Bottom line. If you aren't comfortable running a car anywhere in a train at any time (loaded/empty) it doesn't belong on the layout. Weighing depends on the cars purpose. Is it something you build

Depleted uranium is a lttle hard to come by unless, of course, you live in southern Iraq.  John B. Allyn

Mike, My reply last night is bugging me. It was late and I was "guestimating", and probably not very well. Early this morning I reviewed the ASME paper and realized I may have the necessary data to

Gary, I used 'liquid lead' which is a very, very fine lead shot - one of the UK traders packages it up and sells it as wagon weights at shows - pour it into the nooks and crannies of the underside,

Mike, Great data on the Challenger run - that sounds like the video. Several thoughts on the numbers. I am quite sure the Challenger was not producing 14,000 DBHP - that is about double the all-time

Bill, Frank's reference was to the advice to run light cars at the rear end of a train "like the prototype," and his point was that running unloaded cars at the back of the train to avoid

Good Evening All, I've completed a second set of tabulations from the 1% Carload Waybill Study. It contains tabulations of the carloads of freight terminated by Class 1 Railroads on a yearly basis

Regarding "self-stopping" trains, I did read awhile back about a locomotive engineer who talked about how plain bearing journals never warmed up on really cold days and as soon as you shut off the

Frank, I think they are talking about the modeling world, not the prototype world. Bill Welch

Dave Evans writes: "The Youtube video that blows me away is of 3985, somewhere out west screaming up what I think is a 1% grade, solo, with a huge string of doubles stacks in tow. To some extent the

Guys, If you can run an empty box car at the head end of a train you can certainly run an empty flat car there. Check out how they are built, these are heavy cars. For example the UP F-50-11 weighs

Ben, interesting. I have very, very few Athearn Blue Box cars, so have not discovered that need for 1-72s I forgot to mention that I have a set of wire stripper pliers that also have threaded

I have tossed around the idea of adding the pellets to the center sills before the resin has cured. I'm not sure if it would look bumpy after it cures. Also, I will be anouncing a couple new cars on

I desire to get to Naperville sometime. But I will avoid the use of depleted uranium pellets for model car weighting. I`m not sure that this would humour those at US Customs! I appreciate being

Steve, Many thanks - just what I would suspect - even at low speeds, RB equipped cars would just keep rolling, especially on any downgrade, while a plain bearing equipped car would slow at a faster

Gary, Options: 1) None - add a load (and don't worry... if the car is empty, run it just like the prototype, at the end of the train) 2) Little lead or steel (or depleted uranium) pellets between

I use one of 2 items: a.. Lead wool, purchased at a plumbing shop. Looks like steel wood, but it lead, and can be formed into tiny places. Once formed, glued in with CA. b.. Lead shot. Visit a gun

Mike - the ASME book reproduces test results from the winter of 1931 from 100 hopper cars in tow behind a PRR I1s decapod. The curve states that in addition to the much lower starting friction, and

I have completed 10 of these fine models for the Great Northern and now it is time to add weights to the underbodies. What types of weights will work for the underside of a flatcar? Additionally,

Dave-- I am so amazed that in my piling system, I did find the C&O ETT that I've referenced. Here is the "miscellaneous" ETT special