Model Train Journal

I tried to build a real coal load but the piece of coal I purchased at a hardware store in Tucson broke into flakes instead of small bits. Worse, it was dull. Coal in coal cars delivered to Tucson Electric Power looked shiny to me.

I was surfing eBay for coal hoppers one day when I found this:


Had to try it. It turned out to be bits of shiny coal glued to a piece of expanded polystyrene.


Placing it into a Lionel 6456 Coal Car I found bits of coal made it too wide to sink down into the car.


A little sanding...


And it dropped right in.




Looks good, I like it!

It sits to high.

Just add some heap shields and it'll all be good.

OK, stupid question here. Does real coal give off real radon? If so, is there enough in a 12-car hopper train to be dangerous?

George

robert. wrote:It sits to high.

1) I like it.
2) It is a toy.
3) My prototype coal load reference picture looks about the same height as my model coal load.


May I see your reference, Robert?

G3750 wrote:OK, stupid question here. Does real coal give off real radon? If so, is there enough in a 12-car hopper train to be dangerous?

Coal itself does not give off radon; the various U and Th radionuclides, etc. that may be trapped within the coal as they decay generate Rn which may or not be of a half-life meaningful enough to pose any localization risk and all radionuclides in the decay chain may be liberated through burning of the coal.

Dangerous only if you shove it up your nose and inhale regularly, or eat it. The latter more than likely poses a far greater issue is you have a diagnosis of diverticulosis...

From that head on shot it looks like you pushed it down a little. Notice those prototypical side bulges You made your load to straight

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

G3750 wrote:OK, stupid question here. Does real coal give off real radon? If so, is there enough in a 12-car hopper train to be dangerous?

Coal itself does not give off radon; the various U and Th radionuclides, etc. that may be trapped within the coal as they decay generate Rn which may or not be of a half-life meaningful enough to pose any localization risk and all radionuclides in the decay chain may be liberated through burning of the coal.

Dangerous only if you shove it up your nose and inhale regularly, or eat it. The latter more than likely poses a far greater issue is you have a diagnosis of diverticulosis...

Thank you, Rufus. I had no idea (hence calling it a stupid question).

I wasn't trying to be a d***, just wondered about it.

George

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

G3750 wrote:OK, stupid question here. Does real coal give off real radon? If so, is there enough in a 12-car hopper train to be dangerous?

Coal itself does not give off radon; the various U and Th radionuclides, etc. that may be trapped within the coal as they decay generate Rn which may or not be of a half-life meaningful enough to pose any localization risk and all radionuclides in the decay chain may be liberated through burning of the coal.

Dangerous only if you shove it up your nose and inhale regularly, or eat it. The latter more than likely poses a far greater issue is you have a diagnosis of diverticulosis...

Why would eating coal be an issue if you have diverticulosis? Does coal collect in the diverticula and cause a problem?

webenda wrote:Why would eating coal be an issue if you have diverticulosis? Does coal collect in the diverticula and cause a problem?

Can you digest coal? Small hard undigestible items can lodge and trigger diverticulitis - for example: nuts like walnuts and then also not nuts like peanuts. Cashews are my bane.

robert. wrote:From that head on shot it looks like you pushed it down a little. Notice those prototypical side bulges You made your load to straight

From what Robert is saying, Usanamoose did not shape the coal load right. Anyone know where I can get a bag of real anthracite or bituminous coal? I would like to make my own coal load.

Looks like large lump to me.

Wayne,
So what did you use for your coal and what did you use for the base?
Which leaves what glue did you use?
Or maybe you already answered my questions.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

webenda wrote:Why would eating coal be an issue if you have diverticulosis? Does coal collect in the diverticula and cause a problem?

Can you digest coal?

Maybe... Dr. Cyril A. Ponnamperuma, director of the Laboratory of Chemical Evolution at the University of Maryland, says it is not mere fantasy that food may someday be manufactured from coal.

webenda wrote:

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

webenda wrote:Why would eating coal be an issue if you have diverticulosis? Does coal collect in the diverticula and cause a problem?

Can you digest coal?

Maybe... Dr. Cyril A. Ponnamperuma, director of the Laboratory of Chemical Evolution at the University of Maryland, says it is not mere fantasy that food may someday be manufactured from coal.

Manufactured from is not novel - all sorts of pseudo-food stuffs has been perpetrated upon us as good for us being derived from synthetic origins - margerine comes to mind as one of the great horrors.