I acquired some used rolling stock. Boxcars and reefers,lots of details. They have ''accurail'' stamped on bottom of trucks.
They are lite for my taste, would like to add some wt.
I can not find a way to get into the car without damage to detail. All joints look to be glued/sealed.
Any hints?
Thanks
Accurail are supplied as kits. If the previous owner glued them together with styrene cement I doubt you will be able to disassemble the car.
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That does not mean you cannot add weight.
I have gone in through the floor on some house cars and installed sheet lead through a slot. The problem with this is that there is no practical way to glue the new weight into place.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Another testimony to the need to weigh the parts of a car kit before assembly. But I do understand why some people cement the floors in place because they have a tendency to fall out if the car is picked up and even slightly squeezed.
Having said that most Accurail kits in my experience are reasonably close to NMRA weight standards.
The center sill on most Accurail boxcars has a gap in the center which can be filled with bits of sheet lead. Not much but every 1/8 ounce counts.
On most cars there is an overhang of the car sill over the floow. At the cost of accurate appearance sheets of lead can be cemented unobstrusively protected by the side sill. Just make sure the car is balanced so weight added to one side is matched by weight added to the other.
The axles can usually be wrapped with solder.
Dave Nelson
On my flat cars I have added lead stick on automobile wheel weights and they where ease to cut. Now they are made from steel? I added them to the under carriage.
Might look at bird shoot from a sporting goods store. Have the car upside down and put the bird shoot in the under carriage and use elmers glue to hold in places.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
You should also look into a digital scale, like a postal or diet scale. That way you can check how much weight to add to bring the weight up to the NMRA Recommended Practice weight without adding too much
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Some careful prying with an Xacto knife around the edges of the floor may get the floor out. If that doesn't work, can you get a door open? If nothing works, you can cut pieces of sheet lead to fit on the undercarriage, inbetween the ribs and bolsters and "stuff". Silicone bathrub caulk will hold them in place. Don't use Walther's Goo, it attacks plastic and keeps attacking for years. When done a coat of dark gray auto primer from a rattle can will blend the weights into the undercarriage and make them pretty much invisible.
I get my sheet lead from the local lumber yard where it is sold as flashing for roof work. I use a cheap spring balance scale sold for cooking and diet work. It's plenty accurate enough for model railroading. If you have questions about your scale's accuracy, weight a stick of butter or margarine. One stick is four ounces. I remember asking the nice little old lady at the stationary store for a digital postal scale. She told me she stopped carrying them because the only customers were drug runners looking to weight out the heroin.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
If you aren't concerned with appearances on the bottom of the car, you could drill a small hole through the floor just large enough to add BB's to bring up the car weight, then seal the hole off. The BB's will sort of balance out mostly on their own, but if your layout has grades, they may make some noise rolling around as you enter/exit them. Another option is to cut a slot in the floor large enough to insert some pennies. Just sort of jostle the car a bit when you turn it back over to spread them out. They aren't likely to move much on grades.
Mike
Water Level Route If you aren't concerned with appearances on the bottom of the car, you could drill a small hole through the floor just large enough to add BB's to bring up the car weight, then seal the hole off. The BB's will sort of balance out mostly on their own, but if your layout has grades, they may make some noise rolling around as you enter/exit them.
If you aren't concerned with appearances on the bottom of the car, you could drill a small hole through the floor just large enough to add BB's to bring up the car weight, then seal the hole off. The BB's will sort of balance out mostly on their own, but if your layout has grades, they may make some noise rolling around as you enter/exit them.
Water Level Route If you aren't concerned with appearances on the bottom of the car, you could drill a small hole through the floor just large enough to add BB's to bring up the car weight, then seal the hole off. The BB's will sort of balance out mostly on their own, but if your layout has grades, they may make some noise rolling around as you enter/exit them. Another option is to cut a slot in the floor large enough to insert some pennies. Just sort of jostle the car a bit when you turn it back over to spread them out. They aren't likely to move much on grades.