Hi Richard, some nice loads there!

I use some of the commercially available wagon loads, and I like the ones available from Hornby in their Scaledale series. The photos below show some of their wooden crates, sawn timber, and crates covered with tarpaulins. I have also included a wagon with a home made tarpaulin cover, made with aluminium foil painted over with matt enamel.

Ray and WP,

Thanks for your advice and photos – much appreciated. I’ll try responding to your comments, describe my remaining stock, and end with a couple more questions. This will be my last long post here.

Ray – Your use of matte-painted foil for a canvas cover is something I’d not considered. I’ll try it. I have accumulated about twenty 4607, 4694, 4473 & 4514 low-side stake & gondola cars over the years that are crying for more variety than just conventional containers or painted-straw pipes. I’ll also look up Hornby’s offerings. I’m not familiar with them, but I have used Tichy a couple of times for concrete pipes, etc. Decent quality & reasonably priced.

WP – I had a pleasant chuckle when I read your “Toy Train” comment. Avoiding that appearance is part of my reason for starting this topic. The beer trucks shown in my first message are certainly too high & “toyish”. I probably won’t try that again. The 4740 wagon you suggested might indeed work better – it appears to have a much lower load-bed. As for my homemade car carriers – well . . . . . perhaps just a failed experiment.

But I do kinda’ like the Walthers Stolt Tank Containers. The 1st photo below shows one 2-tank load together with more conventional 20’ container pairs for comparison. Their appearance is also better when multiple Stolt units are used in a consist. And it is always a matter of personal taste – some folks may really not like them regardless!

I do like Maersk. Their containers are appropriate world-wide, and I have several of them in both 20’ and 40’ versions. Some are shown in the 2nd photo mounted on 4694 wagons. They’re followed by a photo of three 1970s 60’ #4663 collapsible-stake wagons (one of my favorite models) with 53’ & 45’ containers. CMA/CGM is also a world-wide brand and I believe they also use Chinese containers. “Stax” is, of course, a US CSX brand, and I don’t know about the shippability of 53’ containers – they do, however, fit nicely with the 4663s.

The last four photos show essentially the balance of my “loadable” wagons. As before, model numbers and some basic info on their loads are in the photo titles. Their vintages range from the 1970s to around 2005 with a mix of Relex & close couplers. In combination with my others, there’s more than enough for Eras III to V, but only 2 that work for Eras I-II (last photo). Together, they should provide the ability to change Eras and to stock switching yards with a decent variety of wagons and loads which may grow slowly with an occasional purchase.

So . . . . . in addition to still seeking more ideas for different & exchangeable loads (I’d especially like more non-container options), I’ll finish with my two last questions and promise no more long posts:

1. Era I & II Wagons – I have only the two freight wagons shown. I’d like to get another 48840, but the model is hard to find.
Any suggestions for 2 to 3 others (not necessarily flat cars) that you feel would be a complementary fit?

2. Era I & II Loads – Besides logs and timber, what are appropriate loads for the first decade of the 20th Century?


Thanks again -- Richard

Rick -- Thank you. Very nice & much better than my efforts.

Slightly OT, but what are the model numbers for the box car in your first photo, and for the stake car & the short low-side gondola in your second photo?

Regards -- Richard

No worries Richard

Your loads look great as well, just a different era.


The gray goods van in the photo has no model number. It's a scratchbuild. The other wagons in the photo are kitsets. The build of these wagons can be found here

Cheers,
Rick

Hi Richard,
Below is a link to a German prototype fright car page, I think you will find useful. It may not show all types of loads but you can see details and the effects of weathering. The best thing I did to make my loads look more prototypical was to stop buying "hobby" cars, I also weather everything and paint minor details. With that said your off to a good start! Containers are containers except for tank containers, North America has a standard and so does Europe. Take a look at American Limited Models European prototype tank containers.

Bill

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix_frameset.html

Hi Mark -- Just click on one of the country flags on the left side. That will bring up subdirectories for cars, steam, electric, etc. Click again on a subdirectory you're interested in, follow on, and photos will show up. European countries, like Germany, France & Switzerland, will have a "gazillion" options & photos. Non--European countries, like Mexico, will have very few.

As a convenient short-cut, you can also search for a particular item regardless of country by clicking on the "Home" tab at the right-side top. That will bring up a new screen which allows entry of a prototype's model number or a descrption (e.g., BR 03, E 110, Containers, S-Bahn, etc.). If the model or description is in the site's database, clickable subdirectories for it will then appear.

It's an exceptional reference site for Europe that covers multiple Eras.

Regards -- Richard

Hi all,
Here are some pic's of weathered "hobby" cars I didn't know what to do with, I just wanted them blend in. Sorry the pic's are not that good. The TRIX car was the result of finding things around the house, the spools are sewing bobbins spooled with copper wire and put on a cradle made of wood

Hi Brandon and Richard,

Recently I have seen photos of prototypes carrying "pre-fabricated" track as loads;
ties and rails together. Wish I remembered where though, but I do believe it was in Germany.

No doubt the forum has many experts here to answer with details on that question.
- Mark

Out of pure curiosity, I did a few searches for prefabricated track, and found . . . . . .

CDM is a Belgian firm that manufactures “QTrack” = A continuously supported fastener-less embedded rail system made of prefabricated high quality resin-bonded rubber profiles. Several other firms make a range of prefabricated Concrete Slab Track, but CDM’s QTrack appeared the closest to how I used my old Atlas track.

If you’re interested, search YouTube for “CDM QTrack”. That should pop-up a 4-1/2 minute clip titled “CDM-QTrack Prefabricated Slab Track”. The prefab track and the process of lifting & laying it starts at about a minute into the clip. Narration is in French. I could not find a downloadable still photo.

QTrack differs from, but is at least somewhat similar to my modeled load. Happy Halloween!

Regards -- Richard

My two old Atlas track-loads are shown below as part of a work train that includes a 40-some year old Krupp Kranwagen. The Loco is a lightly weathered BR 261 (37654) with Telex, which will allow pick-up from yards, and drop-off anywhere construction is needed.

Two track-loads are enough, but I'll probably add later a 2nd short low-side gondola at the end to carry a small bulldozer, some gravel, or ________??

Next step is to winnow through the Ladegueter link from Dr. Eisenbahn (thank you) for better & more realistic ideas – an enjoyable pastime for part of this weekend. Proceeding slowly, and I’m still at skill-level 1.

Regards -- Richard

Note: The photos appear "stretched" unless you click on them to enlarge. Strange. Perhaps from the way I've cropped them?

Bill -- The file for the Marklin Magazine article seems to have disappeared from the attachments in your previous post. I'd looked at it briefly yesterday. When I looked again today to save it, it was gone. Could you please re-post it? It aooeared to show a clear approach for coupler conversions. Thanks

Regards -- Richard

Edited by user 02 November 2013 19:34:45(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Bill -- Thank you. The PDF worked fine, downloaded & saved (also let me brush-up some rusty language skills). I found and ordered the 363950 Kupplungsdeichsels this morning, so I'm off-and-running. I'll practice detailing & weathering a few old battered cars I used for parts until I find approaches that work for me. That's likely to take some time. Ahhhh . . . . . . the task list just keeps growing.

Regards -- Richard

A couple more load ideas, and what to do with that broken flat car
Bill

Reminds me a bit of the Marklin 2853 set made in the early 80s (attached), very nice :)

Evolutionary progress. Work train parked and ready to lift. An attempt to replicate & update Brandon’s 2853 set from the early ‘80s. Now . . . . . where the heck’s that ‘Dozer!?

Enough for Prefab TrackLoads. Next will be the 4664 Container Flats after the Kupplungsdeichsels I ordered arrive and are installed.

Regards -- Richard

Peter – Thanks for your ideas. While I’m patiently waiting for parts to arrive & skills to improve, your Avatar’s inspired me to risk going waaaaay OT for a moment. The photo below shows my only two refrigerator magnets -- simplistic reminders of what’s important. It appears you share with me the often understated truth of the one on the right.

Sorry for my departure from the topic, guys. I’ll stay on-track in the future.

Regards -- Richard

Some progress . . . . . The photos that follow show changes made to container cars (4664s & 4767) inspired by previous posts from billhubb. They cover Relex-to-Close coupler exchange and show them before-and-after weathering. The change to close-couplers makes a big difference – a bit over a quarter-inch less spacing. The weathering’s OK, but not nearly as good as Bill’s. For comparison, his results for similar cars are shown in the last photo. I tried to use them as a model. Thanks, Bill.

I’ll post an update on other load-ideas I’ve tried, and to show some of the cars together as a mixed consist later today or tomorrow. As always, I appreciate your critiques. Thanks.

Regards -- Richard

Edited by user 11 November 2013 05:47:18(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

And finally, a very mixed sample consist . . . . . . . The first photo shows several of the cars & loads for which your advice has helped me. The last photo shows them on my test track** pulled by a nice DB BR 218 (37767). They're chosen purposely without a theme, and I still have some concerns about toy-like appearance . . . . . but many other options. And, yeah, I know the old boxcar at the end doesn’t quite fit, but I like its red end-lights.

Thanks again to everyone – much appreciated & great help!! With more practice, I may even begin approaching a 1.3 on my 5-point skill scale. Once again, I look forward to your comments and critiques.

Regards – Richard

**P.S. My test track’s not a great showcase -- excuse the wires. Work on my real layout will start around Thanksgiving. This is just an interim loop with a few switched sidings to help prepare. It's mounted on a 4’ X 4’ plywood sheet that slides under a bed in the guest room when not in use. That pleases my wonderful spouse, but disappoints the cat terribly!