Real coal for your Coal Hoppers

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Possibly scale size coal is more important to a 2 R scale modeler than to the
3R modeler who isn't bothered as much by oversize flanges and couplers.

I don't know that that's true - coal loads tend to be oversize independent of rail number - it's a visibility issue more than anything.

[E7]

Can you digest coal?

Maybe... Dr. Cyril A. Ponnamperuma, director of the Laboratory of Chemical Evolution at the University of Maryland, says it is not mere fantasy that food may someday be manufactured from coal.

Manufactured from is not novel - all sorts of pseudo-food stuffs has been perpetrated upon us as good for us being derived from synthetic origins - margerine comes to mind as one of the great horrors.

I'm a bit late responding here, but i think we should call it "Soylent Black"

[E7]

As for size of coal, waaaaaay back when I was a freshman at Slippery Rock State, I stayed in a private residence. The landlord, who was a Senior, used coal (I am fairly sure it was bituminous as in the CHEAPEST stuff he could find) to heat the place. One day, him and his family (wife and child) went out and the fire went out and it got a bit nippy inside. I went down into the basement and loaded up the furnace. What this guy used for fuel was LARGE chunks of bituminous, some of which were 5 or 6 inches in cross section, so no more whining about size! The stuff was also shiny compared to anthracite. If I was looking for coal loads, I would look for (anthracite) "rice coal" as used in furnaces that have automatic stokers. It's been a while since I have seen the stuff, but I think the size would be fairly close to optimum for modeling. The stuff I remember was NOT shiny.

PS: Stop snacking on the coal please!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.......... so no more whining about size!

So, size matters...........

[rogruth]

.......... so no more whining about size!

So, size matters...........

Of course, no matter what "they" say.

[robert.]

Try here. https://brennansmodelrr.com/products/re ... acite-coal

[webenda]

Try here. https://brennansmodelrr.com/products/re ... acite-coal

Baa, baa, Dennis,
Have you any coal?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Well... that's not what I want it for but I ordered 3 bags full from Dennis.

Thank you for the link Robert, I had no idea where to get a small quantity of coal.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

One can see 2 different grades of loaded coal in this string of hoppers - 3rd car back on on looks to be pretty good sized stuff!

[webenda]

Thank you for the photo Rufus. The nature of the loading on #3 is why I found hunks of coal along a railroad right-of-way when I was a kid.

[J. S. Bach]

...snip... I had no idea where to get a small quantity of coal.

When I went to PA and stopped in the welcome center and they had small sample bags of locally mined coal to give out. I asked if they had any large lumps available. The lady took me back to the storeroom and let me select a larger lump or two.

[healey36]

The lady took me back to the storeroom and let me select a larger lump or two.

You must have been there for one of their adventure holidays...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz2LaJOVAiA

[Roy]

So, that leaves the base, and the type of glue. I like the idea of the expanded polystyrene, because it's so light. Can you get that at the local lumber company? Maybe, rems of previously cut pieces? Or the craft store?

Elmers makes a spray called Craft Bond, which might work to hold the coal to the base.

[Tom Dempsey]

Glue the "coal" to the foam with the same mix used for ballast.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

So, that leaves the base, and the type of glue. I like the idea of the expanded polystyrene, because it's so light. Can you get that at the local lumber company? Maybe, rems of previously cut pieces? Or the craft store?

Craft store probably to get smaller sizes. Pre-cut to fit the hopper and wrap with Painter's tape to form area for coal.

Add coal and then glue in place

Glue the "coal" to the foam with the same mix used for ballast.

Yes. I used to use ~50% Carpenter's glue.....

[webenda]

Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:18 am

Try here. https://brennansmodelrr.com/products/re ... acite-coal

Baa, baa, Dennis,
Have you any coal?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Well... that's not what I want it for but I ordered 3 bags full from Dennis.

Thank you for the link Robert, I had no idea where to get a small quantity of coal.

Three bags full arrived today.