I tried something that turned out great and I wanted to share the idea. I originally had this post in another area and brought it here also.
I wanted to simulate coal loads in my gondolas. I took white stryfoam board packing and cut rectangles with tapered tops leaving the rough texture. After shaping I painted them with flat black acrylic paint. They turned out great! They look very realistic, was super cheap, real easy. Thought you would like to hear.
Jim
Always enjoy ‘hearing’ but remember, a picture’s worth a thousand words! [:)]
- walt
Simulated coal loads sounds like a great idea, don’t forget you can also put simulated sand load in as railroads in south Florida carry sand and other loads in gondola cars. Seems like the gondola car is a carry-all type of car in Florida railroads, FEC mainly carries cement grade sand in thier gondolas.
Lee F.
I’ve used 2 methods to “simulate” coal.
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Use white beaded styofoam and spray it with glossy black enamel. The paint will eat thru some of the styrofoam but the results will look like coal (do this outside).
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Use real coal. You can hammer it down to the right consistency. A lot of folks do this old trick. And it really looks like coal. Affix with glue.
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Your method still probably beats the cheap, dull plastic coal loads found in most gondolas (and tenders and hoppers).
What about the charcoal for fish aquariums? Have not tried this yet, but it does look very similar.
Dennis
charcoal lacks the sparkle of real coal
I do the styrofoam [painted black and cut to fit about 1/2 inch below top] and put coal from Seanic Express [or other] on top. If you want it permanent, use the glue solution like you do for ballast. I prefer they stay loose on top.