To convert these cars into track-cleaners doesn’t require any
extra weight, and certainly not cold-rolled steel. The only stuff
needed: scrap 1/8 inch Masonite, short 1-1/2” roofing nails,
five-minute epoxy, press-on starlock washers, a 3/16” drill bit,
an electric drill, your trusty model railroad ruler, and maybe a
compass for not-so-critical measurements, i.e. the kind no lon-
ger used to measure distances on a nautical chart.
I do have a drill press, but that’s not necessary either. Lining up
holes by eye works just fine. If you encounter a full-length steel
weight, a little cutting oil helps.
The scrap 1/8” Masonite will be cut up into a stack of slid-
ers measuring 8 x 18 HO-scale feet. Use a pusher stick, not
your fingers, when cutting these little guys. After you’ve cut
TRACK CLEANING CAR |
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4. Accuracy counts. These roofing nails are epoxied on-center
with their points 12 scale feet apart.
