Model Railroading > Partial log flat weighty solution ...

 I recently started adding a few of the cutaway deck log flats to our Sugar Pine Lumber Company roster. The challenge has been including enough weight for the cars to track properly. 

Photo 1 shows a prototype example on the loading track at a landing with three guys standing on it. I'm not sure how many of the flats were modified as such but I'll have a half dozen wandering around our layout. 

Photo 2 shows where I add small chunks of lead sheet stock as extra weights to bring the cars closer to NMRA specs. These cars track very nicely but obviously these extra weights can't be added to the cutaway flats. 

Photo 3 shows a partial solution. The guys at Laser Brothers ( info@LaserBros.com ) made me some replacement side sills from .040 brass sheet stock. The brass parts replace the Evergreen styrene pieces I use instead of the Tichy kit parts with stake pockets. The basic styrene sills as shown (not mounted on the car, just the pieces) weigh about .042 ounces, and the brass parts are about .36 ounces, or .318 ounces heavier.  That's not huge, but it's always better than nothing. I'll add more to this missive later when I finish one of the flats and include its metal trucks and wheelsets along with anything else I can add for weight. 

Onward! 

Jeff Johnstonthesugarpineshop.bigcartel.com


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/25 12:30 by Jeff_Johnston.

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A weighty issue, indeed. I don't know if the following would be helpful to you, since it only applies to closed deck cars, but here goes.

My own solution to flimsy flats was to rework 40's and 50's vintage cast all-metal flatcars made by Ulrich, Walthers, Penn Line and Mantua (later reprized as Mantua, then Model Power "Heavies). A metal deck makes all the difference in the world, and you still have the opportunity to add more underfloor weight. They do require considerable grinding work, particularly in your case in removing the side sills. For myself, I replace side sill rivets with Archer decals and put basswood decks on top. The Ulrich and Penn Line cars have TOFC decks, meaning a lot more grinding and mandatory wood or brass overlays. Penn Line cars have comparatively thin side sills to remove. The hard-to-find Walthers cars have very thick floor/side sill cross sections, hence their weight is about ideal. The Mantua cars, particularly the Heavies, are reasonably easy to find on eBay.

Approximate weights with original trucks & couplers:
Walthers - 4.25 oz
Mantua - 3.35 oz
Penn Line - 2.69 oz
Ulrich - 2.90 oz

I reworked quite a few of these cars - including some dandy Gilbert 50' flats - in the past. They are a fair amount of work, but this allowed me to place empty flats on the head end of trains, just like the prototype. A bunch of empty flatcars running ahead of a string of house cars is a pretty cool effect. Sorry, my conversions are all packed away (somewhere) awaiting a new layout, hence no available photos.



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/25 10:38 by EO.

Hi, thank you for the comments about your flat cars experience. Most of the other non-logging flats on our layout are Red Caboose 40 footers that operate well when mixed in with other freight cars or by themselves.

The Tichy flats are a near-perfect match for the original SPLCo blueprints so those are what my log flats are based on. Replacing the stake pocket side sills with smooth pieces and adding log bunks are the most significant change I need to make to do an accurate SPLCo (actually Minarets & Western Railway, the common carrier branch of the SPLCo) As shown, they weigh about 2.22 ounces. Our layout is set up for 8 car trains of 40 foot cars plus a caboose, and trains of the empty log flats operate just fine.

Jeff Johnston

How many cars were typical M&W trains? The top picture looks like there’s 9 or 10.

Posted from iPhone

Wingomann:

There are no records of train car numbers in the woods, but a full complement of loaded flats down to the mill was 35 cars.

Jeff