Recommended added weight for G1 rolling stock?

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scl
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Recommended added weight for G1 rolling stock?

Post by scl » Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:04 pm

Hi

I'm just about ready to start my first piece of rolling stock - A Gauge One Northern Finescale NE 12T Van kit, and the instructions mention adding weight before fixing the roof (sensible!). Is there a recognised amount of weight to be added for this scale? I think I remember reading that in 0 Gauge one recommendation is 1gm per mm length of model. Would this be a suitable guide for G1?

I'd be very grateful of any advice thank you.

Ken

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IrishPeter
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Post by IrishPeter » Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:51 am

1g/mm would be far too light for G1.  I reckon 2.2g/mm, but I had to get there using Imperial measure as metric is meaninglesses to me.

I used to try and ballast up to the tare weight of the vehicle, which involved quite a bit of maths. In 1:19 scale the number 6859 - 19 cubed - was the operative number, so in G1 the same number is 32 cubed, which is 32,768.  

Basically, I would work out the weight of the prototype in pounds, then divide by 32,768, which will five you the total model weight in pounds.  I usually then multiply by 16 to give you the number of ounces it should weigh.  For example, a standard 57' passenger carriage weighed about 35 tons or 78,400lbs, which would mean ballasting a 1:32 scale model to about 38 ounces.  Interestingly a 33' narrow gauge bogie coach would tare at between 7t 10cwt, and 10t depending on construction, which gets us into the same general area with weight.  

I reckon 1.75oz to the inch (2g/mm) for G1, and about 2.25 ounces to the inch for SM32/45.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

scl
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Post by scl » Wed Oct 07, 2015 1:25 pm

Hi Peter

Thank you for the reply. I reckon using your bottom formula it would give a weight of about 12.25ozs, which added to the weight of the kit would put it up to around 1lb. This coincides with the recommendations of another guy I have been speaking to so that's good enough for me!

PS - I had the pleasure of visiting your neck of the woods back in 2006. I especially liked Sedona and Jerome. Love to go back one day!

Cheers
Ken

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IrishPeter
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Post by IrishPeter » Thu Oct 08, 2015 6:51 am

It isn't really my neck of the woods, but where various job changes have moved me. My neck of the woods is the very north end of Lincolnshire where the local NG lines served clay pits, though the old Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway plied its trade between North Sea Lane and the Fitties. I finally got to go and visit the reincarnation at Ingoldmells near Skeggie when I was home last month.

It needs to do some serious work on decrepitude and dereliction before it feels as 'real' as the old LCLR, which, for my money, was the last true light railway built in England. The folks from "Cleckhuddersfax" used to sit on the trains like sacks of spuds, just the way they would do on the buses back home in the West Riding. A railway enthusiast on the old LCLR was as rare as rocking horse droppings.

Cheers,
Peter in AZ
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Post by MDLR » Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:50 am

I emember the old LCLR - seeing the end of the panel of track (all WDLR stuff) bounce up as you hit the other end, propelling the coach flat out with a Simplex, not having any idea what was in front of the coach (and there were no continuous brakes in those days) coming into North Sea Lane on the handbrake, so dipping the clutch stopped the train more-or-less instantly without hitting the buffers, wandering home after a 12 hour shift - WHAT Rules Exam? WHAT formal training??
Brian L Dominic
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Post by IrishPeter » Thu Oct 08, 2015 4:02 pm

It was a bit more sedate by the time I knew the LCLR.  There were air brakes, and the loco ran round at either end of the run, or they topped and tailed.  However, for authentic light railway atmosphere, you could not beat the station at North Sea Lane - tin sheds; sleeper built platform, and track that went every which way but straight and level.  My recollection of the service is that it was quite intensive - basically as often as they either

(a) could run around and start heading for the other end, or
(b) had a train full.

Of course, when the car boot was running on the Fitties on Sundays (a) and (b) became the same thing, with Jurassic hauling both Ashovers and the Sand Hutton coach to keep pace, and trains seemed to run about every 20 minutes.  I think they used to top and tail with Jurassic on one end and a Simplex on the other when it was really jumping.  Of course, midweek it could be just Mam, Gran, and me on the train, especially in 1984/5, which along with the Miners' strike and troubles with the council was the reason the original line closed.

The new line is rather couth compared to the old one.  The track is fairly straight and level, but still seems to laid on a scrape in the ground made with the shovel end of a JCB.  Now I know where I got my track laying skills!  The new big tin shed is very swish.  They had three Simplexes out on 20/9 - two were top and tailing the passenger train, and the other was making the occasional run with the WW1 stock.  The station is now called 'Wall's Lane' rather than Lakeside, which seems a lot more LCLR-ish to me.  

Cheers,
Peter in AZ
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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