GreenDiesel Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 As I slowly get into British N scale, I was wondering how much weight I should add to goods vans and wagons -- would 1/4 oz be OK? I found this link to be helpful although it is for North American freight cars: http://www.nmra.org/beginner/weight The Peco vans & wagons that I recently bought seem extremely light so I've added 1/4 to 1/2 and ounce to each one. Does this sound right? Thanks, Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 To be honest, I've never understood the obsession with weight of wagons. I've never found it necessary to add extra weight to ant R-T-R vehicle... If the track is laid right and the wagons run true, all adding weight does is impede the locos ability to move them!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDiesel Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Thanks, that's what I found, especially with these Peco vans. When I added any weight -- even 1/4 oz. in only 1-2 vans -- the loco could not pull them so I gave up! Lots of wheel slip. Maybe I'm just getting used to N scale as the vans seemed very small & light. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
autocoupler942 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Years ago, when it was considered good practice to use compensated underframes for 2mm scale rolling stock, a little extra weight helped them settle better on the rocking pivot. Great improvements in wheel manufacture and quality, together with more concise track construction, meant rigid frames are now absolutely fine and the compensated items are history! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Years ago, when it was considered good practice to use compensated underframes for 2mm scale rolling stock, a little extra weight helped them settle better on the rocking pivot. Great improvements in wheel manufacture and quality, together with more concise track construction, meant rigid frames are now absolutely fine and the compensated items are history! I couldn't agree more as that has been my experience over the years. The weight in an etched underframe is more than adequate, while a fully etched vehicle, especially if it is outside framed, can be quite heavy. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I prefer weight and less than free running vehicles. IMHO it gives the vehicles inertia and makes driving the train more realistic. If you watch the draw gear on a heavy train as it pulls away you can see the drawbar pulling against the rubbers, quite noticeable. But that's what I prefer. Each to their own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted March 8, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 8, 2015 All of my 2mm finescale freight stock items have a rigid chassis and a plastic body. I felt the end result was rather on the light side so I added a small amount of weight, a piece of lead sheet roughly equivalent in size to the steel weight that Peco provide. This seems a reasonable compromise between providing sufficient mass & inertia to make my chosen couplings (DG) work reliably and still keeping a free-running train. I don't know the specific weights, I tend to go simply by feel. With metal wheels and pinpoint bearings, a well adjusted 2mm wagon chassis will be much freer running that an equivalent Peco N gauge wagon chassis. If you're having problems with Peco wagons & their moulded plastic wheels, it would be worth checking the pinpoints to see if they're free from moulding pips and such like. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 ....I've found it to be more important to have all wagons weighing similarly....50g is about right for one of my P4 wagons. I'd rather build and lay prototypical track which is level and flat/ensure that all vehicles have the same make of wheelsets/provide suspension on wagons over 10ft wheelbase to improve the chances of good and reliable running rather than start adding any extra weight to wagons. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmynswgr Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I have sometimes used a little lead shot to weight wagons, if they needed it, but only enough to ensure the wagon is balanced sufficiently for it travel through points without derailing. Some friends of mine go to the length of using electric scales to ensure every wagon is within their standards - scratchbuilt styrene coal hoppers on Peco chassis. I think this is a little extreme but you can get a very clear idea if a wagon's weight is sufficient by running it around your track and watching, or even testing on really badly laid track. If it fails in needs attention but if it isn't broken it must be acceptable! 2mmMark, I think you're on the right on the mark (pardon the pun)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.