New digital camera has arrived!

[tstage]

You could also use some scrap extruded foam, that you have layuout around, and use that as your hopper "filler" - covered with black paint and coal. Course, the wood would give you some additional weight...

Tom

[rrinker]

Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at. Most of the commercial prepared loads are just too expensive. I was planning to use a small block of wood, white glue, and the huge box full of scale coal I have, plus some black paint.

--Randy

[GMTRacing]

Randy,
For what it's worth i made my own loads from scrap sheet aluminium flashing. Cut with snips slightly oversize and tap with ball end of ball peen hammer or other suitable bludgeon over a piece of rubber sheet or scrap soft wood until you have the mound or mounds you desire. Cut and fit to size. I then scuffed and primered the same color as the load,and then glued the load over the sheet. I painted kitty litter the color of the rock i wanted to carry - it looks ok and each load is a different shape. J.R.

[rrinker]

Yup, i put them on,. Those are the door latches. I just looked at some hopper pictures and put them on the way that looked the closest to what the picture showed. They're probably wrong.
Same problem with the retainer valves on the tank cars, it isn;t shaped like the picture in the instructions show, so i just stuck it on the way it looked best.

--Randy

[tstage]

Randy,

I picked up a bag of a dozen (Accurail?) coal loads for my Accurail hoppers. They are each weighted down with two ball bearings that snap up into the underside of the load. I think they ran me about $8.

The loads are easy to put in and take out. They do look a bit uniform but I thought I'd paint the top of them at some point and sprinkle on real coal to make them look a little more realiistic.

Randy, on the hoppers: Did you end up putting any of those tiny, microscopic leuvers on the side of the hopper chutes, that came with the kit? Without a visor, I couldn't tell which orientation to put them on and the directions were of no help.

Tom

[rrinker]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

Randy,

Thanks, that's what I thought. Your new digital camera takes some very nice pictures. What brand/camera did you decide on?

Also, them Accurail hoppers are lookin' a bit empty there, my friend. They are just crying out for some coal. BTW, all three hoppers are B&O. Where's your Reading hoppers?

Tom

It's a Canon Powershot A85.

One of these days I will get around ot making removeable loads. I'm certainly not going to pay the price I see this guy offering (admittedly very nice) loads at the local train shows wants for them. In fact, I have a large box of scale coal sitting next to me.
Off to the right of that picture, in front of the loco, sitting on the corner of the layout is a box with 6 unbuilt Stewart Reading hoppers in it. [:D] Actually I need a lot more B&O hoppers - traffic on the Crossline on the East Penn Branch was mostly bituminous coal from West Virginia, coming in on B&O and WM trains. The anthracite in the Reading hoppers went on the Main Line to Port Richmond in Philadelphia.

--Randy

[tstage]

Randy,

Thanks, that's what I thought. Your new digital camera takes some very nice pictures. What brand/camera did you decide on?

Also, them Accurail hoppers are lookin' a bit empty there, my friend. They are just crying out for some coal. BTW, all three hoppers are B&O. Where's your Reading hoppers?

Tom

[rrinker]

Thanks for the comments. Now that I've figured out the camera, I have a few more pictures that look better. The tank cars again:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/Megaslug/tanks2.jpg

And part of a train. GP7 #602 on the front, three Accurail hoppers, and a Kato covered hopper:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/Megaslug/train1.jpg


Tom - I put the railing on so the fitting rises into the hole - the rails sit slightly lower than the holes. You're right, it's not clear how they should go, and it's hard to tell from pictures, no one ever takes close ups of details like that on the real thing.

Now, as soon as I figure out this stitch mode stuff, I'll do a panorama of the entire layout. I did do one already, using a tripod, but it didn't come out very good, have to try again later.

--Randy

[grayfox1119]

Very nice job Randy......

[NZRMac]

Aren't new toys are wonderful thing!!

(the camera I mean)

Ken.

[tstage]

Randy,

Nice photos! Yep, they look familiar.

Hey, I have a question for you. On the grab ring that wraps around the upper half of the tank, does the part that fits into the holes on each end of the tanker sit higher or lower than the ring itself. I had it "rising" into the hole. The P2K directions were not very definitive on it so I took my best guess.

Tom

[rrinker]

Here is a better picture of the P2K tank cars I built.




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/Megaslug/tankcars.jpg

Click the link to enlarge.

--Randy