Define "free rolling"

[SeeYou190]

NWP SWP

How's this?

.

That is probably another bad idea.

.

Over-lubrication is a huge problem. Just get a bottle of Labelle 102, 107, and 108. No need to re-invent anything here.

.

Each of those bottles contain a lifetime supply. That is how little lubricant you should be using.

.

-Kevin

.

[NWP SWP]

Got it.

[doctorwayne]

Chuck, Bob K., and Guy, thank you for your kind words. 

Bob, the boxcar, one of eight fairly heavily-modified cars, is an Athearn Blue Box kit, with trucks from Proto.  I didn't choose the trucks for their free-rolling qualities, but rather for the fact that the National B-1 trucks were introduced in the '30s, the same era in which my layout is set.

BNSF UP and others modeler

Longer trains = need for more free rolling stock.....

 

I'm not overly concerned with having free-rolling cars (nor am I a fan of metal wheels), but to me, longer trains=need for more locomotives. (If the cars roll like bricks, well, that calls for even more locomotives.)

 

Wayne

[Doughless]

cefinkjr

I'm thinking that, when released on a grade that's x inches long at y% gradient, a "free rolling" car would roll to the bottom of the grade and z inches more on level track beyond the foot of the grade.

I checked the NMRA web site and found nothing along these lines.  Does anyone have some numbers on this?  I'd like to build a Conformity Test Track for our club and it ought to be able to verify that a car is or is not free rolling.

 

Of course, a club could set its own rules and standards and its own way of calculating compliance. 

It seems like every car will have to be tested anyway in order to pass the free rolling test, so instead of following strict NMRA rules on things (I know, heresy here) have the club set its own standards for what makes sense for its goals.

While you want free rolling equipment, I'd think a situation like Wayne described might cause community discord if someone up the line forgot to "set the brake".

[Graham Line]

Instead of an oil or grease lube, we touch up the axle end cone with a truck tuner, and then spin a graphite pencil inside the bearing.

The truck tuner is the conical cutter like the one now sold by Micro-Mark. Sometimes it just knocks out a little bump or two in the molding, sometimes it will pull out a whole curl of plastic. It doesn't require much pressure -- have seen people try to reshape the bearing seat, make the cone deeper, and then wonder why the wheelsets wobble side to side.

The graphite pencil is solid graphite from the art supply store, with a lacquer coating to keep your hands clean. If you set aside one pencil for this job, it takes on the cone shape you want. We use a 6H or a 4H, and the effect seems to last quite a while.

[MisterBeasley]

I built a carfloat terminal a few years ago.

The float itself holds a string of 6 cars on each of the 3 tracks.  I worked very hard to keep everything level, all the way to the back of the layout.  I wanted to be able to pull each string of 6 cars off the float, plus the 3 "idler" flats so the engine didn't have to go on the bridge.  One of the engines is an 0-6-0 tank engine, not much weight or pulling power, but I was able to do it with all metal wheels and cleaned-out trucks.

I learned a couple of things.  First of all, loading and unloading a real car float is not done by pulling an entire string of cars at once.  It is done a half-string at a time to better maintain balance.

Second, don't put a carfloat terminal in the back of the layout like I did, with only a thin, awkward aisle for access.  Uncoupling shoud be reason enough, but there are all sorts of opportunities for minor derailments and other issues.  When I re-build my layout, it will be up front.  Besides, it's a very interesting scene, and it should be up front where people can see it.

[dknelson]

Graham Line

spin a graphite pencil inside the bearing.

Kadee has sold powdered graphite for years to "lube" their couplers, and there is also a line of powdered graphite intended for Pinewood Derby cars, but I have used the stuff in trucks (before the truck tuner - and before the truck tuner itself was around I would twirl a small phillips screwdriver). 

This graphite pencil idea offers more control and less mess than the powder.

Dave Nelson 

[cefinkjr]

Graham Line

spin a graphite pencil inside the bearing.

Another of the million or so "why didn't I think of that?" ideas.

[gregc]

when does it matter?

here's a table of the additional force in ounces to pull a number of cars up a grade where each car is assumed to be a 40' car weighted to NMRA recomendations (3.76 oz).  The force in addition to friction to pull 40 40' cars up a 2% grade is just over 3 oz.

The table also indicates the force for a single car up a grade.  If a car barely rolls down a 2% grade, the friction force is ~0.075 oz.    If all 40 car were like this, it means it will take 3 oz of force just to overcome the friction pulling 40 cars on level track and ~6 oz to pull those cars up a 2% grade.

If cars easliy roll down a 0.5 % grade, the friction is < 0.02 oz, and the friction for 40 cars is 0.76 oz (40 * 0.019 oz) and ~3.76 oz is needed to pull those 40 cars up a grade.

I have a brass 0-6-0 that i've measured having a 3 oz pull force.

  3.76 oz,  40 ft,   5.5 in

    grade       1     5    10    15    20    25    30    35    40  n 40ft cars
     0.25%  0.009  0.05  0.09  0.14  0.19  0.23  0.28  0.33  0.38
     0.50%  0.019  0.09  0.19  0.28  0.38  0.47  0.56  0.66  0.75
     0.75%  0.028  0.14  0.28  0.42  0.56  0.70  0.85  0.99  1.13
     1.00%  0.038  0.19  0.38  0.56  0.75  0.94  1.13  1.32  1.50

     1.25%  0.047  0.23  0.47  0.70  0.94  1.17  1.41  1.64  1.88
     1.50%  0.056  0.28  0.56  0.85  1.13  1.41  1.69  1.97  2.25
     1.75%  0.066  0.33  0.66  0.99  1.32  1.64  1.97  2.30  2.63
     2.00%  0.075  0.38  0.75  1.13  1.50  1.88  2.25  2.63  3.01

     2.25%  0.085  0.42  0.85  1.27  1.69  2.11  2.54  2.96  3.38
     2.50%  0.094  0.47  0.94  1.41  1.88  2.35  2.82  3.29  3.76
     2.75%  0.103  0.52  1.03  1.55  2.07  2.58  3.10  3.62  4.13
     3.00%  0.113  0.56  1.13  1.69  2.25  2.82  3.38  3.94  4.51

     3.25%  0.122  0.61  1.22  1.83  2.44  3.05  3.66  4.27  4.88
     3.50%  0.131  0.66  1.31  1.97  2.63  3.29  3.94  4.60  5.26
     3.75%  0.141  0.70  1.41  2.11  2.82  3.52  4.23  4.93  5.63
     4.00%  0.150  0.75  1.50  2.25  3.00  3.76  4.51  5.26  6.01

 

[steemtrayn]

To prevent parked cars from rolling away, I place a neodimium magnet under the track. Strong enough to hold the car by the trip pin, but not enough to keep the local from taking it away.

[cowman]

I agree, Vasoline does not belong on the axels.  It works fine  on my tubas tuning slides.  Now back to topic.

Somewhere, years ago, there was an article or some other mention of "tuning up your rolliing stock."  I built my "test track" on a 4' pine board.  Under one end is a 1/2" piece  to raise the end.  As I recall, this was lower than the recommended height, but I wanted to be sure.  My Kadee coupler gages are at each end.  I also added a "Snap" turnout to be sure the cars would roll and turn through it freely.

Felt this was a good project for some of the old brass track I had laying around.  The other use is cut to scale 39' lengths (some shorter) for use in maintenance yards or as loads.

Have fun,

Richard

[cefinkjr]

steemtrayn

To prevent parked cars from rolling away, I place a neodimium magnet under the track. Strong enough to hold the car by the trip pin, but not enough to keep the local from taking it away.

Don't know what "neodimium" is but I may have finally found a use for a set of Button Magnets that have been cluttering my work desk for years.  They are a full half inch in diameter but one was easily trimmed with a razor saw.  It seemed to work nicely after I removed the foam tape backing that made it too thick.

Another of those million or so "why didn't I think of that?" ideas.

[steemtrayn]

Freerolling car test:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iTZM7EqLkU