Cheap and easy track cleaning car

[LIRR]

Built a simple track cleaning car that will be part of a non-stop coal drag that runs staging to staging
Started with an Atlas hopper….




Built a styrene box….


Some weight over the trucks..


Some buck-shot in the styrene box


Closed up with masking tape & painted


Self-adhesive magnet on a Masonite pad, another magnet on the underside of the styrene box


Finished car….


Barely visible in a train. It’s the car under the blue cap




Earlier car, but not built to operate in a regular train…

[mu26aeh]

Is the box/masonite affixed to the car, or just floating ?

[Scottl]

Great idea, thanks for sharing!

[LIRR]

The box floats in the car. There's buckshot in the box, so the weight on the pad can be changed. The Masonite pad is attached via the magnets. I have other magnets with different pads on them, easily interchangeable. one with 600-grit paper another with sheet balsa. The balsa pad I dip in denatured alcohol before running the train.

[Philip H]

Agreed, this is a neat idea. Wonder if you could do it for an Ortner or something since I don't have a coal mine.

[mu26aeh]

Agreed, this is a neat idea. Wonder if you could do it for an Ortner or something since I don't have a coal mine.

You can't have a run-thru single car ?  There are no mines or delivery points for coal hoppers in my area, but they sneak thru on the locals once in a while

[nsbob]

That's a great idea, especially since I plan to move a lot of coal on my layout.  I will be using both hoppers and gons, so I think this would be a great way to make a really inconspicuous track cleaning car out of a tub type coal gon.  If you leave the sides on the tubs, it would be very difficult to see.

[nkalanaga]

NSBob:  That was my thought as well.  Some of the NS tub cars I see along the Big Sandy have square tubs, which would make an even better disguise.

Me, I'd probably put it in a boxcar, for 1974 Montana.

[LV LOU]

I actually have a kit coming out soon that will drop into a boxcar that works exactly like this.It's a casting with a weight inside.It will be available with either a Masonite pad,or a stone..I'll post some pics tonight.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I dig it!

I also like that it'll make your coal drag a real drag. Better tie those helpers on!