I was requested to show how I make my homemade coal loads. Well I finally had the time to post this. List of Materials Styrene Woodland Scenics Coal Metal Paper Clip Wax Paper White Glue Cup Water Black Paint Step 1 Cut the styrene to match the inside of the hopper car. Paint it black Step 2 Cut off two small pieces of the paper clip. Drill two holes in the styrene and feed the paper clip pieces through them. Secure the paper clip on the unpainted side with tape. The paper clip is optional. The reason for the paper clip is so that you can use a magnet to pick up the load.
Step 3 Measure out some wax paper and place inside the bed of the hopper. Step 4 Place the styrene over the wax paper in the bed of the hopper. Step 5 Place a thick bead of white glue around the edge of the inside of the bed of the hopper. Step 6 Add a thin layer of coal and wait a few minutes for the glue to spread due to capillary action. While you are waiting mix a glue solution of 1 part white glue and 1 part water.
Step 7 Add a small amount of the glue solution over the coal. Keep adding until the coal is just beginning to float. Step 8 Add another thin layer of coal. Add enough coal that you no longer see the glue solution and the coal on top is dry. Now add a small amount of glue solution again until the coal is just about floating. Step 9 Keep repeating step 8 until you have your coal load formed. The last step should be adding a small amount of glue solution. The last time you add glue it should be just enough that the coal is wet not floating. Step 10 Set the hopper aside and let the load dry completely. Generally takes a few days.
Step 11 Remove the coal load from the hopper. The wax paper will be attached. Step 12 Carefully peel the wax paper off the load and trim away any "flash". Your coal load is done. Now a few pictures of the finished product. Of course you can use this method to make ballast loads, earth loads, etc.
Tom, Good idea with the paper clip! That makes modeling an "empty" car really easy, just grab a magnet an pull the load to "empty" it an then you have a unloaded car..... Interesting!
HA! Nevermind if ya saw my last post before I edited it, your making this post as I'm here looking! GOOD work!
Paul, The paper clip, being metal is magnetic! So, being the load fits in the car tightly, it can be difficult to put it out to have an "unloaded" hopper car, to pull the tight fitting load out of the car, you get a good magnet, (a strong one) an that will lift the load enough to loosen it to grab ahold of it enough to pull it out of the car..... See now? Pretty good idea on removing a coal load to have a then empty car or strong of cars. Be a nice way to make an inside "unloading" facility, have it to where a electro magnet pulls the load out of the car, an can drop it in a bin, to empty the cars as they pass through it, an when the went in loaded, they come out unloaded! Be a really nice touch of animation for a layout!
Very cool. I did mine with Foam, instead and a paperclip bend JUST showing enough to hook out when needed... I'll get some photos when I get time.. These were on 20 of the Red Caboose Ortner 5-Bay Rapid Discharge Hoppers.
Wax paper......hadn't thought of that when I made my last coal loads (or rock loads and woodchip loads). The paper clip is also a good idea. Saves trying to dig the little rascals out.... Thanks for the how-to! As they say in my neighborhood, muy bueno!
Tom: Excellent work. Is each load peculiar to the car it was formed in, or will all the loads pretty much fit other cars of the same size?
Thanks folks for the comments. Flash I make the coal loads car specific. I write the car number on the bottom of each load. The loads are somewhat interchangable between car types by the same manufacturer. A load for a Athearn 2-bay offset hopper will fit into another Athearn 2-bay offset hopper. To me they don't look right not being in the car they were made for.
Great job Tom! Another thread to bookmark! Any chance of one on step-by-step weathering as well? Cheers Bruce
Thanks for the compliments Bruce. I did a weathering tutorial for an Athearn wood Hershey’s reefer that I custom painted a while back. I will have to try to find it and see how much updating it needs. If it is not in too bad of shape I’ll post it.
