Layouts and layout building

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Last post 02-13-2008 10:58 AM by Lillen. 25 replies.
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01-10-2008 5:55 PM
Offline Namerifrats
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Joined on 01-07-2007
Posts 138

HO Scale Coal

Anybody here know of anywhere online where a large quantity of HO Scale Coal can be bought for a reasonable price? Looked around earlier and just seen the same things most hobby shops have for roughly the same price + shipping. I'm looking for enough to fill about 50 coal hoppers.
01-10-2008 6:19 PM In reply to
Offline BlueHillsCPR
Top 500 Contributor
Joined on 11-21-2007
Posts 1,153

Re: HO Scale Coal

Is there any reason why you couldn't make your own and save buying it already at HO size?
01-10-2008 6:23 PM In reply to
Offline locoi1sa
Top 500 Contributor
Joined on 07-13-2006
Posts 1,227

Re: HO Scale Coal

  Make your own. Small bag of coal from woodland scenics and some sheet styrene and some glue. Maybe about 1/4th the price of ready made. I filled some tenders with real coal crushed with a hammer in a canvas bag. You cant get more realistic than that.

   Pete
 

01-10-2008 7:47 PM In reply to
Offline Namerifrats
Not Ranked
Joined on 01-07-2007
Posts 138

Re: HO Scale Coal

Well, I don't wanna make removeable loads using the Styrene method. I was the cars to be fairly heavy and realistic. I'm thinking of doing what I saw elsewhere online. Line the inside of the cars with wax paper to prevent actually sticking the coal to the plastic it's self. And then pour in a loose load and use a glue mixture similar to laying ballast to secure my loads. I found some on ebay just now thats 10 lbs of coal. I may end up buying that, should be enough. I see that the seller "Teachnshopgirl24" has sold quite a bit of it in the past. Anybody bought any of it before, experiences?
01-10-2008 9:07 PM In reply to
Offline 3155944
Not Ranked
Joined on 09-03-2006
Posts 37

Re: HO Scale Coal

I used some fine chicken grit from the feed store a 40lb bag for about  $5
01-11-2008 11:25 AM In reply to
Offline ndbprr
Top 50 Contributor
Joined on 09-10-2002
Posts 4,964

Re: HO Scale Coal

Buy a bag of real coal and beat it with a hammer was done back in the 40's.  A really good substitute and is under $5.00 for a 50 pound bag is a grit blast media called Black Beauty.  It is an aluminum oxide material (read does not conduct electricity) used for sand blasting and is very common at sand blast supply houses.  My one bag has been sprinkled on my driveway after yearly tarring twice and  filled over fifty hoppers.  I still have ten pounds left.

01-11-2008 8:16 PM In reply to
Offline MIKE0659
Not Ranked
Joined on 06-01-2006
New Jersey
Posts 87

Re: HO Scale Coal

Try Smith and Son Ballast, you'll find they have an ad in Model Railroader. Scenic Express sells some of their stuff, but only some and they charge a little more. You can deal directly with Smith and Son Ballast and get it in quantity. They sell it in small bags or inbilk by the pound. You can also get small bags of the various grades/sizes to see what it looks like in person for a small charge per bag.

We use their unit train coal for the live loads we run and their ballast and cinders too.

They're really great folks to deal with and like their ballast, it is real coal that they crush. I think they have a little rock crushing rig in their garage.

This is their address: Smith and Sons Ballast 13630 Gar Highway Chardon, OH  44024
01-11-2008 8:26 PM In reply to
Offline aav
Not Ranked
Joined on 01-29-2007
Cincinnati,OH
Posts 90

Re: HO Scale Coal

          Namerifrats,      i don't know how long of coal drags your going to have, but i'm wondering if it is possible to make the cars too heavy.
01-12-2008 1:01 AM In reply to
Offline DavidBriel
Not Ranked
Joined on 01-07-2002
US
Posts 106

Re: HO Scale Coal

 I would like to know how many packages of Life-Like or Woodland Scenics coal is required for the Walthers O. L. King and Sons Coal Yard. Do you have this coal yard on your HO layout as a destination for your hoppers.
01-12-2008 1:17 AM In reply to
Offline Wikious
Not Ranked
Joined on 10-31-2007
Wisconsin
Posts 295

Re: HO Scale Coal

What you could do is the already mentioned styrene sheet topped with coal powder/bits but add a weight to the car to make it heavier. This way you can get the weight you want and the coal you have will go that much further.
01-12-2008 4:29 AM In reply to
Offline wedudler
Top 500 Contributor
Joined on 09-16-2004
Germany
Posts 1,213

Re: HO Scale Coal

In earlier times I crashed real anthracite. Now I use Walthers coal:

Wolfgang 
01-12-2008 5:23 AM In reply to
Offline Lillen
Top 500 Contributor
Joined on 06-30-2006
Sweden
Posts 1,789

Re: HO Scale Coal

I bought ten packs of life like coal when it was on sale. That way i can fill my hoppers cheap.

 

Magnus
02-11-2008 12:12 PM In reply to
Offline smart
Not Ranked
Joined on 01-31-2008
Posts 18

Re: HO Scale Coal

use crushed charcoal
02-11-2008 4:14 PM In reply to
Offline Lillen
Top 500 Contributor
Joined on 06-30-2006
Sweden
Posts 1,789

Re: HO Scale Coal

There is no coal(except charcoal) in Sweden so I was forced to get the Life like but I think it looks OK in hoppers.

 

Magnus
02-11-2008 5:54 PM In reply to
Offline jeffrey-wimberly
Top 10 Contributor
Joined on 06-21-2004
Sundown, Louisiana
Posts 13,322

Re: HO Scale Coal

Back when I had my coal mining layout I used charcoal that I had broken up on a concrete block with a hammer. I didn't have to hit it really hard, just enough to fracture it. After that the smaller peices broke up easily.
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