New hoppers coming from Bluford Shops.

CraigfromBlufordShops Mar 12, 2019

  1. CraigfromBlufordShops

    CraigfromBlufordShops TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Hi guys,
    We just put up the new announcement for a baker's dozen of new N scale 3-Bay Offset Side Hopper paint schemes. Check them out here: http://bluford-shops.com/bluford_93_041.htm

    Enjoy,
    Craig
    Bluford Shops LLC.
     
  2. Rich_S

    Rich_S TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Craig, I really like the tip of the hat to Blue Coal.

    Blue Coal was the trade name of the coal sold by the Glen Alden Coal Company. They actually dyed the coal a blueish color with dyed fuel oil. The coal mine was originally owned by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. Antitrust actions forced DL&W to sell the mine to Glen Alden.

    Will the coal in the hoppers have a blue tint?
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2019
  3. CraigfromBlufordShops

    CraigfromBlufordShops TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Can you give me an idea of what color blue the loads were? I've heard rumors of this but never seen a photo.

    Craig
    Bluford Shops
     
  4. Rich_S

    Rich_S TrainBoard Member

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    Hi Craig, The attached photo is suppose to be a salesman's sample of actual Blue Coal from the Glen Alden Coal Company. Glen Alden Coal Company went out of business when I was 15, so I'd say take your best guess.

    anthercite-blue-coal-salesmen-sample.jpg
     
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  5. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    That's really neat Rich. I wonder if all of their coal was so perfectly painted or it was partially so or even speckled?

    If someone can post a photo of a prototype car that would be cool. As anthracite roads fan, I've never seen one.

    Somewhere in my stuff I have a bunch of orange-colored cardstock "scatter tags" as used by the Hudson Coal Company (as owned by the D&H). They were thumb-sized and thrown in to deliveries so as to brand their coal. A friend and I found them at a scalemaster's hut near an abandoned mine in eastern PA in the early '80s.

    PS - I burned a few chunks of anthracite in our fireplace this winter, as picked up 35+ years ago from wanderings in eastern PA. I've had them for all these years and figured it was finally time to put them to use. (y)
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2019
  6. CraigfromBlufordShops

    CraigfromBlufordShops TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Wow! That's much brighter than I expected. As a rule, blue to violet pigment was more expensive than other colors so it's amazing they would use that to color coal.
     
  7. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    I agree Craig, that is very blue. I wonder if the full hoper loads got that much blue applied? Seems like I remember reading somewhere way back that at one supplier, the coal was loaded and then the hoppers ran under a sprayer (much like the water ones used today to control dust) and got a coat of blue applied. I tried searching for that article again and am not having any luck finding it. While at it, I did see these have been done in a couple of other scales and had the bright blue loads similar to the color of that coal sample bag. Glad Bluford is doing this paint scheme Craig. Thank you!
     
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  8. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    My understanding is the same as yours BNSF FAN, that it was a spray and not a thorough covering of every piece and not a perfect blue surface atop the load. I can't find anything to support what I understand though.
     
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  9. Rich_S

    Rich_S TrainBoard Member

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    My understanding is the coal was sprayed with a blue dye mixed into some type of fuel oil, but I don't know the exact fuel oil type used. I believe the coal was dyed before it was loaded into the hoppers. My understanding the dying process took place as the last step in the cleaning and sizing of the coal. I agree, the saleman's sample bag is probably overdone just like modern day advertising to make the product look perfect.
     
    Hardcoaler likes this.

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