Adding weight

[jjb62556]

I have some ore cars to add weight to. Is there a list some where that shows the correct weight for each type of car? Thanks, Jim

[Curtis Kyger]

There are two schools of thought on this issue. The first and most authoritative is to use the National Model Railroad Association weights which they publish. I'm sure that's what your seeking with your post.
The second thought is to weigh each car 1.0 - 1.1 Oz. no matter what it's length. (More weight is okay but supposedly adds nothing to reliable operation but only decreases the quantity of cars that your locomotives can haul).  I think the difference in thought has to do with how you operate your trains. The "correct" answer may also have to do with whether you use truck mounted couplers or body mounted couplers. I know when I was pushing a long train over a hump (shoving cars to an industry), the lightest car would go airborne just enough to derail. If I have them all weighted equally, the car nearest the locomotive would have the most compressive force on it and it would be the most likely to derail.  But if you're not pushing cars around in long trains, then anything around 1.0 Oz is still good.

[jjb62556]

Thanks, They are light 3D printed and a little light. They run fine on my layout, but I think I might need a light more weight for the club trackage...Jim

[Bill H]

I have some ore cars to add weight to. Is there a list some where that shows the correct weight for each type of car? Thanks, Jim

Try the NMRA website, a trove of best practices and information. And you do not have to be a member to get the info.

[thomasjmdavis]

Here's the NMRA link: https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/rp-20.1.pdf.  '

Per the standard, if your ore cars are the usual "shortie" hopper type, the NMRA recommendation might work out to a bit less than an ounce.  But per the recommendation of Curtiss Kyper above, I would go with a full ounce, especially if you are operating a long string of cars on a club layout, or mixed in a train with larger cars.

[nkalanaga]

Fully loaded prototype cars don't depend on the length.  A 70-ton car, for instance, will have the same total weight whether it's a short ore car, or an 89 ft TOFC flat.

[NtheBasement]

I would go with the NMRA recommendation.  https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/rp-20.1.pdf