Fine Tuning Rolling Stock
or Tangent car but they look decent, have good lettering, have more robust details, and are considerably less costly. When I set up an assembly line I can put together a bunch of Accurail kits quickly – a plus when I’m in increase-the-fleet mode.
for better running – by Charlie Comstock
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To ensure the result is a good running, reliable car I use some extra parts.
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A
ssembling a freight car kit can be an enjoyable way to spend an evening or an hour or two, depending the kit. I have long used Accurail freight car kits to build up my rolling stock fleet. They may not have the detail of a Kadee, ExactRail
Metal wheelsets roll better, don’t attract as much dust, add weight and lower the car’s center of gravity. I’ve found Kadee couplers to be reliable and use them exclusively when assembling kits. If the car is light for the NMRA carweight standards, I add self-stick lead weights from A-Line. These come in
Figure 3
1/2 oz. sizes which makes it easy to determine how much to add. Figure 2 shows all parts, both from the kit and extracurricular, that I used to build this PFE reefer. I start by weighing all the parts (figure 3). The NMRA car weight standard for HO is 1 oz. + 1/2 oz. per inch of length. So this 6” long car should weigh 4 oz. As it happens the parts for this car (including couplers and metal wheels) weigh 3.9 oz which is awfully close to the desired car weight.
Figure 4
Figure 4 shows the A-line self-stick 1/2 oz. weights I use to add additional mass to cars. I like to wash the car bottom and trucks and spray them with a light coat Figure 5
Figure 1 Page 51 • Issue 11-07 • Jul 2011 • The Car Shop - Fine Tuning Rolling Stock, page 1
Figure 2
Figure 6
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