Large Scale Central

Scale?

Tools and Tips
#1

I would like a scale to weigh cars and engines. I went looking at postal scales with an 11 pd limit and wondered if that would do?

I see bathroom type scales have a bigger platform and would seem to be easier to weigh equipment on? Their accuracy range seems to be ± .1 lb.
Now I’m wondering what others use. I have an old postal scale for smaller gauges. The platform is only 2" inches and max wgt is 2 lbs.
I can’t decide how much to pay for a simple need as postal scales that are more accurate cost too much?

#2

How about a baby scale? Can usually find ones at thrift stores for not much.

#3

Now I’m curious. Why do you want to weigh this stuff?

#4

To each their own…I’m certainly not against it but it does remind me of a question everyone asks about R/C aircraft…

“How much does it weigh”?

“I don’t know”.

“Why don’t you weigh your planes”?

“Because I’ve never found them to fly any better once I knew what they weighed”!

:slight_smile:

#5

Mark V said:

To each their own…I’m certainly not against it but it does remind me of a question everyone asks about R/C aircraft…

“How much does it weigh”?

“I don’t know”.

“Why don’t you weigh your planes”?

“Because I’ve never found them to fly any better once I knew what they weighed”!

:slight_smile:

i had a boss once who flew R/C planes. His answer to that question was “they weigh just enough to keep them on the ground when not moving”

#6

I’m doing ““operations””, and have had problems with railcars staying on the track… Lifting some cars, some seemed heavy, and some seemed light… I was thinking the wiehgt of the car could be a contributing factor…

I had picked up a small food scale, to see what the cars weighted…

Also, have seen a few articles about adding weight to cars to make them track better on various websites…

After weighting these cars, this is what I came up with:

LGB covered Hoppers 3 lbs 5 & 3/8th ounces

53 ft Evans boxcars 3 lbs 4 & 3/4 ounces

Aristo 2-bay covered hoppers 2 lbs

USA 50 ft refrigerator cars 3 lbs 9 ounces

USA 50 ft Boxcars 3 lbs 6 and 1/2 ounces

USA 60 ft boxcars 5 lbs 3/4 ounces

USA autoracks 6 lbs 15 and 7/8th ounces

USA centerbeams 1 lb 15 and 3/4 ounces

Aristo bulkhead flats 1 lb 9 and 1/4 ounces

I added weights to the Aristo 2 bay hoppers to bring them up to around 3 lbs 7 and 3/8th ounces…

Have not tried adding weights to any other cars as of yet…

Any of the freight cars under 3 lbs, seem to be the ones derailing when running in a train, or being pushed back…

just my 2 cents worth…

#7

Bruce Chandler said:

Now I’m curious. Why do you want to weigh this stuff?

Just for example, the USA stack car is too light in my opinion. Rather than guessing, I’d like to get the car to standards so I don’t need to worry about a 100 car train diving into my water gorge from a derail.

#8

I’m also scratch building and need to know what I’m building will perform correctly.

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/18879/scratch-sd70ace

#9

Joe Paonessa said:

I’m also scratch building and need to know what I’m building will perform correctly.

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/18879/scratch-sd70ace

I scratch 1:20.3 rolling stock almost exclusively…In styrene. Low weight is never a problem! LOL!

#10

That scratch built engine of mine needs weight added. It’s what started my looking for a better scale. I tried the bathroom scale and it was too inaccurate. I could add a pound and it didn’t move.
I guessed the weight on the USA stacks. It seemed they like to give me the most troubles. I had a few hoppers also pick a switch or frog and derail. I just threw in some rocks. I would like to be more accurate so the train doesn’t have to haul extra weight when I get super long trains rolling up a hill.

#11

Andy Clarke said:

I’m doing ““operations””, and have had problems with railcars staying on the track… Lifting some cars, some seemed heavy, and some seemed light… I was thinking the wiehgt of the car could be a contributing factor…

I had picked up a small food scale, to see what the cars weighted…

Also, have seen a few articles about adding weight to cars to make them track better on various websites…

After weighting these cars, this is what I came up with:

LGB covered Hoppers 3 lbs 5 & 3/8th ounces

53 ft Evans boxcars 3 lbs 4 & 3/4 ounces

Aristo 2-bay covered hoppers 2 lbs

USA 50 ft refrigerator cars 3 lbs 9 ounces

USA 50 ft Boxcars 3 lbs 6 and 1/2 ounces

USA 60 ft boxcars 5 lbs 3/4 ounces

USA autoracks 6 lbs 15 and 7/8th ounces

USA centerbeams 1 lb 15 and 3/4 ounces

Aristo bulkhead flats 1 lb 9 and 1/4 ounces

I added weights to the Aristo 2 bay hoppers to bring them up to around 3 lbs 7 and 3/8th ounces…

Have not tried adding weights to any other cars as of yet…

Any of the freight cars under 3 lbs, seem to be the ones derailing when running in a train, or being pushed back…

just my 2 cents worth…

I will use this list to see how close they are to specs. Is it 5oz +1 oz per inch like the lower scales I’d guess? I’ve always heard around 2 to 3 pounds is good enough. As I start to build 89 ft flat cars, I think it would matter more?

#12

Is there an enema ray standard, and does it matter?

#13

Joe, I have no clue as to any “'standards”" for G-scale… Seems to me, only from my experience, 3 lbs is about the minimum weight for a 40 ft freightcar, if one is going to pull long trains( 20 cars or more)…

My railroad is not perfectly level, it has upgrades and downgrades… I try to keep the grades at 2% or less… In a few places, it’s a bit more than 2%…

My derailment problems are mostly with the 40ft or less freightcars…

#14

Steve Featherkile said:

Is there an enema ray standard, and does it matter?

where are those little faces with the tongue stickin’ out when I need 'em??

I figure a long flat car scratch built will need some extra weight when empty.

tongue out again!!!
You cut me again Steve!!!
(from Shrek!) Urgggg.

#15

Why not give your cars and locomotives a ‘scale’ weight. Take the empty weight of the real car and scale it down. Then you don’t have to worry. I know Greg E. scale weighs his locomotives and doesn’t have a problem…

#16

I really think that gauge, both track and wheel, as well as level track, has more to do with derailments than does weight of cars. Whenever I have a derailment problem, it is usually a problem with level track, as most of my gauge problems have been solved.

Just my 2 cents.

#17

Joe

I got one from harbor fright

70 Lb/32 Kg Digital Postal Scale

on sale sd45 should wt, 15lbs so 11lb. was not enough.

#18

Richard Beverly said:

Joe

I got one from harbor fright

70 Lb/32 Kg Digital Postal Scale

on sale sd45 should wt, 15lbs so 11lb. was not enough.

Wow, I’ve been there and never saw this. Thank you. I’m still thinking that I need it for scratch built equipment.

#19

Steve Featherkile said:

I really think that gauge, both track and wheel, as well as level track, has more to do with derailments than does weight of cars. Whenever I have a derailment problem, it is usually a problem with level track, as most of my gauge problems have been solved.

Just my 2 cents.

Those are probably more important I agree. It was easy up until now because I’ve been running indoors on benchwork. Now outside, I’ve found some of my trackwork not only goes up and down more, some of it tilts more than I like. I’m looking into getting a load of fines to make better level roadbed.