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QUESTIONSANDANSWERS
Holding cars/trains on a grade
Q.
Howdoyouguysholdcarsor trainsonagrade? I checked
thearchivesand sawacoupleof ideasusingwireandpaint-
brushbristles. I havean industrial siding thatwill need some-
thing tohold thecars so theydon't roll out to themainline,
and I have toholda trainonagradewhile I do some switching.
Whathasworked foryou?
–Brian, ThomasG.
A.
Tell yourbrakeman totie somehandbrakes!
I hada similarproblem– if thecars rolled, they'd roll right into
thecars Iwas switching. The layoutownerprovidednoway to
secure thecars, so I simplyplaced the leading truckof thefirst
car leftbehindon theground. It isnot an ideal solution, andcer-
tainlynot veryprototypical, but ithad thedesired result.
Somepeopleplacecoupler springsorother small springsonone
endof their freight caraxles, between thewheel faceand the
truck frame, toact asabrake. Thisadds rolling resistance, so if
youmovea lotof long trains, itmightnotbeaverygoodoption.
Itdoesaddenough resistancewhen installedononeor twoaxles
ineachcar topreventundesiredmovement though.
At a localmodel railroadclubwehave several "blueflags" for
industries. Theyarepinswithablueplastichandle. Thoseare
pinned into themiddleof the trackwhencarsare leftat indus-
tries, particularlyat industrieswherecarswould roll to foul the
main if leftwithoutbeing secured.
– JamesOgden
Buildinga retractablewire stopcankeepcars from rollingaway.
ThomasGasioruseshollowplasticpull rods leftover fromFast
TracksBullfrogground throws, andpianowire from the local
hobby store.Hedrilledholes for thepull rods, thendrilledholes
for supermagnet locks tobeembedded in the fascia.
Push thepianowire through thehollowpipe, bend theendon
the trackat a90-degreeangle, andcut it to size to just contact a
freight caraxle.Mount the stopoff-centerbetween the rails, to
keep thewireoutof couplers (1-2, nextpage).
Questions, Answers&Tips - 1
MRH-Apr2014
