For those of you who make their own coal loads and iron ore loads, how do you do it?
I have a bunch of ore cars, and gondolas where I want to place removable loads.
Is your base wood or styrene or foam?
Do you embed a magnet for easy lifting?
What do you use to simulate coal or ore?
Thanks.
Rich
Alton Junction
I perfer basewood.
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Not yet..I'm still using a 20,000th wire with a loop embeded in the coal load.I paint the small loop end black to match the coal.
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I use Woodland Scenics coal.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I am in HO and have made coal loads using foam and Life-Like coal. Have some black craft "gravel" which I will use for some loads.
I cut a strip of foam the width of the car interrior, about 1" thick (depends on the car interrior. Then cut a piece to length, then set it in the car to determine depth.
Using a Surform rasp or whatever you have to cut and shape the top of the load to your desired shape. A sanding sponge will smooth the top. Loads that have traveled a long way tend to flatten out, right at the loader they have noticable peaks.
I then cut the top off the load, make a depression and insert a steel washer using a little latex caulk to hold the washer in and reattach the top. You can just place the washer on the load and use the caulk to form the peak of your load.
Once the caulk is dry, 24 hours, take your load, insert it in the car and make sure it lifts easily with your magnet. I use a pick up magnet like you can get at auto parts stores or Harbor Freight. Then take a piece of Saran Wrap quite a bit larger than the car and place it over the car (to protect it from paint spills) and gently press the load in. Paint the top of the load with undiluted black latex paint and sprinkle the coal over the wet paint. Let it dry completely. Lift the load out by pulling the wrap out and again test fit to make sure no coal or paint makes removing the load difficult.
Should your car need more weight, you can attach more washers or whatever to the bottom of the load with more caulk.
If the load ever needs repair, a little black paint and a couple chunks of coal will easily do the job. Also, I wrapped a small piece of cloth around the tip of the magnet to make it a little softer when lifting the loads out.
It's been awhile since I made any, hope I got it all there. If you have any questions you can PM me.
Have fun,
Richard
Rich,
For the very easiest and quickest removable loads I use humidifier filter media. You can find it at most big box home stores. It comes in different form factors to fit different humidifiers, so you can usually find one that lets you get the maximum number of loads cut from it for the cars you need to fill. And its thickness is just about right for anything HO, also minimizing waste.
What's neat about this stuff is that the cells and the material the filter is made of really resembles coal or other materials, plus has a certain glint to it that helps simulate coal in particular.
You cut it to fit your cars. Then take your scissors to shape the top of the load, peaked in the middle, lower towards the sides and end. Confirm things fit and looks right, bulk-wise.
Once shaped, then it's time to paint. For coal, paint the top of the load with flat black. The glint of the foam will counteract the flatness of the paint just enough to give an effect that is really like coal looks, especially at 3 feet viewing distance.
Wait, there's more! By using different color paint, you can make the foam look like most anything carried bulk in an open top car. I use flat white to get limestone flux. I use several shades of brownish to get ore loads. And I use some other greenish paint to depict other types of ore or concentrates.
Here's an examples of a coal load:
This pic shows the unpainted media:
To get the load out, I usually just grab the closest uncoupling pic, stab it into the load and lift. This method also eliminates the tendency of many loads to shed whatever grit is glued onto them to shed crumbs on a continual basis when handled.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
For variety I use Woodland Scenics (WS) Mine Run and the coarser Lump coal, which I believe are both made from real coal. It will leave a black streak if you rub it on a piece of paper.
I've been using the plastic faux coal inserts that come with the Accurail and Bowser hopper kits. I coat the top of the inserts with a wetted painted brush mixed with straight Elmer's Glue (white or yellow). Once they are coated, I liberally sprinkle either the mine run or lump coal over the top, tamp it down, and let dry for an hour. Any overage goes back into the plastic container I have the coal in.
For hoppers and gondolas I don't have inserts for, I pour the WS coal right into the cars and shape it with a business card. THAT looks the most realistic and provides a nice well-balanced load and weight to the cars. The downside is that it isn't very portable (e.g. transporting it to someone else's layout) and it's messy if the load spills - just like the real railroad.
I would like to create some removable loads for my hoppers and gondolas. I may end up using basswood for weight and durability. The one concern I have with this is making sure that the removable loads aren't too top-heavy and cause the car to easily tip.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I made my coal loads by cutting Masonite strips on a chop saw. Next I added layers of plaster gauge strips on top and built up a couple of layers. I added a large washer to the bottom of each load using my glue gun. Next I painted the gauge black and sprinkled on real coal. I let this dry and kept building up the thickness of the load with diluted white glue.
They came out great. Each load looks slightly different and they are very easy to remove.
Frank
Blue foam. Easy to cut and shape. Often I jut paint them black or grey. I've done a couple loads on balsa wood bases and they have warped some (a load of wheels and a load of pig iron made from 3 scale foot chunks of dried spaghetti.)
No magnets. I would suggest putting a metal washer in the load and then use a magnet to pic up the washer/load.
Whatever coal or ballast I have handy. I've used several brands.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
For my Santa Fe sulphur gondolas, I use carved foam painted bright yellow, sprinkled with bright yellow dry powdered tempera. Each gondola has a tiny loop of thin wire attached to one end of the load so I can snatch the load with a hook and unload it. (I like to pretend the wire is i invisible).
The only ore cars Santa Fe owned were of an unusual design not like anything ever mass-produced in N scale (or HO either as far as I know.) I am too lazy, busy, unmotivated etc to scratchbuild the dozen or more ore cars that would be needed to make even a condensed representation of an ore shipment. However, the prototype gave me an "out." I understand ATSF used ordinary hopper cars for occasional ore service, filling them to WEIGHT capacity, which for the heavy ore was only about one third the normal volume load. I have seen this on the Southern Pacific at Corpus Christi, and filmed it for a TV news feature about how the Port of Corpus Christi was used to land ore to travel across the tip of South Texas destined for smelters in northern Mexico!
I have acquired a small fleet of Santa Fe 2-bay hoppers to use as "honorary" ore cars. I glued a small amount of ore in the bottom of the hoppers, usually invisible unless you look over the top of the car. Since the load is pretty inconspicuousm, I run the cars to represent both loaded and empty cars without bothering actually to load or unload them, except on the waybills.
dehusman No magnets. I would suggest putting a metal washer in the load and then use a magnet to pic up the washer/load.
Hey, that is a great idea, I don't know why I didn't think of that.
Thanks, Dave.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys.
I have been experimenting today with iron ore loads for my ore cars.
I have decided to use 1/8" thick bass wood for the base and then glue a thin layer of Woodland Scenics Iron Ore Ballast on top to simulate an ore load.
I will post some photos.
Come on Rich, I want to see some photos of this?
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Gidday Rich,
This is how I made my removable coal loads. Carved from the pink foam, ( it was free), Fitted #8 PK screw, applied dry sifted river sand using White PVA (Carpenters glue ) sprayed with el cheapo Matt Black rattle can , ( well that's what it said on the can ), inserted coal load into hopper car, got out trusty mechanics magnet and promptly lifted both coal load and car off the track. Grabbed hopper in left hand and tried again, this time pulled screw out of coal load.
Went to work, cut strips, slightly smaller than foam base, out of scrap .020" Alclad sheet, glued that to foam base and refitted screw which was now able to grab into the aluminium strip, filed point off protruding screw so not to stab myself while handling, ( NO Blood on the layout Please!!). Also trimmed the load more carefully to fit snugly into hopper, not so tight.. Did this with next 50 + loads , Local modellers impressed, will make some more for myself and them,come winter.
Have Fun.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I have some W VA coal that came from the mine where my Grandfather used to work. I don't plan on moving the hopper cars anywhere. My issue is how to break it up to the correct size??? Also, will I have an issue with any of the coal loading Lionel accessories??
Quizshow904,
To break up your coal, if you have a cloth bag, put a small amount of coal in it and take it to a concrete or other hard surface, whack with a hammer until desired size. If you don't have a bag, use a couple pieces of heavy cloth, one under, the other over the coal. This is the method used to break up plaster pieces for talus, should work for coal, though the coal is probably a bit harder.
Sounds like you are in O scale, might want to go over to the Classic Toy Trains section of these forums to get ideas on size to reduce it to. Most of the folks here are in HO or N scale.
Good luck,
tstageThe one concern I have with this is making sure that the removable loads aren't too top-heavy and cause the car to easily tip.
Hey Tom put some weight in the bottom of the cars first. Check the weight. Then you can make the load. As long as it's lighter then the bottom you should be ok.
To get the right size coal I use a couple screens the bigger the holes the bigger the coal is. Just break it up and pour though the screen. Hope this helps Frank
"JaBear" This is how I made my removable coal loads. Carved from the pink foam, ( it was free), Fitted #8 PK screw, applied dry sifted river sand using White PVA (Carpenters glue ) sprayed with el cheapo Matt Black rattle can , ( well that's what it said on the can ), inserted coal load into hopper car, got out trusty mechanics magnet and promptly lifted both coal load and car off the track. Grabbed hopper in left hand and tried again, this time pulled screw out of coal load. Went to work, cut strips, slightly smaller than foam base, out of scrap .020" Alclad sheet, glued that to foam base and refitted screw which was now able to grab into the aluminium strip, filed point off protruding screw so not to stab myself while handling, ( NO Blood on the layout Please!!). Also trimmed the load more carefully to fit snugly into hopper, not so tight.. Did this with next 50 + loads , Local modellers impressed, will make some more for myself and them,come winter.
Bear, that looks as good and as believable as anything that I have seen.
Gidday Rich, thanks, will now go and see if my cap still fits my swelled head.
One other pitfall I didn't mention was not to glue to much sand on the screw because the magnet won't work.
tsage Tom, out of curiosity I went and weighed my removal loads. A load for an Athearn BB two bay hopper about 1/2 an ounce.
richhotrain Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys. I have been experimenting today with iron ore loads for my ore cars. I have decided to use 1/8" thick bass wood for the base and then glue a thin layer of Woodland Scenics Iron Ore Ballast on top to simulate an ore load. I will post some photos. Rich
OK, here are some photos, as promised, on the making of the ore loads.
I cut 1/8" thick bass wood to fit, added small strips on top to form a "load" and then painted the bass wood Rust colored to simulate the color of iron ore. Then, I applied white glue and covered it with Woodland Scenics iron ore.
I am pleased with the result, although next time around, I will skip the second piece of bass wood to simulate a load because it is too hard to cover in one step.
Next up, I will make coal loads.
They look great. Thanks for bringing this topic up, I need to make some loads for my Tichy Ore cars.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
For my one load of coal, I went with foam.
Had some from packaging from a radio from work, dark grey to start with!
Formed it to fit the hopper ( shaped it using sissors ), tucked it in the hopper, spread coal on the form then glued the coal down.
I have no plans on taking the load out so it wasn't designed to come out easily.
For my coal powered steam locos, I spread "coal" over the formed load of coal from the manufacturer & glued it down. Makes for nicer looking coal in the tender
Gordon
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
Gidday Rich, different method, but a great result.
On the subject of loads, has anyone come up with a good load to simulate sugar beets (a common commodity)? I have a number of drop-bottom gondolas on my Colorado Central the I want to use to transport the beets to the sugar plant.
Remember, sugar beets are rather large, compared to the more common red Harvard beets we see in the grocery store.
Thanks for any help,
RicZ
Wife says they are gold, about 12" in diameter, so will depend on your scale as what would be that size. If you are in N scale, coarse ballast is close 8"-12", but the larger scales a little too small. WS buff color would be close, but I'd wash the load it to make it look dirtier.
You might try cat litter or oil absorbant, screen it to get the particles the size you want, make your load then spray paint it to the color you want. Might want to spray it first, move it around and spray it again.
Another thought. Some stream beds have fine gravel of a color close to gold. Sifting that might work too.
There's a fairly in-depth article in the November 2008 issue of RMC on modeling California's sugar beet industry. It was of interest to me because sugar beets were an important crop in southwestern Ontario, too, and I plan to model a beet loader.To represent the beets, the author used anise seeds - he recommended the ones in jars in the spice section of the supermarket, not the Mexican ones in plastic packets, as the latter ones have "tails". Based on the colour photos, included in the article, of both real and modelled loads, they are a very good representation, and require only that they be glued to a suitable form.
I normally use"live" loads for coal, gravel, and scrap, while lumber is usually represented by hollow stacks of stripwood. I'll have to check out the cost of the anise seeds before deciding if the beet loads will be live or faux.
Wayne
Does this,look familiar???
Cheers,
zstripe Rich, Does this,look familiar??? Cheers, Frank
Does what look familiar, Frank?
The thread in General Discussion, coal load source, talking about,making your own loads for hopper cars and how some made their own. Jabear,and I were wondering,who come up with the magnet idea,,I found the thread and reactivated it if anyone wanted to view it.... You started the OP,so I was kidding you about if it looked familiar..
I remain Frankie
My one friend makes and sells coal loads for hoppers.
RDGRail Custom Coal Loads
https://www.facebook.com/Rdgrail?ref=stream
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281086114484?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l2649
The loads are $2.50 each for a basic load, and $3.50 each for magnetized loads with a metal washer inside to aid in removal of the load. Loads are sold in packs of 2.
I've seen the finished loads firsthand, and they look great.
S&S
Modeling the Pennsy and loving it!