Coal Cars... Lots of Coal Cars....

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." It's a good thing I love trains. The Pocomtuc Creek hauls coal. Therefore, we need a ton of period correct coal cars. We are going to eventually need at least 40 coal cars. Originally, railroads only had 2 specific types of freight cars back in the 1830s. These were house cars (box cars to us 21st century folks) and flat cars. Flat cars were used to move dirt, fill materials, ore, coal, or other materials. The load was just shoveled onto a flat car. Sometimes one or two boards would be attached to the side stakes to help. However, this mode of transport still caused problems (mostly with the load falling off) but it was not uncommon through the 1860s for railroads to still use flat cars this way. In the 1840s and 1850s, railroads began to solve this problem. Several different cars were invented to help transport these materials more effectively. There were many different types of cars pioneered by many different railroads. Pot cars/pot hoppers, hopper cars, gondolas, and coal jimmies are a few of the names given to what would one day become coal cars. In 1910, wood gondolas were being replaced by steel into what we now all think of when someone calls something a coal car.

The question becomes... how do I find all these old railroad models? Especially, if I can't buy kits for $50.00 or more a car... Then have to buy the trucks and couplers... Then buy all the detail parts. The answer becomes... I am going to have to be creative. I contacted my friends Bud and Breanne of The Train sHOp on eBay. I wanted a few coal jimmies to be in the coal yard. I can backdate gondolas and hopper cars easy. Some careful work with an hobby knife, and change a few details. That is easy. However, I can't backdate coal jimmies.

For coal jimmies, The Train sHOp designed a beautiful model. It is very easy to put together, and you get 2 in the pack! All I had to do was put it together, paint it brown/black, add coal (I used real anthracite) and dry brush paint/real coal dust onto them. They are a fun family evening build.

The coal jimmy was used on several railroads lasting past 1900 in several cases. Some of these cars had a major problem. Not all had a slanted interior. Without that gravity feed to help with unloading, men with shovels had to climb in and get the last of the coal out. However, this type was still popular as it could be easily, quickly, and cheaply made/fixed. These cars were replaced by the steel hopper car eventually because the hoppers could just carry more coal.

These are lifelike hopper cars. Yes.... Those cheap Christmas train set ones. However, with a fresh coat of paint, light weathering (as steel hoppers would be newly introduced to my railroad in 1910) and new handbrakes from Cal Scale, they fit perfectly. Small grab-irons were added in a few places out of small brass wire. The hardest part is adding the new hand brakes. All that was needed were to cut off the old ones and add the plastic kits No. 290 with some glue. Next add some lettering and details. Just the right amount of dust from the roadbed to suit. This is dry-brushed onto the car. Then everything is clearcoat sealed again. Finally, I will add real anthracite coal from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.

Our First Caboose

I have always liked bobber cabooses. The Bachmann ones are nice, but generic. It seems like half the people who own HO trains have one. However, I want my own caboose that is different from others.

I grew up with Sherlock Holmes, and in my opinion, the best acting portrayal of Sherlock, Jeremy Brett said: "I've done 33 Sherlock Holmes stories and bits of them are all right. But the definitive Sherlock Holmes is in everyone's head. No actor can fit into that category because every reader has his own ideal."

I was searching for a bobber caboose everywhere and found it on eBay. The Train sHOp had a 3D printed way car for sale. The parent car of the caboose, so to speak. Around the time of the American Civil War, railroads had started converting boxcars (known as house cars at the time) were converted to way cars. These were a place for the crew to rest, warm up, eat, and be the conductor's office. Lots of paperwork... Making sure that the goods and trains got to where they needed to. They were also a place for the tail end train crew/brakemen to rest. Trains did not have air brakes at the time, so brakemen had to travel from car to car while the train was moving. They used brake clubs (wood like a two by four piece of lumber) to turn the brake wheels to stop the train. Many long freight trains had several brakemen to do this on a train of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

By the late 1860s and early 1870s, many railroads were building purpose-built way cars. The model on eBay was of a 1870s style way car. No cupola like later cabooses. I liked this and purchased one. Please see The Train sHOp's photos below.

Disclaimer: I am not paid, or renumerated/compensated in any fashion by the lovely people at The Train sHOp. I am simply a very overjoyed customer.

I love this model. It is super detailed. The interior insert has many holes built in to put LED lighting in the car. My printed car even has a coal bunker with shovel printed in it for the stove. It is super easy to put together; however, Bud and Breanne at The Train sHOp also included a great 2 page instruction paper with the order. It has pictures of the build to help with construction too! The customer service and communication from them also is super! They are just really nice people.

Using the recommended couplers/wheels and super glue made construction a snap. Construction after base coating took 20 minutes as I was going slow to let the glue dry. Besides spray painting, I assembled/hand painted the model in a cardboard box lid in my chair. I was feeling lazy, ok.... And John Wayne was on TV....

Painting this was really a pleasure. I base coated the model with Testors black spray paint. Yes, I use rattle cans... Airbrushes are expensive. We also currently rent an apartment, so the noise from an air compressor would not be appreciated. Then over spray painted with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in the shade Lemon Grass. This was trying to get the straw yellow color of the 1850s-1870s railroads, which it did well. However, the paint did cause the open door to warp a little bit. Next time, I will stick with Testors. The interior was painted with Model Color Cavalry Brown (red-brown) and Dark Sand was used for the shovel handle. A combination of Gunmetal Grey and Black was used to help metal interior details stand out. Two old wargame figures were painted and used as the railroad crew.

The roof was painted grey and weather washed. Many railroads at the time covered the tops of passenger cars and some way cars with lead. The idea behind this was to act as a protective layer, just like copper on the bottom of a ship. Then, after several grey washes, a black wash was used for coal soot/dust from the chimney fire. This simulates rain washing the chimney/smoke residue over the top of the car for a long period of time. A wash of Dark Sand was applied to the platforms and under frame for light dust weathering. Then sealed Testors Glosscote. Look below to see the model half-way completed.

Microscale letters were added for the Pocomtuc Creek in vermillion to match the striping painted on with Model Color paint. The letters were modified from the Western and Atlantic Railroad passenger car decal sheet. Then, they were sealed on with Testors Dullcote. Window glass was then added by cutting a thin transparent styrene sheet.