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Hi All,
I had two cars delivered today one a flat AAR car and an autocar both from Walthers Proto 2000 range the flat car is great and runs smoothly with the non magnetic weight in the frame but the autocar comes with a magnetic steel plate which is fine if you dont like me use the Kadee #308 magnet & Kadee couplers ........... but i know if i fit it the car will hover over the magnet and cause problems uncoupling .......... what do you all use as a non magnetic weight for cars to solve this please.
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I use A-Line adhesive lead weights. They come pre-marked in 1/4 oz increments, with a peel'n'stick backer.
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There was a company that used to sell soft lead sheets that could be cut to fit in place of the steel weight supplied by Athearn, but I don't know if the product is still available here in Cali since the state is trying so hard to protect everybody from themselves. If you can't still get the lead, Brass would give you a nicely weighted car without the magnetism problem. I'm not sure where you would get brass from. It may be carried by metal dealers along side steel and aluminum. When I worked in the harbor we used to use brass plates for "slider bearings" on the spreaders on all of your cranes and lifts for the containers, but I don't know where the company bought the brass from. The brass at the local hobby shop is too small to add much weight, you would need something about the same size and thickness as the steel weight in an Athearn blue box kit.
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Hi Squidbait/Russ,
I would favour using lead sheet if it was available the brass i have but its not thick enough where cars have closed doors some stone in a flattened resealable bag works ok cheap and easy but this car i want to leave the doors open so need a replacement for the metal weight supplied.
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When you say "autocar", do you mean the 89' tri-level auto racks, or a 50' auto boxcar?
If it's the box car, using the A-line weights is the way to go. They're only 1/2" square, so you can mount them on the floor near the ends, where you won't see them with the doors open.
For flatcars and such, A-Line also makes a "moldable lead", it's a lead-impregnated putty that you can stuff into the nooks and crannies of a cars' underframe.
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There's also a how-to HERE on casting your own weights.
Wayne
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Two other things I've used are pennies in closed cars, and lead shot to epoxy into hidden nooks and crannies in open or flat cars. You can buy the lead shot from A-line as "Pourable Lead," but it is less expensive to buy it from a sporting goods shop that sells reloading supplies for shot gun shell re-loaders. The size of the shot is like wire sizes, the higher the number the smaller the shot.
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Hi Guys,
Great ideas how to solve the weights might try casting some myself as Wayne shows here i had a thought on the brass bar my local engineering shop may have some offcuts i could use in place of the metal weight .........
Squidbait ..... sorry i wasnt specific the car is the 50' auto boxcar type GTW.
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Greetings, Gentlemen:
When I needed flat weights for some gondolas and flat cars, I used lead "plumbing vent" flashing. This is the flashing that goes on a roof around the plumbing vent pipes. When the plumber routes the vent pipes up through the roof decking, they place the flashing over the pipe and then bend it down into the pipe to prevent rain from leaking around the hole in the roof. It consists of a base plate which is a flat piece of lead, about 12" x 12", with a 3" hole in the middle. There is a 3" lead cylinder about 12" in height soldered to the flat base. All of this lead is around 1/16" thick.
I think most plumbers have quit using the lead vents and have switched to plastic vents/gaskets/grommets. But the hardware store I shop at still carried the lead vents. The were relatively expensive, about $14+ each. Once you cut the lead cylinder and fold it flat, along with the base, there is enough lead to weight about 20 gons. I suppose this is a rather pricey solution, almost $1 per car, but, hey, if you're keeping track of the money, it ain't really a hobby!
As for the flat cars, I cut the sheet lead to the same size as the original steel weights. On some of the gons, the sheet lead fit underneath similar to the flat cars. On others, I cut the sheet lead to fit exactly inside the body of the gondola, essentially covering up the floor. With some black paint and various colors of rust, it looks pretty good.
As mentioned earlier, the lead shot out of a shotgun shell can work wonders for adding extra weight. Of course, always wash your hands thoroughly after working with lead, and cutting open live ammunition can never be recommended.
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times
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You can also buy weights like the A-Line at auto parts stores or tire dealers. Ask for tape on wheel weights.
Loren
I got my first train when I was three,
put a hundred thousand miles on my knees.
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Hiya, Gary, and  to Big Blue. Glad to see that you've made it over. 
I searched in nearby Hamilton (Ontario) for a source for lead and after lots of inquiries, was finally directed to a small operation near the city's industrial north end. No sign, and in what from the street looked like a garage, wedged in between their office in a converted house and another house, home to a massage parlour.  (Get the lead, then get the lead out, I guess.)  The place makes, among other things, decorative cast lead planters - vandals won't be swiping them or tipping them over, that's for sure.
I asked if they had any sheet lead that I could buy, and was asked how thick and how much do you need. I got about 3 or 4 pounds of .035" lead sheet for the quite reasonable price of "free". 
This place wasn't listed in the 'phone book, but you might have success by asking at other metal suppliers - there's lots of steel supply places in Hamilton, and it was one of them that directed me to this place. You could also try scrap metal dealers - they may not have any sheet lead to sell to you, but they may be able to direct you to a similar operation that buys the lead from them.
Wayne
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Hey Loren and Wayne!
It's great to be here. Glad y'all built a new place.
Another great thing about lead is that it is quite malleable. If you need some thing lead, just get a hammer and start pounding.
My Dad was an avid black-powder rifle guy, and after he passed, I aquired his stockpile of lead that he used for casting his own bullets. He also reloaded shotgun shells, so I have a 25 pound bag of 7-1/2 lead shot. So, no shortage of lead around here. And since I use magnetic uncoupling, any steel for weight is a huge no-no.
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times
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Gary,
Nice to see you here...!
Andrew
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Great to be back with y'all, Andrew. Seems the modeling bug has hit again, so hopefully you'll be seeing alot of me around here. Hope you are doing well.
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Yeah, I've always found lead to be best as well, whether the moldable putty kind (which is really awesome btw) or the regular kind that snaps into little pieces. *sigh* i really miss railroading on a regular basis.
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