all scratchbuilt plasticard wagons that only weighed 50g max, including the brake van. Because they never ran with anything else they ran well. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 I'm inclined to try to follow the GOG recommendation, now I know what it is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
obconical Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Well I`ve found that shunting lightweight plastic wagons usually results in them shooting away, and as I don`t have to run 50 wagon trains and my locos are powerful enough, the different weights I have with cast, brass and plastic wagons is not a problem. Having said that, I do add weight to plastic ones as they seem to run much better. Lets face it, when there is talk of following prototypes, an empty flat wagon is never going to be the same weight as a loaded 24.5 ton mineral wagon! The main thing with any wagon is making sure it is built right in the first place, and it is lubricated for smooth running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gareth001 Posted June 15, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 15, 2015 I agree with you, Obconical.....there's nothing more guaranteed to spoil the illusion than a loco buffering up to a wagon, only for it to jump away at the slightest touch. I weigh my wagons down a lot...(vans up to half a pound) and as I, like you, don't run long trains there's no problem. Also agree that if the wagon's built right, all will be well.....when I was working in 4mm, I used to use spring steel wire bearing on wagon axles to stop them running away. I also like the idea of a loco actually having some work to do....I can actually see the sprung buffers working when shunting too. Get some heavy metal! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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