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Two Quick Projects<br />
Project 1: Steel Key Stock for Car Weights<br />
Steel key stock is a great material to add weight to cars,<br />
especially flats and gondolas.<br />
It is readily available in one foot lengths at your neighborhood<br />
hardware store or home improvement center. It is easy<br />
to cut, drill and tap. Useful sizes for O <strong>Scale</strong> are 3/16”, 1/4”,<br />
5/16” and 3/8” square bars. Half-inch square stock is also<br />
available, but usually not in one foot lengths (Photo 1).<br />
1<br />
Ron Gribler<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
The density of steel is 0.283 pounds/cubic inch which<br />
equates to 4.528 ounces/cubic inch. The following table lists<br />
the weight of various lengths of each of the key stock sizes.<br />
Key stock Size 3/16” 1/4” 5/16” 3/8” 1/2”<br />
Length Inches Ounces Ounces Ounces Ounces Ounces<br />
1 0.16 0.28 0.44 0.64 1.13<br />
2 0.32 0.57 0.88 1.27 2.26<br />
3 0.48 0.85 1.33 1.91 3.40<br />
4 0.64 1.13 1.77 2.55 4.53<br />
5 0.80 1.42 2.21 3.18 5.66<br />
6 0.96 1.70 2.65 3.82 6.79<br />
7 1.11 1.98 3.10 4.46 7.92<br />
8 1.27 2.26 3.54 5.09 9.06<br />
9 1.43 2.55 3.98 5.73 10.19<br />
10 1.59 2.83 4.42 6.37 11.32<br />
11 1.75 3.11 4.86 7.00 12.45<br />
12 1.91 3.40 5.31 7.64 13.58<br />
Key stock can be used for centersills. Lengths of it can be<br />
used to reinforce corners (and for adding weight). Pieces of it<br />
can be hidden along the inner sides or ends or cars. Here are<br />
some examples of applications:<br />
This is a shortened Atlas gondola with quarter-inch bars<br />
at the edge of the underframe and short lengths at each end<br />
of the centersill (Photo 2).<br />
This scratchbuilt gondola has a quarter-inch square key<br />
stock centersill located between the truck bolsters (Photo 3).<br />
This scratchbuilt gondola underframe has a full-length<br />
quarter-inch centersill which has been drilled & tapped for<br />
the truck mounting screws (Photo 4).<br />
Project 2: Wabash Gondola<br />
This project started as an Atlas gondola (Photo 5). The<br />
22 • O <strong>Scale</strong> <strong>Trains</strong> - Jul;y/Aug ’08<br />
paint was removed after soaking in brake fluid. The steps<br />
were cut off and the molded-on grab irons and the round<br />
ladder-mounting bosses were shaved off. The car ends were<br />
cut off flush with the floor and inner edge of the sides. These<br />
openings were then smoothed with a file. Two cuts were<br />
made through the sides and floor. These were located at the<br />
5<br />
6
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