Real Coal in bunkers, tenders and wagons ??

Hi All.  Has anyone thought of replacing the “fake coal with real coal”. And having the ability to run empty wagons?I have read a fair bit about weathering, but what is the point of that, with fake coal? Best wishes. Kevin

Using real coal in both wagons and locomotives is quiet common, it's one of the few real world substances that look real in a small scale..

 As for wagons, it's often done that a false floor is fitted so only a small layer of coal is needed.



I don't go out and buy coal of the right grade for modelling, I just go to the coal bunker get a piece and a hammer…



if you don't use coal or know anyone who does, look up on the net where your nearest coal merchant is go for a stroll (actually in London you may have to go for a long trip on the tube to find one) and they'll probably let have mug full of dust / small stuff for nothing. (take your own container).

Hi Q.  Thank you for your reply . I live in a smokeless zone. So I guess that it will be a day out. Packed lunch and a flask of tea.  Best wishes. Kevin

Hi Kevin,

If you search some of the model suppliers in the UK you should find somebody who sells it in small quantities. If not it's the nearest coal merchant. Check beforehand that they actually have loose coal, many just have plastic bags ready to go. Get a lump of soft coal/house coal or a small quantity of "slack", anthracite is a real pain to break down. Needs a 5lb lump hammer and a heavy duty bag or old tea towel, plus a hard concrete surface.

Wickes in the UK sell it in 10 kg bags at £4.49 - there is one in Wandsworth, probably your closest. You will also need a mesh tea strainer to sort out the fines, and small from the big lumps after bashing away for 15 minutes or so. The very fine dust is useful in weathering tenders and the like (and those stathes). What you do with the other 9.75 kg is another problem, I'd take a kg or so out and just leave the rest at the store for that price.Or donate/sell at your local club. Carrying it around could be interesting.

About 10 years ago I was filling up the car at a gas station (petrol) in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania and noticed that they had 56lb bags of coal for sale. Had the customs people at the Canadian border scratching their heads over that one. Still using it, maybe one very small lump a year. I dumped about 50 lbs of it when we downsized a few years ago.

If you want to get persnickety, the fireman would line the outside with the big lumps, smaller in the middle.Post WW2 it was cheap foreign coal, lots of "slack" and smaller lumps than before.

Real stone chips painted black or black granite chips (from the kitchen remodeling stores who actually cut their own granite work tops) look pretty good, and the Javis "coal" material is not bad.

Nigel

A pound bag will probably last a lifetime.  I bought some off a live steam group eons ago.

John

Hi Nigel.  Thank you for your reply. A good idea, as always. But I like the idea from “ Q “ and that way I may even visit a Preservation Railway ? I have so many projects on the go, at the time of writing. Best wishes  Kevin 

Hi John . Thank you for your reply. Alas I don’t know of any live Steam groups.   Best wishes. Kevin

Kevin

When you come to see Much Murkle at the weekend there will be a little surprise waiting for you.

Hi Nick.   Thank you.  See you later, and good luck. Kevin

If anyone is REALLY stuck I can post em out a small bag taken from the bottom of our coal bunker  ;-)Oh and plenty of real ash as well 

Cheers

Matt

Hi Matt. Thank you for your reply. But today I went to the Southampton MRC Exhibition to see the splendid  â€œ Much Murkle “ layout.and Woody gave me a lump of coal to cover my needs and a coal merchant. Best wishes. Kevin

Nice one Woody  :)       Kevin don't forget to put it in a polly bag BEFORE you hit it with a hammer   ;-)  saves on the mess  :roll:  
Cheers
  Matt

Hi Matt  Not worried about the mess ? In the Garden . And I will be using a polythene sack to keep the bits under control. HSE you understand.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,
The exhibition was even better than 2017, with plenty of quality layouts and so many great people to talk railways with.

I'm sorry to have missed you and was there until mid-afternoon on Saturday 
and for a few more hours on Sunday afternoon. So glad you made it though and got to meet Nick and the crew and acquire much needed coal. Did you see the OO9 layout next to MM? Impressive use of coal and owner Andy is particularly engaging and knowledgeable.

I'm still on my way home and had a delayed start today with with a puncture en route to the ferry and needed two new tyres! Still, a very good weekend and I'll post some photos on Mark's thread when I get home tomorrow.

Bye for now,

Bill

Hi Bill.   The exhibition was great. And had the weather been nice it would have been a fantastic  day.I went by train, that part of the journey was good, it was the waiting for the bus that spoiled it. Looking forward to the next one, wherever it is.  Best wishes. Kevin

Just reading an article on Hassell Hill Colliery which features two working loading chutes to load coal into empty  wagons. They mention that instead of real coal which is messy they use "fine black aquarium  gravel which is clean to handle ,flows well, looks like real coal and can be obtained from pet shops"    May be an option if you can't  source real coal ?
Cheers

Matt

Hi Nick.   It is a nice dry day today, and I taken advantage of that to break up the lump of coal you gave me.Did you have anyone filming Much Murkle at the weekend?? Some of the Southampton 2018 Layouts are on YouTube already . Are you busy getting ready for the next one??   Best wishes. Kevin

Hi Matt.  I had seen a YouTube video on using similar stuff? Available for flower arranging , in the meantime I have been in the yard breaking up rocks/(coal)  like a convict?? Good fun, next stage , grade it and get out the pliers to reduce it. Then Sleeper grime on the DIY coal bins.  Best wishes. Kevin

Hi Q.  Further to my “ Coal Topic “. A potentially serious health risk question has come to mind. â€œ Whether just Playing around with trains, at home” or going to Model Railway Shows??? It occurs to me. That there is a Risk of Dust, something you don’t get with the “ plastic stuff” . How can you avoid one speck of “ Dust “ ? Without making the coal look like plastic and lose the effect??
This “Dust Problem” has been a serious issue  for coal miners for years, and one speck of dust can be all that is required?  Just a thought.  Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Face mask, particulates and dust. After crushing in a heavy duty plastic bag, place in fine mesh strainer in the sink and wash. Hard anthracite coal generates almost no dust. Soft steam coal does.
I do not think the small amounts we use in the hobby pose any health issues. 

You could always convert to wood burners.

Nigel