I've got a passel of BN coal gons that need loads. I'm planning making my own. I'll shape some balsa wood and paint it black. But the coal. What to use?
I am curious what people think is the best "coal".
Ed
Best coal??? The real stuff. I've primarily used Woodland Scenics Mine Run and Lump coal, which - IIRC - is made with real coal. Lump coal is coarser than mine run and looks great in a tender.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Hi Ed,
A couple of years ago I was strolling through our local Dollar store when I came across some bottles of coarse shiny black 'gravel' that was pretty close to HO coal in size. It weighs about the same as a similar sized bottle of sand would so I think it is real rock. I believe it was intended for use in the bottom of dried flower arrangements. There is enough in the two bottles to cover a whole bunch of loads. The best part was that they were only $1.00 per bottle!
I would suggest making your loads out of foam, paint them with black acrylic paint and then glue the 'coal' in place. You also might want to glue a big steel nut or a washer into the bottom of the load so you can lift them out with a magnet.
Pardon the dust in the car!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Coal from balsa. That's right up there with grinding my own ground foam and forging my own track nails.
How about some aquarium gravel and black spray paint.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I use Arizona Rock & Minerals real coal. I cut a rectangle of 0.040" styrene and make a shape I like atop that with Sculptamold. Then glue the coal atop.
IMG_7550 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
IMG_7549 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I decided to use balsa instead of foam because I figure to use my table and chop saw to cut it to size--something that seems un-fun with foam. It's a $20 experiment.
Thanks, guys, for the suggestions. If I pull it off, I'll probably have to replace all my Athearn Bethgon coal loads so that the loads all match. It's a unit train, after all.
Paul's Arizona Rock suggestion came in while I was writing the last post. What's intriguing about that is that I've been meaning to order some more ballast. Might combine the order.
BigDaddyHow about some aquarium gravel and black spray paint.
I "use" to dabble with Aquarium's ( I had 10 )
I seem to recall there's a Black sand for the bottom of certain Salt Water Aquarium's. It come's in 3 or 4 grit's, from fine , to course. The course stuff look's a lot like scale coal.
Rust...... It's a good thing !
The only "real" coal load I have made used Woodland Scenics lump coal.
.
After a few years the "coal" started to turn gray. I painted is gloss black, all OK.
I do not think it is real coal.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Yeah, real coal can't be beat for looks, but tends to be somewhat messy as it never all gets stuck down. If the loads won't be handled much, then it works well.
I tend to have a lot of open loads that are handled. MTs go one way and come back with loads. So ease of use and neatness are top priorities. I use humidfier media, an open cell foam product that is easy to cut and glints a bit like coal naturally, for most of my "loose" open loads. Up close, it's not as nice looking as real coal, but from 3' it's hard to tell the difference.
The gon right behind the K-class in this pic has such a load. Looks pretty good and is also very light.
Even at close range, the effect works pretty well.
I spray the coal loads with satin black paint. I also have some other loads made from the same material, but painted in the appropriate paint. Crushed limestone is painted with flat white, etc. There are some stone loads under the rock bin chutes in the background here, although looks like these ones could use another coat of white paint in this pic. The loads in the gons in front are raw ties, glued up of wood cut to fit glued on top of a rocker block of pink foam so punching one end causes the other end to rise up to get it out more easily,.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
For anyone looking for pre-made coal loads made with real coal, I can highly recommend DC Rail and Hobby Depot loads. I've met the owner and his wife many times at DC area train shows and there coal loads are excellent. They also made very nice scrap metal loads, ballast loads, limestone etc.
Their website is being rebuilt at present but they are on eBay as well. They make loads for most major brands and are usually willing to make loads for models not on their load inventory list.
For example, I have an E&C gondola but they didn't have a metal scrap load for that model. The owner went around the train show and bought one so he could make a metal scrap load to fit that gon.
Next time I saw this guy, he had a load for my gon E&C. BTW, I believe Intermountain will be releasing gondolas that were formerly E&C, bonus!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
The cars I've got are the Intermountain Aero-flo. I couldn't find anyone admitting to making loads for these cars, and I'm not going to send off money on the hopes that "something" will fit.
So that's why I've arrived at making my own. A side benefit is that, if I want to do coal loads for other models, they'll all have matching coal. Which seems like a good idea, if the coal is supposedly all from the same bulk loader.
7j43kWhich seems like a good idea, if the coal is supposedly all from the same bulk loader.
Ya' takes yer lumps...
I was thinking you were modeling an earlier era until you mentioned the Aero-flo gon.
Back in the War years you could see sizes from bowling balls to peas:
Hoppers_coal_Williamson-WV-1943 by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's variety:
Hoppers_loaded by Edmund, on Flickr
(Sorry, best photo I could find at LOC)
I guess with the advent of flood loaders and unit trains the size is pretty much standardized.
I like the way Kadee has their weights attached to the load so they nest way doen in the hopper near the doors but screws to the load near the top. Good design.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/kadee-weights-for-50-ton-aar-hoppers-ho-scale-model-train-freight-car-load-174
Good Luck, Ed
I have a bunch of old Tyco/Mantua clamshell hoppers, so I can load and dump coal. I ended up with a jar of Woodland Scenics "cinders" ballast, which is black and very light. On the one hand, it doesn't add much to the weight of a car, even fully loaded, but on the other hand it doesn't dump very well because it's so light.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have used the Arizona R&M coal in a set of old BB hoppers that are light as feathers.
I quit running "live loads" when I ran it through a closed turnout and dumped a load all over the layout...
But, it made some excellent looking loads, and I glued a layer over the other cars "pre made" loads, making them look much better.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Made mine out of foam, but the wood should work. I just found it easier to shape the foam. I do go along with Dave, as I paint my loads with full strength glossy black latex paint and sprinkle the coal right onto the paint, no gluing necessary. I also put a washer in the foam and use a magnetic pick up tool to take the loads out.
Good luck,
Richard
I use "live" (loose) loads in most of my open cars, and use coke breeze (fine coke used for steelmaking) as coal (it's not really quite black enough, though)...
...and Black Beauty blasting medium as Anthracite...
I also use the loose coke breeze in my steam locomotive tenders...
Most plastic tenders need to be modified with an actual coal bunker if you're not satisfied with the usual plastic "coal heap".
The coke breeze is fairly dusty when manually loading or unloading the hoppers, but those operations are done off-layout.
Wayne
riogrande5761 For anyone looking for pre-made coal loads made with real coal, I can highly recommend DC Rail and Hobby Depot loads. I've met the owner and his wife many times at DC area train shows and there coal loads are excellent. They also made very nice scrap metal loads, ballast loads, limestone etc. Their website is being rebuilt at present but they are on eBay as well. They make loads for most major brands and are usually willing to make loads for models not on their load inventory list. For example, I have an E&C gondola but they didn't have a metal scrap load for that model. The owner went around the train show and bought one so he could make a metal scrap load to fit that gon. Next time I saw this guy, he had a load for my gon E&C. BTW, I believe Intermountain will be releasing gondolas that were formerly E&C, bonus!
DC Rail and Hobby Depot, yes, very nice looking loads. Saw them for the first time at the October show at Timonium. I purchased some coal, soil/rock and the 'CAUTION! SHARP MATERIALS! CAUTION!' scrap metal loads. I will be looking for them again at the next show.
BisIf you use a Keurig coffee maker and use their water filters, cut one open and you will see what looks like shiney coal. It looks the same size as the coal in my HO tenders.
I have salvaged and cut open the water filters with 1/4'' lines in and out in the past that had been made with loose carbon inside to make your water taste better. I'll have to keep an eye out for Keurig water filters, free is good. thanks Bis.
gmpullman I guess with the advent of flood loaders and unit trains the size is pretty much standardized.
Sort of the other way round. Most of the market for those sizes is gone and the main consumers use the finest stuff you can get for their power plants.
Been using black sand-blasting sand for my coal loads. I run a magnet through it just in case, but almost never get anything. Looks good and if it is a bit more reflective than you migth like, a bit of matte varnish takes care of it. Making coal loads (foamcore with clay on top to shape the mounds a bit, painted black, then sand) has proved to be a really fun activity to do with my kids as they can participate in almost every step.
It's also ridiculously cheap. A bucket-filling bag is $8 at Menards.
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