Wagon loads and weighting

[gazzerk]

Two questions to throw out to the wise readership of the forum:

1. Has anyone come up with a method to add weight to the tiny "V" tipper wagons

2. Has anyone found a way of making removeable loads for the tippers (other than using loose material)

[JulienW]

1. I have stuck small bits of lead (split shot cut in half) to the underside of the chassis centeral spine.  It's not too visible from normal viewing angles, and you could probably do the same using lead strip cut to the same length and width as the central spine.  The other way around the issue is to use Nigel Lawton skips, as these combine a cast white metal chassis with a cast resin bucket to get the weight in the right place.

2. just an idea here - I'd look into making a snug-fitting liner for the bucket in thin (10 thou) plastic sheet and putting the load in that.  If you put a small bit of steel (or a small magnet like those used for Greenwich couplings) in the top of the load just under the surface it should be possible to pull it out using a magnet (or a bit of steel).

Actually, I wonder if lining the skip with clingfilm, pouring in some plaster then adding the steel in the top of the plaster before coating in whatever the wagon will be carrying is an idea.  The clingfilm should stop the plaster (or whatever) from sticking to the skip and allow it to be pulled out once set - it can be peeled off afterwards - and give you somethign that will be a snug fit.

[gazzerk]

The clingfilm idea sounds worth a try - will post on here as and when I find time to do it !

Thanks for your prompt reply.

[garrywhiting]

The clingfilm idea sounds worth a try - will post on here as and when I find time to do it !

Thanks for your prompt reply.

The clingfilm method for all sorts of mineral type wagon loads was the subject of an article in the Australian Railway Modelling Magazine a while back . Seemed to work fine . In the article, the author had made a removable false floor for a hopper wagon. The empty wagon was lined with a sheet of clingfilm. The false floor was then gently lowered into the wagon and then the mineral load was glued to the false floor. When the glue was set, the false floor with the now fixed mineral load was lifted out, and the clingfilm sheet discarded. The false floor was then returned to the wagon.

[Daan]

You could also make a few empty tipperbuckets by casting them with resin. You can then make a filled bucket and an empty bucket which can be changed inside a factory building or something.

For flatcars (can also be used for tippers) I'm thinking about a piece of styrofoam with a thin piece of metal strip above it. You can hide that strip under the load and you can remove it by using a magnet.

[Tigger]

OK, so I'm 120 days late but for what it's worth, here's my method!

I have half a dozen unpainted tipper bodies which I use as moulds.  The inside face is coated with Vaseline and then the loose load (ballast, sand, or Das to represent clay, etc) is poured in.  Then with the loose loads, a PVA (Resin W or similar) diluted 1:1 with water is dribbled on.  With the Das nothing further is required except for sculpting the top surface appropriately.  It'll take a while to dry but once it is, the load will be released easily.  Clean the Vaseline off by washing with detergent.  A 'wedge' of whitemetal or lead can be inserted at the bottom of the skip for extra weight.

For weighting other types of wagon I'll use a piece of solid brass bar as a solebar and/or a piece of lead under the floor.  It's important to get the centre of gravity as low as possible.

The two following photos illustrate both methods.