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Having cars a consistent weight is very important to smooth operations. The NMRA standard is a good choice. I had the pleasure to operate on a large home layout on a number of occasions. At first glance I was very disappointed as the road bed and track work appeared poor with many dips and twists. A far cry from a solid roadbed. Much to my delight the trains ran flawless. Even the live load coal train made it up and down the helix without problems. I came to the conclusion that proper weight is the answer. I agree that pennies make a great choice of cheap weights. It is important to keep the weight as low as possible so the car will not tip in a curve. In tight spaces, such as flat cars, covered hoppers, etc. I use lead buckshot and glue it together with that wonder material, dilute white glue. The body of the car acts as a mold. Enough lead shot is added to bring up the weight and glue is added until all the shot is covered. Once the dilute glue has dried, a day or two, I top off with a final layer of full strength glue. Proper weight is just one element in a fine operating railroad.
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