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Car Weights
Terry model HO scale and asks:
“I have a variety of car types on my layout and wondered if there’s a proper weight for each different car type?”
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There is an NMRA standard for car weight. It is based on a fixed weight that is scale dependent plus additional weight per length of car
NMRA Recommended Practise20 states for HO 1oz plus 1/2oz for each inch of length of the car. It is important that the weight be distributed equally over all wheels. This can generally be done by centering the weight in the center of the car.
And why is weighing cars necessary?
Cars straight from the retailer are often quite light and when shunted, towed or pushed around the layout they will derail, lift off the track, lock up couplers and make you cry!
Four wheelers are especially prone to these disasters, but mixed with bogie carried vehicles it gets worse. The NMRA has gone to a lot of trouble experimenting with this problem and have come up with an optimum car weight formula. This is good
EXCEPT if your trains are too long or going up hill – your locos will need to bear effective tractive force to pull your train.
There is a lot of useful information here:
https://www.nmra.org/index-nmra-standards-and-recommended-practices
I have a NMRA Standards list with the weights with actual lengths and scale lengths. Go by the actual length to get your recommended weight in ounces. a little digital scale is helpful. I attached the nmra standards chart for lengths and weights. Hope this helps