Weighting a CNA center beam

[rsn48]

This center beam car comes in at 5 1/2 inches and I'd like to weight it to NMRA standards (without a load), its 7/8 of an ounce and I need  take it up to roughly 1 1/4 ounces which is four Canadian pennies (my usual standard weights).  How can you weight these puppies without it looking "weird?"

[bbussey]

You may not be able to cram any additional weight in and keep it in the "unloaded" appearance.  I assume this is an MTL or RC model?  You have to assume that if more weight could have been added, the manufacturer would have done so.  If you body-mount the couplers (so that the operational load is removed from the trucks and transferred to the body) and insure the car rides at a prototypical height (so that the center of gravity is low), the car should operate perfectly at its current weight regardless of the push/pull load or where it rides in the consist.

[coosvalley]

(so that the operational load is removed from the trucks and transferred to the body) and insure the car rides at a prototypical height (so that the center of gravity is low), the car should operate perfectly at its current weight regardless of the push/pull load or where it rides in the consist.

You might have just convinced me to start body mounting my couplers..........

[central.vermont]

rsn48,
I have added weight to other flats,"not enough in some cases"between the frame rails
under the car. I do not own one to check this out but it might be an option. Using lead
shot glued in could work.

Also welcome to the Railwire Forum!

Jon

[Van Horne]

Hi, Rick.  I own quite a few of the Red Caboose centre beam flats since they were kind enough to do them in SRY!  While they may seem a little light, they do track well, and I have had no problems with them derailing.  The only time it might be an issue if you have a number of heavier cars behind them in a backing move through complex trackage.  At least one direction of travel they can be loaded, for which I use Columbus Train Master loads.  These do add quite a bit of heft.  I, personally, wouldn't go body mounted on them as it would make it impossible to couple them on several of my industrial tracks.  These are LONG cars!

Regaeds,
Dave

[Chulvis]

I would concur that these cars run just fine without added weight. That said, when I first got them I was concerned about the weight of them so I added weight to my Columbus Trainmaster loads by routing out the backside of them and gluing in some bb's (not Bryan Bussey's but real bb's )   

[Ian MacMillan]

There are also some moldable weights out there you maybe able ot use. But as others have stated, I too have these, and find them to track well empty.

[rsn48]

Thanks for the replies.  My take.  I am weighting all the cars I can to NMRA standards, its my experience running on other layouts, multiple layouts that are NMRA compliant, the consist just runs smoother.  N scale is especially susceptible to what I call the "bobble head" phenomena, with cars moving around at track joints, turnouts, etc.; I find when the cars are weight to roughly NMRA standards most of the bobble head action is gone. 

I was running the center beam in a consist testing track to get out any kinks or other problems, when it derailed going over a turnout in a backing move, I have checked the pins for height.  The other cars in the consist are all weighted appropriately for me, so I couldn't help but think that perhaps weight was an issue, given the weights of the other cars.

It has also occurred to me to run the center beams at the back of the consist where "accordion" derailing would not be an issue on backing moves.

I have given consideration to body mounting these particular cars as I do have a few of them.  On an earlier shorter version of the center beam I do have a load permanently mounted and that car can run any where in the consist without problems; I think this car is a bit heavier than NMRA standards.

[rschaffter]

I see you are going to need to stock up on pennies, Rick...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-04/canada-stops-making-cents-as-flaherty-lets-penny-drop.html

[bbussey]

... I was running the center beam in a consist testing track to get out any kinks or other problems, when it derailed going over a turnout in a backing move, I have checked the pins for height.  The other cars in the consist are all weighted appropriately for me, so I couldn't help but think that perhaps weight was an issue, given the weights of the other cars ...

It's not.  It's the operational load pushing against the truck-mounted coupler, which pushes the truck frame to rotate around the bolster pin and forces the wheel flanges against the sides of the rail abnormally and subsequently over the rail top.  That why the pizza-cutter aficionados liked those deep flanges, because they kept the wheels from totally riding over the rail top.  The extra weight in the other cars masks the problem.  If your consist was longer (and therefore the operational load greater), you would encounter problems with additional cars as well.  Convert your center-beam flats to body-mounted couplers, so the push load is transferred through the body instead of the trucks, and your derailment problems will disappear.

[Brakie]

Rick,They make BB size split shot fishing sinkers you may want to check into those.

I'm surprise you are having reverse move derailment problems..I can back 14 cars(including Red Caboose and MT center beams) through a Kato #6 switch at slow switching speeds without issues..

[mcjaco]

I've body mounted all my couplers on the set of centerbeams I have. I have yet to changer out the wheels, but all three of them track exceptionally well for their weight, and I put them all over the place in consists.