Joe,

I really enjoy the Q & A section of MRH.  There are more tips and advice in this column than in most other mags. Keep up the great work

Al

Use of an oven to flatten a warped resin part is NOT the best method and not the one manufacturers recommend.   Use hot water, (not quite boiling) and let the part sit in the water for a couple of minutes.   Then place the part on a flat surface, with a flat weight on it, to cool.   This may take a trial and error process or even a 2nd try to get it flat.   But it is certainly a way to get it flat without melting it in the oven and without raising the ire of the chief cook.

Dave Mason

On30IMA

Just adding carpet over a concrete floor in your layout room, WILL NOT give you relief for tired, aching feet.   Even with padding, the carpet will compress to the concrete's hardness with little relief, except to your wallet.

You need to use wood or those anti-fatigue mats.   The big box stores have 2'x2' wood tiles that can be laid down and give foot relief, albeit a little height to the floor.   Or you could lay down wood sleepers with plywood on top.

Just don't think that carpet will give you instant relief, I know this from experience.

Dave Mason

On30IMA

About the carpet on the concrete floor. 

I had carpet with a built in polyurethane pad installed in my basement, and it does in fact provide relief. While it may compress, it does not compress down the hardness of the underlying concrete. I suspect if you stood in one place without moving for twenty minutes or so, (just try that!) it may compress some, but it will still help relieve the pressure points on your feet.

I don't think carpet will help you if you have tired, achy feet when you start working, but it can and does help you work longer and more comfortably.

Not to mention the relief from the coldness of the floor for those of us who have arthritis in our feet!

My layout is not on a concrete floor, but I took the precaution of "softening" the floor, anyway.  The sub-flooring is 3/4" thick particle board laid over 2x10 stringers.  On top of that I laid a product that is made for sound deadening for laminated wood floors.  It is sky blue in color, kind of like a hard foam, about 1/16" thick, comes in long rolls, and is not expensive.  I bought mine at Menard's.  Nothing is required to install this material except cutting it to fit and laying it down flat.  Over this I laid 24" x 48" hard or tempered masonite panels in a brick pattern with the shiny side up.  I installed this with countersunk dry wall screws.  I worked in the theatre all my life, and we used to do replaceable stage floors like this.  This floor is easier to keep clean than carpeting, accumulates less dust, and can be replaced in sections if need be.  It is also easier to find small parts when you drop them, and it is very comfortable to stand on for long periods.  I am not going to paint the floor, because I think foot traffic would tend to turn the surface of the paint to unwanted dust.

Mark

Pentrex has a great video "IMPERIAL VALLEY SUGAR BEET TRAINS"  The end of an ERA.  This is the story of the very last train.  They go though the whole process of turning sugar beets into sugar, form planting to processing and everything in between.  The explain the wood cars and even show one with friction bearing truck frozen up being shoved in  for loading.  If you are a modeler and want to do this operation this tape is a must.  

Your response regarding proper wheelset sizes for newer cars states that newer 286K cars use 38" wheelsets, which is simply not true.  Newer Covered hoppers in particular were specifically mentioned as using 38" wheels which is patently false.  No covered hopper made today uses 38" sets nor have they ever (barring some odd one-off prototype I've never heard of, certainly nothing produced in quantity).

Most new freight cars produced today, despite having much higher load weights, continue to use the standard 36" wheel size that makes up well over 90% of the wheelsets used in North America.  However, they just use a different axle/bearing size to accomodate the higher loadings now allowed.  The "old" 36" wheelset is commonly referred to as a "Class F" (referencing the bearing class given by AAR) and uses a 6.5x12  bearing, the "new" 36" wheelset is referred to as a "Class K" and uses a 6.5x9 bearing. 

The issue of more weight put no appreciable strain on the 36" wheel itself, which is capable of staggering loads.  The issue that previously limited car weight was the longevity of the axle and bearing in service.  It seems counter-intuitive that the higher-load Class K set is actually smaller than the old one, but it's size makes it stiffer and reduces the flex between the bearing and the axle.  Likewise a newer standard Class M, 7x9, can replace the old Class G 38" set that uses a 7x12 bearing, and then the 38" wheelset can support up to 315K in standard service.

About the only thing, in general, that uses 38" wheelsets are multi-unit intermodal cars, and then most often only on the bridge sets.  The end sets often run 36" or 33" sets.

The rubber runners and interlocking pads designed for commercial kitchens are very comfortable to work on for an extended period of time.

These coupled with good shoes should relieve those aches and pains.

The flooring mentioned above can be purchased at Harbor Freight for $9.99 for 4 pieces.

I've got carpet padding, carpet, and now these mats down in the aisles of my layout. Very, very comfy....

I just bought the same tiles at HF Tools. What a difference from standing on the concrete basement floor...and they can be washed with a mop if necessary.

I also bought the rubber interlocking floor tiles ( both at "X-mart and a big discount warehouse chain). I had two problems: 1.) They dent permanently like if I use a chair or ladder on them; and 2.) I have static shock problems when wearing certain shoes - even with humidity at 50%. That said, I like them as they make standing MUCH more comfortable.

Credit not quite correct for the image regarding the reply regarding operations. RCL Software developer and publisher of Easy Model Railroad Software.

But thank you for the compliment.