Adding weight - removing bodies

[alancon]

I am at the point now where I'd like to add weight to my On30 Spectrum freight cars.
I've checked the NMRA stds and by interpolating between O, S, and On3 I've come up with having a weight of about 1.2oz + .5 for each inch of car length.

The problem now is how do I get the frame (or roof) separated from the body of the cars (box. reefer, etc).

There doesn't seem to be any "give" when I try to squeeze the sides.

Any tips on how to do this?

- Alan

[ebtbob]

Alan,

      On the Bachmann On30 boxcars and reefers,  the roof is held on by four taps,  on in each corner.   Carefully work a small screwdriver up under the edge of the roof and once you get the roof moving,  the rest will come along quite nicely.
       I have almost no extra weight inside my cars.   I put weights with double faced tape under the floor in the open spaces of the frames.   BTW....this will also work with the gons,  flatcars,  and tankcars since all use the same basic frame.    I also take .177 pellets(used to have a pellet pistol).  I use the KD trip pin plies to bend them and then super glue them into the underside of the truck bolsters.  Below is the bottom view of an enlongated Bachmann flatcar.   You will see the cut weights in the frame as well as the .177 cal pellets in the frame.

[S. Calloway]

I too use lead weights from a company called A-Line,a division of Proto Power West. These have tape on one side and come in different sizes and work well On the bottom of the Bachmann cars. Most good hobby shops will have these.    Dwayne Calloway

[Jim Banner]

Thinking about the same weighty problem, I came to the conclusion that with the same track size, the same wheel profile and comparable cars lengths as H0, the H0 weighting standards could be used - 1/2 oz. per inch of car length plus 1 oz.  It is interesting that a completely different approach led you to a very similar conclusion.

Jim

[NarrowMinded]

Etbob, Have you ever had an issue with the weights falling off and maybe causing a short? just curious how long you have been doing it this way and any issues?

I've used stick on weights from autoparts stores for balancing rims but mostly inside I stick them so they dont shift around.

NM-Jeff

[ebtbob]

Jeff,

      Sorry for the delay in responding to your questions.   One,   I cannot remember any weights falling off.   If that thought of weights falling off concerns you then re-enforce the double faced tape with acc glue.   I have been weighting my On30 cars my way for over five years.

[mabloodhound]

I weight all my cars with sheet lead, either from the lumber yard or left over from a house remodeling job.   I cut the sheet to fit the bottom frame spaces and glue in place, using the HO weight standards.

[rk_dave]

Thanks for the tips - I've just started adding weight to my cars, and was stumped about the reefer roof.  I'm adding the weight so they will couple better without the "giant hand from the sky."  I'm also adding microtrains restraining springs to one end of all four axles to add a little rolling friction since not all of my elevated spurs are perfectly flat.

I will give the inside frame weighting a try since I hadn't figured out yet how to add weight inconspicuously to the flat cars.

I have added 2oz to each of three box cars and tha, along with the springs, seems to have mad coupling reliable and no runaway cars so far.

I also painted neolube on the couplers - I can't see that this has made them more slippery, but it does help their looks.