how to make a 'pickup' wagon

[Byegad]

On a past layout in N gauge using Fleischmann track I had a number of 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 locos that stuttered and stalled over the frogs. Peco track was even worse! While my latest layouts, using Kato Uni-Track , have no such problem.

However to get my locos running on the Fleischmann I made several pieces of rolling stock, from a carriage, to a shunting truck all permanently coupled to those problem locos. I found even a pick up on one axle/side on the wagon did the trick. You have a flexible coupling and extended wheelbase and that is usually all you need.

[retiredoperator]

Hi Modellers Further to my need for an extra “ Pick Up” wagon I bought a Bachmann shunters truck, but, it is very light and has a toolbox which contains 2 grams of weight.
I have purchased some “Liquid Lead “ or whatever it is called and Superglue , with the intent of filling? the Toolbox, the question being “ how much is enough?” Too much may put a strain on my little L&Y Pug , too little not enough. Happy modelling. Kev

[Bufferstop]

On level track the weight in the shunter's truck doesn't make so much difference to the effort required to move it. I made several from redundant wagon frames and plasticard bodies. I weighted them up to around 50g. which seemed to work ok. Glad to see you are using superglue, PVA can be disastrous if you are using real lead. There's a proprietary product called "Liquid Gravity" which isn't lead and is claimed to be safe to use with PVA. Being too mean to buy the more expensive product I can't confirm that claim, but I'll believe them:)

[retiredoperator]

Hi Bufferstop and all interested parties. The material I bought was from Eileen’s emporium,
they had a stand at the “ Stevenage Model Railway exhibition “ on Saturday , it was there own brand ? and they advised me to use Superglue to avoid mishaps with PVA.
Happy New Year to you. Kev

[D605Eagle]

PVA and lead...what happens?

[End2end]

PVA and lead...what happens?

I was just about to ask the same question. I use lead flashing for adding extra weight. Sometimes when making loads I need to leave the lead in the wagon although the wagon has clingfilm in it when gluing the medium (coal etc) to the load base but this does sometimes leak. Clean up of the wagon is simple enough with ipa on an earbud but what of the lead?
Thanks
End2end

[Roger (RJ)]

There is some sort of reaction between lead shot and PVA that causes swelling after a period of time. If the mixture is in a confined space it can cause the container, for example a model loco battery box, to split.

Whether sheet lead is affected by PVA or not, I don't know.

[Bufferstop]

I tried some of Eileen's lead shot in the sort of clear tube with push on cap that they sell panel pins in, gave it a soaking in pva put the top on and left it alone. About a month later I found it again, the PVA had turned a browny/yellow and both the tube and lid were split. Not a mixture to pack inside a model.

[retiredoperator]

Hi Modellers. I did manage to “Superglue “ Eileen’s Emporium Lead into my Bachmann shunters truck Toolbox , which seems okay. But, with my oversize version of a Toolbox on a
Low fit wagon I added too much lead, silly billy? which may defeat the object, because it could be more than an 0-4-0 can handle? Happy modelling Kev

[Scrat]

No good idea to put weight into the wagon.
Some only have plastic axle bearings which wear quite quickly due to the added weight.
I use strips of lead wrapped around the axles.
Low centre of gravity, no additional load on the bearings.
Only drawback: pay attention not to short-circuit the two wheels....

[allan]

Hi Modellers. I did manage to “Superglue “ Eileen’s Emporium Lead into my Bachmann shunters truck Toolbox , which seems okay. But, with my oversize version of a Toolbox on a
Low fit wagon I added too much lead, silly billy? which may defeat the object, because it could be more than an 0-4-0 can handle? Happy modelling Kev

It's a locomotive, not a crane. As long as the wagon will roll freely on a 5% grade it won't strain the engine. If it won't roll, brush a little graphite into the bearings, and onto the pickups. The pickups are more likely to be problematic than is the weight.

[retiredoperator]

Hi Scrat. When I said add extra weight??? What I should have said was “ After removing the weight from the wagon, add an alternative weight”. It has been suggested that metal wheels/ axles etc affect the performance of magnetic couplers. Whether this is true or not
I don’t know, but whilst I was changing the couplers to my preferred coupler ( Kadee ) I decided to remove the Mazak or whatever and use the Lead Shot instead.
Happy modelling Kev

[Mountain]

Hi Modellers Further to my need for an extra “ Pick Up” wagon I bought a Bachmann shunters truck, but, it is very light and has a toolbox which contains 2 grams of weight.
I have purchased some “Liquid Lead “ or whatever it is called and Superglue , with the intent of filling? the Toolbox, the question being “ how much is enough?” Too much may put a strain on my little L&Y Pug , too little not enough. Happy modelling. Kev

My little 0-4-0 loco number 1 (Converted to 0-16.5) had added weight in the kit I used, as one has to remove the little loco weight. Then I added liquid lead to it to give it some more weight. I made little coal bunkers to do this (The advantage of freelance modelling!). It was just right. But then I had a brainwave and a lot of work later, I came out with a lovely Triang metal chassis hybrid with the modern Hornby 0-4-0 parts. It took a couple of days working at both the chassis and body to get it all to fit. It is very good but has the only downside is that it is now too heavy and does not wheelspin at all. It pulled a rake of ten 00 gauge Lima Mk1 coaches though which is more then some other locos can do! (Though to be fair my loco has a larger body then 00 gauge locos).
The chief issue with adding weight is more strain goes onto gears. What I want to use as a guide is that if the loco can wheelspin it has a "Give" to it so there is less likely to be any damage or excessive wear to any of the mechanical parts.
I never forget wanting to do a stalled current test on a Bachmann class 46 and even though I pinned it to the rails putting as much pressure as a dare without breaking the thing, do you think I could get the thing to stall? I just had to fit a DCC decoder without knowing if the locos current draw would exceed the decoder or not.

[Bufferstop]

If you can't get a loco to stall, the chances are that nothing it is likely to encounter will. It will just sit there grinding away the plating on the wheel rims, and getting a bit warm.