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 Posted - May 10 2008 : 11:05:02 PM
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Hey guys. I've got a set of Athearn standard passenger cars I've been working on. I've got interiors in 2 of them...today I bought an interior for a third one. When I opened up the car to put it in, I found that it had a different style weight. Rather than one long flat piece of metal, it had 2 pieces which overlapped each other (one higher than the other). I can't put the seats in because they will be too high at one end. Does anyone know a way of bending the weight down, or if I can find a flat replacement one?
-cheez
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Posted - May 10 2008 : 11:30:28 PM
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Why not shorten it by cutting down on the lenghth?
A hacksaw or Dremel motor tool should work well.
Carl T.
President of the Cape James Terminal RR.
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Posted - May 11 2008 : 12:59:50 AM
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| The weights in Athearn cars are made that way to act as conductors for electricity. You'll notice that the wheelsets are set up to pick-up current from either rail. For a detailed interior, I'd go to a hardware store and pickup a matching nut for the truck screw and eliminate the weights altogether. Then I'd figure out where I could and could not add weight with the interior, keeping in mind a low center of gravity for running. Lights could simply be powered with wires coming directly off the screw/nuts of the truck mounts.
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Posted - May 11 2008 : 02:16:29 AM
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I've always assumed the split weights in Athearn passenger cars were designed that way to insert a light bulb. But I have never done this.
You should be able to flatten the kinked one by giving it a couple good whacks with a sledgehammer (on a hard flat surface of course [:D] ). Or, get a couple good pairs of sturdy pliers, and bend it out of shape. I have used the latter method on comparable objects and it does the job on a functional basis (i.e. it may not look "perfect pretty" but since it's hidden, who cares?). Check how much clearance you need for the interior first.
Or, chuck the kinked weight altogether and superglue in some pennies or scrap weights from junk boxcars or what have you.
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Posted - May 12 2008 : 05:38:08 AM
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turn the bent weight up-side-down... then it'll be in the battery box compartment and your floor is level once again.
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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Posted - May 12 2008 : 7:59:40 PM
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Thanx for all the suggestions. I hammered the weight flat with a sledge hammer and then used a hacksaw to cut it to the right length. It worked great. The insert dropped right in[:D]
In case anyones wondering, I used an IHC passenger insert. They're easily modified to fit Athearn cars.
-cheez
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