Comme-N-tary Column - 2
Adding Weight
Most manufacturers’ cars can use additional weight to match
NMRA recommendations for N scale cars. First thing I do after
taking the car out of the box is to check the weight using an
inexpensive postal scale. I taped the NMRA specs to the scale
for easy reference. These 33 to 40-foot cars should weigh a lit-
tle less than an ounce.
The method of adding weight depends on whether the specific
car is going to travel empty or loaded. Most cars will always be
either empty or loaded, not needing removable loads. Through
trains are automatically re-aligned using through staging (loads
always end up facing the right direction). The Cresson mine
trains are re-staged between sessions, leaving only the local
cars needing removable loads. These will be modified the same
as the empties.
1:
Loaded and empty hoppers in Cresson yard.
Upgrades are applied depending on the role each car
will play.
1
The Bowser two-bay hoppers include a lead slope sheet cast-
ing that provides most of the necessary weight. These cars
are available in a variety of roads that provided cars for the
PRR to haul. Weathering the weight along with the car makes
it almost invisible.
Cars that always travel loaded can use any source of weight
from commercial castings, to lead sheet or lead shot, all hidden
underneath the coal. The loaded Bowser two-bay hoppers loan
their slope weight to other cars that will travel empty. An alter-
native for weighting empty cars is to carefully cut a thin piece
of lead to fit the slope sheet.
Every car in the fleet gets weighed.
2: Bowser slope sheet weight applied to a four-bay hop-
per. A little weathering makes the weight almost invisible.
2
MRH-Jun 2013
