"Securing" a pipe load on a flatcar

I have gone the route of using matching (size & color) rubber bands. Cheap, easy, effective, and good looking.

You can get cheap necklace chains that will look just like real chain to secure it, that would make a realistic tie-down.

I like the chains you can in different sizes at Michaels type craft stores.  Spray em flat black and yer done.  Rubber bands dry rot over time and break, I find.

If you do them like they're done on a number of log cars, you use a little spring on one end to put tension on the chain, keeps it nice and tight across the load.

A little wood bracing, some tie down wire or chains and there you go...

Then again using a gon is also a good way to go...

no...gon as in gondola

Thank you for all the ideas, folks!  Hopefully in a week or two, that little flat car will be running down the layout with its load of pipes properly secured.

If you get a chance, stop by my web site to see two of my other "runner" flat car projects:

Historical aircraft flat car

http://www.bluejeansplace.com/...ircraft-flatcar.html

Milk Duds flat car

http://www.bluejeansplace.com/...ilk-dud-flatcar.html

Hey, the hair tie thing works if you are willing to give up realism

I occasionally "borrow" a couple from my sister at Christmas time if I want to add a load to a flatcar for the Christmas tree layout.  She usually notices them there and even though she has a million of them, I'm not allowed to use two for my trains

I use 2 things for some flatcar loads.Ruberbands and small pices of wood.Like in the pl&e railcar.Looks good and thats what they did in the steam days.

 Hi Pat: I have just completed two pipe loads almost identical to the one you are doing now However I then placed them on small homemade wooden blocks. I have been using Black Nylon Cable ties for about two years now and they look great, I have obtained long black ties about 3/16 to 1/4 inch wide in two sizes 14" and 17" . (purchased at Lowes or Home Depot). When I cannot hide the block coupler, I leave it exposed and clip it flush to represent a strap fastener. Keeping in mind the somewhat stiff plastic, when I come to radius bends or sharp corners I premark with a pencil and preform some of the bends by hand using a flat pliers or whatever other tool is needed, to help preform corners before I pull tie together. This is a very simple way of fastening loads and the effects are stunning. So far I have made up about ten of these loads, using various cargo's.  Whenever I learn how to post photo's on this forum I will do so. (I am not good at this computer stuff, it took me about 6 months to make my first post on this forum.) Good Luck.  Regards, Casey.

This is what I do.  I just look for them on sale - in drug stores, at mall kiosks, etc., and buy a few.  I dip and dry them several times in a solition of paint thiner and black paint, then brush them with a bit of rust color, and they look very realistic.

Good idea to weather then, I haven't done that, just used them as is.

Gunrunner,

Do you use the springs for tension?  If so where do you get them?

Joe

I use springs, but I get them from my junkbox.  I have a bunch of little springs that I just dig through for an appropriate one.

Excellent source for such springs: any worn out retractable ball point pen. Just unscrew the barrel and remove the guts, the spring is down at the ball point end.

Now, once you have the spring, grab 3/4 or more of the end coil on each end and bend it 90 degrees (parallel to the coil centerline).

Good tip, I'll remember that.   I collect any spring that comes my way in a drawer so that when such a need arises, I have some to select from.

Pen springs might be too wide for 1/48, but springs can easily be made by wrapping wire around a thin rod. 

I wrapped my pipe load with strips of black electrical tape.

I wouldn't think wire would have enough "spring" to be worth much, you need the proper characteristics.

John, they only have to look like a spring, not be a spring.

Use the "elastic" string made for telephone wire.

Not a pipe load, but the 2 images do show the cheap necklace method.

- walt

Looks great.  If those are too coarse for some tastes, you can also get finer examples.

great work---where did you find the corrugated pipes?

If you want "metal banding" you can use black chart or pinstripeing tape rather than cutting your own electrical tape. There have been many posts on this subject in the past and sources for scale "load binders" etc were mentioned.

Lionel Flatcar Tie Down Chains: #610-7573-012 and #610-9492-020

Hope this helps, Paul Goodness