Large Scale Central

Need coal

I had to modify my Bachmann C-19 coal load some and now I need some coal to cover over the original plastic coal load. Does anyone know who sells scale looking coal?

Bob Russell

I know some folks used the charcoal they sell for aquarium filters. You can break it into smaller pieces by putting it into a bucket with a round rock and swirling the bucket so the rock rolls around, breaking up the pieces of charcoal.

I have always used real coal crushed up and sifted to a suitable size. I’ll check to see if I have any in Stock pm me I could put some in the mail.

Around here Tractor Supply sells bags of rice or nut coal for about six bucks. Its the only place I know of that sells coal NOT by the ton. I wish I could find barley sized in small quantities, but alas I cannot.

Bob; I have large blocks of coal that keeps on shattering into layers. I could give you some that you could take a hammer to then put it through a screen to get the size you want, but the aquarium charcoal is the best option…

LOL…didn’t think about the aquarium coal and we have 2 aquariums.

Since Pittsburgh was a steel town, and many homes were heated by coal, way back in the last century, from time to time, I find chunks of coal just laying around. I have collected them and have a nice little supply of coal. One of my early jobs was delivering coal samples to the lab down in Moundsville West by God Virginia. They let me bring home some of their discarded coal, but its ground too fine for large scale use.

To break up the coal into smaller sizes, and contain the mess. I put the coal in a bucket with a large round rock, and just swirl the rock around in the bucket. It rolls around over the coal, breaking it into smaller and smaller pieces. Then I sift it through some hardware cloth, and some screen to get different sizes for my coal hoppers.

That looks great.

That’s the real deal David!!

I make a form out of extruded insulation foam, either the pink or the blue stuff, whatever I have laying around. Then I paint it with charcoal coloured craft paint, and then glue on the crushed coal. I have made 3 or 4 inserts, I only have another, oh dozen to make.

Ill second the the fish filter coal. Its broken down into really small pieces already. Another option is take a walk along a rail trail, plenty of pieces along the sides. I just found a niece chunk along an old Erie line that was part of the Shawangunk Ridge trail now.

Speaking of coal. Does anyone know where I can get big chunks of coal, say around 10 to 12 inches.

Louis Sommers said:

Speaking of coal. Does anyone know where I can get big chunks of coal, say around 10 to 12 inches.

Pennsyltuckey

I’ve tried various “coal”, including the real stuff crushed up. But, at least to me, the best looking stuff is aquarium carbon. Specifically; MarineLand Premium Activated Carbon. I got my jug at either PetSmart or Petco…can’t remember which one.

Spoon it out, and glue it down. I like to use a diluted mix of Elmers glue.

Here it is in a loco:

Isn’t coal shiny?

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Steve there are different types of coal, Anthracite, Lignite and Bituminous, each has different properties. So some coal is shiny, some is not so much and some is actually a grayish/brownish colour. I don’t remember which is which.

I have used the same type stuff as Matt showed. Walmart sells the stuff for fish tanks at a reasonable price. I have made coal for coals cars and it works really well.

Nice collection of porn there Matt! I’m surprised you don’t have more than 3 pages tagged.

" Rooster " said:

Nice collection of porn there Matt! I’m surprised you don’t have more than 3 pages tagged.

Can never have enough narrow gauge porn (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Bob, How authentic of coal do you want? Could your C-19 feel any lesser of a loco, if it was filled with some REAL COAL from her little sister C-18 #315?

If you would like some real steam loco coal, I’ll grab you a piece of what we burn, and send it to you.