How blue is Blue Coal? For those of you that don't know, Blue Coal was a brand of anthracite, the mining company sprayed blue as a marketing gimick.
Anyway, I'm looking to model some, and have yet to find any color pictures of said coal.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Here are some photos of paint over-spray still on the girders inside: (in person it looks exactly the like color blue you'd find in a construction chalk line)
And here are some pictures of the coal I found here: http://nepacrossroads.com/about3680.html
I saw Blue Coal at the distributor/consumer end. The barges would arrive with what looked like a pile of pool cue chalk, much more blue than the well-weathered samples in the photos above. They were unloaded (clamshell crane) and carried to the top of the distributor's bins by bucket conveyor. The bunker had a big Blue Coal sign, and the whole place was dusted with a light coat of blue pigment.
That particular bunker was located at the head of navigation of Bronx Creek, not far from Westchester Square.
Chuck (Former New Yorker modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with unpainted coal)
Ah yes, pool cue chalk! The blue color does match that as well as the blue chalk for chalk lines.
A local coal and oil dealer (served by the B&O) had a chunk of Blue Coal about the size of a refrigerator in front of their office as an advertising gimmick. Being young and foolish I thought the blue color was a natural occurance. Years later I found out it was paint. Wonder if they had to touch up the paint from time to time?
Great first-hand info.
Does anyone know the years for the Blue Coal paint we have seen on hopper car models? I always assumed it was post-WWII.
Thanks guys!
Does anyone know when were Blue Coal cars were painted like this:
Far as anyone can tell, the hoppers are definitely a fantasy - ESPECIALLY one lettered for Reading. Reading coal had a red dot - RED for READING! Chose only pure READING Anthracite. Of course by that time it wasn;t the same company as the Reading railroad, the mining operations were under the corporate name Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks for the help with the Blue Coal. Even though the Blue Coal hoppers are fantasy, I couldn't resist picking up a few of Bowser's latest release.
How about the red Reading Anthracite? Was it completely red or speckeled with red?
Maybe I misread the post above but Reading hoppers were loaded with Blue Coal the Huber Breaker. They didn't have the "Blue Coal" paint scheme above, however.
nbrodar Thanks for the help with the Blue Coal. Even though the Blue Coal hoppers are fantasy, I couldn't resist picking up a few of Bowser's latest release. How about the red Reading Anthracite? Was it completely red or speckeled with red?Nick
IIRC the blue was actually a dye of some sort, not a paint(??) It had to be something that would burn without giving off nasty / toxic fumes.
rrinker Far as anyone can tell, the hoppers are definitely a fantasy - ESPECIALLY one lettered for Reading. Reading coal had a red dot - RED for READING! Chose only pure READING Anthracite. Of course by that time it wasn;t the same company as the Reading railroad, the mining operations were under the corporate name Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co.
Reading coal wasn't dyed red. It was plain ole black. Reading hoppers NOT in coal service typically had the left hand end panel painted another color and stenciled for the other service (panels were typically white, orange or blue).
The P&R railroad and the the P&R C&I Co were the same corporation until the government won an antitrust suit against them and forced them to split (at one point the combined holding corporation was the largest corporation in the world).. That's why the Reading is the Reading (instead of the P&R) and why the Reading was the Reading Co., not the Reading railroad (note the letterboard of RDG passenger cars say "Reading Company").
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
wjstixIIRC the blue was actually a dye of some sort, not a paint(??) It had to be something that would burn without giving off nasty / toxic fumes.
Yup. It was a dye. As well as a marketing gimmick, it also served to keep the coal dust down, and acted as a lubricant to help the coal flow through the delivery chutes.
Dave,
During my research into Blue Coal, I did find some references to Reading Anthracite dyeing their coal red.
I've heard the dye was actually fuel oil tinted blue and sprayed on the coal but I don't have a confirmed source to back that statement up.
Here are a couple images of a Z Scale BLUE COAL hopper set produced by William Dean Wright of Full Throttle using blue coal castings from the Hay Brothers. I was very pleased to find these OOP cars after searching on-line. I love the color.
WHile it's still there, check this ended eBay auction for some vintage letterhead that proves the Red Dot for Reading. I did have the slogan a little off, it's "When it's Red, It's Reading"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1939-Letterhead-Red-Reading-Anthracite-Coal-Akron-PA-/370396450737
You can click on the image for a larger view where it's readable.
I don't know much about the company that distributed blue coal,or blue coal, but I have heard of the co.My wife's mother's side of the family, who live in Pennsylvania, especially Nanticoke, all have a piece of coal in their houses, for good luck and prosperity.
My wife's maternal grandfather was a miner for the Susquehanna Coal Company.
Ralph
Apparently I was misinformed by a local coal distributer in East Syracuse, NY as a youngster. I was told they had two colors, red and blue; which were used to distinguish between anthracite and bituminous coals. He then sold me some blue coal and advised me to never use the red coal in a home stove.