What should I use for iron ore?

[F2Andy]

I am building some PTA (iron ore tippler) kits in  N gauge, and want to have them laden. Can anyone recommend a good material to use to represent the ore?

 

I am not exactly sure what the iron ore is (magnetite, hematite, something else?), plus I am red colour blind, and I am worried it will have a redness to it that I cannot see.

 

Just to be clear, this would be the iron ore British Steel imported in the seventies.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/418896/hattons_constructor_h_ore_f_iron_ore_for_wagon_loads_fine_400g/stockdetail.aspx

 

I don't know how accurate this is, but worth a look?

 

Mike.

[Ian Smeeton]

I can pick some up off the ground for you at Rocks by Rail tomorrow, if you like.

Anything from a jar-full to a bucket full.

 

Regards

 

 

Ian

[Fat Controller]

Not sure if this link will work, but it's an aerial view of the stock-piles at Tata's Port Talbot works:- https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Port+Talbot/@51.5802421,-3.7892527,206m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x486e417d526519d3:0x988defbf4b68103f!8m2!3d51.5946799!4d-3.784097?hl=en

Haematite tends to be a deep reddy-brown colour, a bit like that of new Doc Martins. Other imported ores would vary from deep red to grey.

[MarcD]

Iron it's a bit like saying I'm would like to load chocolate. It's consistency is geological speaking a very broad church and it depends on were it's being mined. Ore mined in places like Cumberland or north Lancashire is of a higher iron content (80-90%) it's very dark red almost black. Were as ore from Oxfordshire is a pail yellow as it's got more water I its molecular structure. This colour changes when the ore is roasted as the water is driven of and any iron pyrites is oxidized. 

Marc

[F2Andy]

Thanks for the replies.

 

The Hattons material looks too course. It is hard to tell for sure, but the lumps look like a scale six inches or so across in  N gauge. I get the impression they should be considerably smaller, perhaps up to a scale inch?

 

I was already aware there was quite a variety in ores. However Fat Controller's link to the aerial view at Port  Talbot (genius idea!) shows what a variety there is just at that location, so some flexibilityt on the colour. I just need to find a fine powder.