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How did you add more weight to totally sealed freight cars?
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<P mce_keep="true">Are you sure your tank cars don't come apart? That is what I thought when I started in on them. So, yes, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the first one (as I had read how to do in this forum) and added BBs with a few shots of white glue and shook them up.</P> <P mce_keep="true">Then I discovered that <EM><STRONG>all</STRONG></EM> of my 5 or 6 makes/models of tank cars come apart rather easily if one removes the perimeter hand rail (wire) trim. Many had such nice looking seams or hidden seams below this detailing, that I assumed they were a glued unit.</P> <P mce_keep="true">I can't tell you right now if any were Walthers brand.... but take a good close look at yours. Your cars probably have a weight plate lying either vertically or horizontally in the tank. When they were made, the shells were snapped together after this weight was added. Some brands have the end pieces of the tank come off instead of a two-piece shell.....I think.</P> <P mce_keep="true">So, anyway, what I did with mine was to add the normal sticky tire rim weights as usual. However these can be too large to slide in with the plate weight, so I also used some flat lead sheet weight (I get from a roofing company) in some.</P> <P mce_keep="true">Generally speaking, tank cars should not be left alone if they seem light or have plastic wheels. I found they are notorious derailers. And adding metal wheels is also a good help as noted above. </P> <P mce_keep="true">For flat cars, I have pushed in some sheet lead pieces cut to size between the underside beams. I glue these in with caulk.</P> <P mce_keep="true">For gondolas under a load/lid, I pour in more of those BBs (because I went and bought a big jar that I thought I would need for the tank cars) on top of some "no more nails" or caulk and push them down in.</P> <P mce_keep="true">Not haphazardly though. Use a postal weight scale to measure what is needed for your car and to cut/measure the correct size weight to add.</P> <P mce_keep="true">[2c]</P> <P mce_keep="true"> </P>
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