Penny Cage for Model Train Weight

thingiverse

As a passionate model railroader, I often build train cars in HO scale and frequently find that plastic cars require additional weight to track smoothly on the layout. To achieve this, I prefer using pennies due to their affordability - they cost just a few cents each! However, even when glued together and securely fastened to the car's floor, pennies can still break loose and rattle around inside the model, causing it to become unbalanced if shifted to one side. This custom-made cage is specifically designed to hold up to three stacks of pennies within a sturdy frame that can be easily attached to the car's floor using your preferred adhesive. The frames are carefully crafted with tabs on their edges, allowing them to be centered perfectly on the model and trimmed to match its width. Even if the cage becomes dislodged, it will remain precisely positioned in the model. The accompanying photos depict a test model that is high enough to securely hold three pennies per stack, but the printable version allows for up to ten pennies each. This translates to approximately one ounce of weight, making it straightforward to add the exact amount needed to meet NMRA-recommended weights - one ounce plus half an ounce per inch of length. With this cage, you can easily add up to three ounces of weight to your model.