I have a few Bethlehem Car Works RTR passenger cars. They are beautiful cars that retail at around the $40 - 50 price point each. I recently took them to the old train club and checked them for weight on the the club scale only to find that they are all about 2 ounces to lite for their length.
Does anyone know how to dis-assemble these passenger cars so that I can add the weight. I really want to weigh them up to NMRA standards, but don't want to destroy the cars doing so.
Michael
I wrote them an email yesterday and the responce was that these cars can NOT be opened. If I want to add weight, I'll have to find some other unique way of doing it.
I have had a similar problem with assembled cars. One possibility is to drill a hole in the bottom, coat an appropriate weight of BBs or lead fishing sinkers with silicone sealer and push them through the hole. It is messy, and you have to be careful not to get the silicone on the sides of the car. Also, there is no guarantee that the weights will stick somewhere; I have a couple that do a BB rattle when I handle them. At least the weight is inside. If the cars have windows, the silicone could get on the inside; impossible to clean off. You may want to paint the BBs flat black so the shine will not show.
Do the cars have interiors? This could be an added problem. You would have to carefully drill into an area that is not visible from the outside, like the bathroom areas.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch