Double-stack weight

[CGrimes]

Can anyone show this newbie how to use RW-Tools to change weights of Double-Stack rail cars?

The default Sherman Hill Double-stacks are 21 tons according to QD Consist editor. They are obviously empty. Shouldn't they be around 70-100 tons loaded?

Also would like to change some other car loads.

[Ericmopar]

You have go to "Default Programs" and set RW_Tools to open .bin or any other Railworks related files by default. That is a function of Windows, not RW_Tools.
Then you can navigate to the car's .bin through windows or RW_Tools.
Then when you get a Car's .bin open, you will see a line for "mass". That's where you change it.

Many of the cars are under weighted. All the RSC U.S. coal and low side gondolas are under weighted the same way. The problem is many OEM and Workshop scenarios will not work right when the weight is changed, for lack of sufficient motive power in the lash-up.

I know from reading, that each container will be able to carry 65 - 67,000 pounds of cargo. Two containers at that weight would be about 60 - 70 tons.
In the real world, the cargo must average a lot lower than maximum weight. You can see that in the light motive power requirements for the train lengths.
A good guess would probably be about 50 in the mass, to get a good average train performance. Maybe 60 including the well car weight.

[PolyesterMafia]

I can tell you from experience loading containers that the load weight can be limited by the state and fed DOT. That limit used to be 44,000 lbs. I don't know what it is now, or even if all states enforce a weight limit to preserve their highways. Also, loaded containers can vary by product. A container loaded with dense rubber floor mats would obviously weigh less than a container loaded with aluminum cans, whose volume is mostly air. You never know what you are getting inside the metal box.

[Toripony]

That mass setting is in imperial tons (or UK tons); you have convert US tons. 44,000 lbs x 2 = 88,000/2000 = 44 US tons = 39.285 UK tons. The mass value should be roughly 39.

Does that 44,000 limit include the weight of the container itself? I guess a container could weigh 1 to 3 tons??

[Ericmopar]

Both of you have good points.
It never occurred to me that the container's gross weight might be limited by law, and what a tractor trailer rig can safely handle on the road. If I remember right, that's about 40,000lbs. There are exceptions, we have rock trucks around here in NV that are almost as big as a Aussie Road Train.
So a container might be rated up to 67K lbs, but in the real world of intermodal it's probably a lot less to account for loading onto trucks.

[PolyesterMafia]

The 44k lbs is cargo weight only. I don't know what the tare weight of the container itself might be.

Also, there are exceptions to be made to the load weight. A shipping company or the shipper can apply for an overweight permit and have more loaded on the container. And then again, some drivers will take the chance that they won't get caught if they know there are no weigh stations between the loading point and the docks.

[BlueLight]

In the U.S. Gross Vehicle Weight is limited to 80,000 lbs. Anything over that needs special permits. When I pulled smooth bore tankers professionally I could load up to 45,000 lbs of product and my GVW would just be under the 80,000 maximum.

[CGrimes]

Thank you all. Very informative!

-cg