Easy Removable Loads

[P5se Camelback]

I've since learned that it's very similar in appearance to a product called "Black Beauty", which is a sandblasting medium.

Hmmmm. Jenna and I collected this stuff from along the rails in this little three track yard in the late '80's. As there were often those modern "Airslide" hoppers there for delivery up the line toward Bethlehem and Allentown, it is quite possible that is was some sort of blasting medium. It is black, hard, has shiny "facets" and looks for the world like miniature coal. I have not given it the magnet test so I'm not sure about that.

But it does make a convincing coal load! [I shaped some blocks of Balsa I had laying around to fit into hoppers, painted the balsa black, and when dry, I painted the top with straight Elmer's and pushed them into a tray full of this collected shiny black stuff ... they look good.] When I unpack the stuff that has been repacked since that photo that I had posted for a few minutes, I'll photograph them and post the photos.