Hi,

I am interested in building a working track scale in 7.5" gauge. I was not able to locate anything technical about this on a google search.

Does anyone have a suggestion that would help me locate plans?

I could calculate the lever arms for the scales but I hate to redevelop the wheel.

Thanks.

Doug

In small scale I would be concerned that friction in the arms due to debris, grit, dirt and keeping the pit clean - would be an ongoing challenge. Have you looked at load cell technology? No one would know those pads are under the floating scale panel. And they require only the load and by comparison do not need much if any movement of the track on top. Just gaps at each end to isolate it and get a true weight.

Bob Kutella

There is an active thread (with photos, etc.) about track scales on the Narrow Gauge Railroad Discussion Board.

This is the start of the thread: Fairbanks rail scale

An orthagraphic projection of a Krispy Kreme?

dave

The 1939 Railway Engineering and Maintence Cyclopedia has about six pages of text and photos of scale pits, bridges, and beams, but no drawings. I think this could be an interesting project, especially if it were built above ground so the “pit” could have open sides. In 1 ½” scale it would be 5 or 6 feet long, and you should be able to work out the lever ratios to use parts of an old doctor’s office scale for the poise beams.

A lot of the illustrations in the Cyc. are attributed to both Howe and Fairbanks Morse; Howe is history, but Fairbanks is still in business; see:

http://www.fairbanks.com/history.asp

Perhaps they have an archive of engineering drawings.

I also find that the archive of the Howe Scale Co. is at the University of Vermont, but it doesn’t appear they have the engineering archive. Contact info:

Howe Scale Company, 1856-1961
Special Collections
Bailey/Howe Library
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
Phone: 802-656-2138
Fax: 802-656-4038
Email: uvmsc@zoo.uvm.edu

Railway Maintenance Engineering by Sellew, published in 1915 by D. Van Nostrand Co. has a small cross sectional drawing and a lever diagram, unfortunately without dimensions, of a scale built by the Carnegie Steel Co for the B&LE. PM me with an e-mail address and I’ll scan the pages and e-mail them to you.

Hi, I found the Fairbanks site and they apparently have had a lot of people wanting historical information. Their web site says that they have not kept the historical items.
Thank.
DOug vV

The very first Fairbanks scale, carrying serial number 000001, still exists albeit no longer installed in a pit. It is currently owned by the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma at Enid OK, in dismantled condition. The head works and balance beam are on display in the museum collection. All the lever arms and "Under Track" parts are stored in a boxcar. The scale was 100 ton capacity and installed on the Frisco in Enid, I believe in 1880.
Dan Rohrback

Hum, 1880.....

To show you the expansion of the use of the track scales, here is a quote from the Saturday, March 4, 1882, issue of Candelaria, Nevada, The True Fissure as it reported about the arrival of the narrow gauge Carson & Colorado.