Model Railroading > How many of you folks have a Scale Test Car??

There are always those unanticipated, spur-of-the-moment, you-never-thought-you-would, kinda projects... This one falls right into that category.

My local train club received a very generous donation a few months back of several dozen early 1990s era HO scale Walthers freight car kits. They all arrived in what I guess is called hobby shop display style, large boxes (one model each of every road name offered for those runs). We offered up the numerous model kits for sale to the club members that attended the monthly business meeting. $10/kit, a steal with today's RTR prices often passing $40! One of the boxes included a dozen Walthers scale test car kits. A varied selection of 1970s to early 1990s railroads were in there, including Burlington Northern, Milwaukee Road, Santa Fe, CSX, NYC, UP, CNW, etc... I just glanced over at the kits, and passed. "Ehh too old, these clunkers aren't around anymore anyway." But that neon yellow and green BN one just kinda stuck in my mind for a bit... So, I whipped out the phone and researched, turns out many of the BN scale test cars live on today some 80-90+ years old! SOLD!

OK, the Walthers model is a good start, heck, I think it's the only start(?), but still rather dated now by contemporary modeling standards. The grabs are all molded on, and the kit comes with plastic wheels and horn hook couplers, plus a single sprue of detail parts, handrail, brake wheel & stand, coupler boxes, 4 under-body wheel pedestals. Two provided small metal plates add about 1/2 oz. of weight. I was able to strategically glue in about 160 little lead BBs in there to beef up the weight roughly another 1/3 oz. Two Exactrail 33" metal wheels were used instead of Walthers plactic. I shaved off all the molded on details, replacing them with metal Details Associates 17" straight and drop grabs. I custom mixed various yellow, green, and white acrylic paints to touch-up the zito(ish) yellow color. I next dug around my numerous spare parts boxes and found a small brake wheel. Turns out the BN 979003 has two brake wheels, I think one for each axle? Then metal grabs, stock black plastic handrail, and dual brake wheels were painted Polly Scale BN Green. Kadee #119 couplers with the upper shelf filed off were weathered and installed. Custom bent Details Associates cut levers with Sunrise brass i-bolts were installed on either end and painted yellow and green. Hi-Tech details rubber air hoses were glued in place on the ends. Various Microscale decals were also added, with the car number changed from 979001 to 979003, Yellow FRA safety stripes, 3-point contact labels on all four corners, light gray trim film added to the tops to simulate anti-skid surfaces. A light to medium wash of dark earth toned acrylics was mopped on to age the final piece.

The prototype also has three large flat plates with transport instructions attached below the main handrail, I haven't quite figured out how to replicate these yet, I'll probably just copy the info from the available online images, scale it down, then print it on semi glossy photo paper. I can then cut the "plates" out, and hopefully attach them to the model handrails with small metal I-bolts wrapped around the handrail bars. That's the theory so far anyway...

Here is the model as it stands right now though, Not 100% accurate for the real life 979003, but still I think many small steps improved from the 25 year old Walthers kit. Now to test it out 1 car in from the rear of a BNSF manifest...

~ Mr. MRL

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Very nice job on the scale test car. Nothing like the WKW kit after you got done with it. I have one for CSXT from years ago just for display. Nothing like what yours looks like though.

Stanley Jackowski
Valrico, FL

Nice work. The prototype cars are mostly one pour of steel. These two axle cars always ran just ahead of the caboose where crews reported a rough ride. I think there was a 35 mph speed restriction on the cars.

Some of these cars in an earlier version did not have train brakes installed and got chained to the caboose drawbar for movement.

Posted from iPhone

Two, a regular Walthers one and a Stewart weigh in motion test car.

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

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Great additions to the somewhat drab BN Walthers model.  Gives me some ideas to spruce up mine... Thanks for posting.

John Parker
Longmont, CO
BNSF Fall River Division

what were scale cars used for?

They're used to check the accuracy of track scales used to weigh freight cars.

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

Narrow gauge version.

Andrew
Sn42 CN Newfoundland

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This S scale test car by NASG member Monte Heppe, of Calabash, NC, won 1st place Scratchbuilt MOW at the 2014 NASG Convention. If you model in S scale, or are looking for something bigger than HO but smaller than O gauge, check out the National Association of S Gaugers web site www.nasg.org or send me a PM with your address and I'll send you a copy of our magazine, The Dispatch.
Bill Pyper
Editor
NASG Dispatch
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/16 10:51 by wjpyper.

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A thing to remember with the 2 axle scale test cars, Max speed of 30 mph, Must be 1 car from rear of train ( IE EOT goes on a different car than the test car ) . Not coupled to any car over 55ft long.

Just a little proto info, if you want to influence your model ops.

That is an improvement.

Here is another scale test car, 3rd photo:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3091326

These cars have always been rear end only account the draft gear was never intended to pull heavy trains. The short wheel base could easily pop off the rails due to buff forces of cars behind running in.

The cars are heavy and do not stop well with the limited air brakes they have. If there is one car coupled behind it and this car becomes uncoupled from the train it has another car with 4 axles and 8 brake shoes also in emergency to help stop the heavy car.

I don't remember if the cars have springs on the axles or not. Regardless they are not stable cars when moving.


NSDTK Wrote:
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> A thing to remember with the 2 axle scale test
> cars, Max speed of 30 mph, Must be 1 car from rear
> of train ( IE EOT goes on a different car than the
> test car ) . Not coupled to any car over 55ft
> long.
>
> Just a little proto info, if you want to influence
> your model ops.

Posted from iPhone

My understanding is that scale test cars have NO air brakes at all.  Reason is that normal air brake shoes will wear as they are used and would therefore alter the weight of the scale test car over time.   The hand brakes are just for holding the car when spotted.  The air hoses are just for a straight pipe thru the car.

- Norm

I remember the oldest cars had no airbrake equipment though the newer ones were equipped to stop with air. Yes, worn brake shoes would change the weight of the car though we are talking pounds relative to 50 tons or so. That is why there are those round doors on the sides of the car. When the test car is calibrated blocks of steel are added or removed to bring the car to spec then the doors are sealed not to be opened until the next calibration. I do not know what the weight tolerance is.

Posted from iPhone

Reading had three with a full brake system.

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

That looks great Robby, as do the others that have been posted!

Here is mine I did awhile back

Scott

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My scale test car on my rip track. 

SantaFeRuss

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How many of you have a Scale?

-John

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Here is a prototype version on the rear of a Westbound BNSF in June, 2014 just South (RR East) of Calwa (Fresno). Note that it has a FRED attached and a BLT date of 9/29(!).

Jim B

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So old it has pulling pockets on it.