ThePurplePrimer Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Hi guys I am thinking about what I need to finish the 7mm coal wagon that I am building and I will need some scraps of coal and dust Can you recommend a suitable product please If the answer is real coal can you suggest where I can buy a small bag as according to a google search I don't have anyone close by that's sells real coal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexible_coupling Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I plan to visit my "local" preserved railway, the 'Puffing Billy' - http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/ - and see if I may ask the gentlemen on the footplate kindly to fill a little zip-lock bag of coal dust and chips from the bottom of the bunker! Need to pick a weekend where the summer fire risk has abated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I got my coal by asking a driver for a lump out of the tender. Now where did I leave it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Try Peco PS-41 "Imitation Coal"? Should be available to order from most model shops. You'll find it a bit "flat" so once in place dry-brush in one direction only a bit of gloss black paint which will give it some shiny glints. This will work with most products including crushed real coal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted January 28, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2014 I would certainly go for real coal. the other thing you need to think about is the size of the pieces for which you'll need a sieve. Most coal loads were of a particualr grade. Large coal tended to be for specific customers such as the railways or for coking into foundry coke. Industrial customers such as lime works wanted graded small coal (1.25") that would fit the feed holes in their kilns. The main thing is consistency for a specific customer. Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mike Bellamy Posted January 28, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2014 Paul Martin at EDM Models actually sells real coal that has been blasted through the smoke box of one of the Festiniog Railway narrow gauge locos and got caught by the spark arrestor !! As mentioned above you generally need consistency of size which this has and nothing looks more like coal than the real thing - I think the Peco product is made from a shiny plastic that looks like shiny plastic! Details here http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Glues/gluestools.html#Potions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I used to wander about on my local small station and pick up lumps that had fallen off mgr wagons. Got a bagfull somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I don't have anyone close by that's sells real coal Farm shops and petrol stations often sell "small bags" (5kg?) for a few quid - I know that's probably more than you'll ever need but it may be worth it particularly if purchasing a tiny bag involves a trip to a model show or shop that's some distance away. Do none of your neighbours have a coal fire that you can ask for a lump? Of course if you are breaking up your own remember to put it in a plastic bag before setting to it with the hammer, otherwise you will get bits everywhere. I vaguely recall having a small bag of "modelling coal" somewhere that I picked up ages ago - if I can find it I'll gladly post you some as I'm not likely to need it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66C Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Hi Rob Nothing to beat real coal - but - make sure that you seal its surfaces after gluing in place. The only downside of the real stuff is that eventually it oxidises - great if you want to model ash wagons! Use varnish or dilute PVA. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81A Oldoak Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I am still using some Welsh anthracite that I liberated from my parents' coal-fired central-heating boiler in 1976. It still looks good and I have yet to to find a more realistic substitute. I'm sure it makes my locos run better, but take care when using nutty-slack, you don't want the brown, sticky peanut variety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted January 28, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 28, 2014 This is getting into a "show and tell" - so here goes, a chap that works for us volunteers on the WSR, so I get him to bring me a lump up whenever I am getting low. It's generally Polish these days but sometimes I get a bit of Welsh I hadn't heard of Paul's little sideline, very inventive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted January 28, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 28, 2014 I've noticed that a number of the small scenic traders at exhibitions sell real coal. Living by the north east coast I get mine by picking it up when I go the beach and then breaking it up to get the right shapes of lumps as beach coal usually has rounded edges from wave action. Slightly off topic - I was at an exhibition recently where one of the layouts depicted a coal mine, with wagons being filled with coal as they were placed under the screens. The exhibitor had a lump of real coal with him to explain what it is to younger people. David Edited for spelling as usual. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePurplePrimer Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thanks for all the replies and suggestion - I have ordered a small bag of sea coal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 If you're going to use working coal loaders and such, you're better off using black fish aquarium rocks. Real coal disintegrates and creates a lot of dust when using it on working models! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexible_coupling Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I have a teeny chunk of glossy Welsh stuff (from a UK trip my grandfather made years ago) in a box in storage somewhere. If I find it again before I actually visit Wales, I'll save it for loco bunkers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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