# help modeling Reading coal drag



## L&BRy (May 15, 2009)

I'm thinking of adding more coal hoppers to my Reading coal drag train in HO scale. I've searched and looked for pictures but can't seem to find out :

Q: Did the Reading railroad ever haul coal in hopper cars from other railroads?
if so, which carriers would be the most authentic?

Q: Would a coal drag ever consist of both full and empty cars, or only loaded and empty
depending on destination.

Q: Did the Reading RR use F7's to haul freight and coal or were they reserved for 
passenger service only?

Q: Did a coal drag routinely have a caboose car?

Thanks all, Happy Modeling

L&BRy


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## stationmaster (Dec 7, 2008)

Here are a few links:

http://www.readingnorthern.com/history.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Company

You may also want to contact historical groups.

Bob


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## L&BRy (May 15, 2009)

*thanks for nice links...still questioning Reading coal consist*

thought I'd get one of those 6 packs of hopper cars like the six I already have made by Bachmann Silver Series, but I want to know if different road names were hauled by Reading Railroad. I'm thinking maybe Lehigh Valley or LNE or P&LE or even PennsylvaniaRR, but I don't know, perhaps they only hauled there own hoppers. Anyone know for sure?

thanks,

L&BRy


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## stationmaster (Dec 7, 2008)

I know the locals here, NS, are all NS coal porters. I mix mine up for my drags out of necessity. There just are not 100 34' coal cars by the same road on the market unless you change the data plates and numbers.

It's YOUR railroad make up your own rules. I do. Who's railroad is it anyway?

Get more of the same road as you can an they become available.. I have around 500 coal cars and of all different road names. And NO DUPLICATE numbers. I do like lo-o-o-o-ong coal drags.

Bob


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## jerryl (Feb 11, 2009)

*Coal Drag*

The Reading did use CNJ cars, They had a financial tie.


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## stationmaster (Dec 7, 2008)

I just sold 20 Reading coal cars on eBay last month. Did you happen to be the buyer?

Depending on the time line you are modeling, yes, they did have 'booses.

Bob


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## chris conaway (Sep 28, 2009)

It was not unusual for there to be some foreign road hoppers mixed in from time to time.
Depending on where the drag was going it could pick up some loaded hopper from one breaker and have some empties for another. F-7 were commonly used on coal trains early in their careers. Reading used FP-7's for passenger service not f-7's. All freight trains used cabooses up until the 1980's when operating outside the yard limits.
There are a lot of great books and videos on the Reading available.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

L&BRy

Do you have this link too?


http://www.readingrr.com/hop.htm


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

L&BRy...I was doing some research on L & N, and ran across a pic of a coal drag. I remembered your post, so I saved you a couple of pic addys:

http://members.tripod.com/appalachian_railroad/protophotos/ln1370.jpg
http://bodwyn.files.wordpress.com/2...-sulphur-springs-wv-jun-1951-g-huddleston.jpg
http://www.appalachianrailroadmodeling.com/protophotos/cr6657pitcairnclouse.jpg

Also, go to youtube....there's several Reading coal drag videos there, and you can examine the real thing.


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