How to Build Scrap Aluminum Loads for Model Railroad Gondolas

[@brandonwehe8701]

Touring American Iron and Steel in Minneapolis/St Paul, they bailed AL inside a building and shipped the bails of aluminum in a boxcar. Seared, bailed and other scrap steel was processed outside and shipped in open gondolas.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Thank-you Ron for another great tutorial.

[@w.rustylane5650]

I use real coal for my steam tenders and gondola loads. I got a big chunk of bituminous coal (anthracite would have been easier since it's softer--but railroads used bituminous) and using a hammer (outside of course) and smashed the coal into bits on a piece of main line (120 lb.) 1 ft. section (used for an anvil) until it's HO scale. The larger pieces I use on my Lionel 027 engine tenders and gondolas. Cheers from eastern TN

[@w.rustylane5650]

I save any shavings from drilling especially in metal. When I get enough I make it into a scrap metal load. I've also got a plaster casting of scrap that I painted each little piece in it and it came out really nice. Cheers - TN

[@eldonlowman253]

Ron, the really great thing about RTnT is your quality of info, thoroughness and your voice and presence. SUPER!!!!!! Eldon Lowman

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks, Eldon. I appreciate the kind words.

[@SD45-ET44AC]

5 years later I'm rewatching your videos that I've already rewatched. But the advice is solid and as I trial my layout to make sure all the locos work as well as rolling stock, I find I need to add some heft to the cars. The NMRA regs may say the weight of the car should be such and such but the cars are so light it's hard to be sure. Thanks! 08/12/2023

[@sithlord1626]

Im in the process of making a scrap/junk yard on my layout and these vids will help me....i have an active scrap yard on my layout and I was hoping u'd look at some of my vids and see for urself

[@twostepn2001]

Ron, using pencil sharpener shavings is something I would've never thought of but watching your vid gave me some ideas for my project!! Thanks!! Guy

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Awesome! Let us know how it turns out.

[@shawnleih2916]

Looking very good 👍 video 👍

[@richardmattingly7000]

Great tip, you can also let let the paint get tacking then leave your fingerprints on it or use 1mm grass material in place of the shavings instead. Many kinds of super glue can be cured nearly instantly with a bit of baking soda on it and ink stamps used by crafters also leave a nice tangled pattern of lines/shapes as well.

[@johnsweeny3457]

Love.

[@jamesburba1995]

Those bales really look good.

[@w.rustylane5650]

I use communion cups to mix paint. Neat little cups for that purpose. I really like your idea of using pencil sharpener shavings painted aluminum.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

That is a great idea, and I have access to a lot of those.

[@randysrockandrollrailroad8207]

Great idea Ron, thanks for sharing

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you for watching.

[@nyg21bd]

great idea, I will try this for my HO layout.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Let us know how it turns out. 👍

[@kevinb9327]

I've used "cubes" of aluminum foil compressed by pliers. I get a rougher texture. I intersperse color (foil or paper) to give the idea of compacted auto bodies. I have used the foil from Hershey's Miniatures (chocolate). Just an idea...

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Yes, I have seen foil used. It is a different texture for a different type of bale. These give more of the look of shredded aluminum compacted into bales. The foil looks more like large, solid pieces compacted, because that is what they are. Both make good looking loads.

[@frankcfwrr3920]

One night while eating Hostess Ding Dongs (still wrapped in foil) I folded it up and made a cube. I looked at it and ran for a gon. Made a perfect load for HO. Great video. Merry Christmas, May your stocking be filled with trains

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+Frank C&FWRR That's awesome. Merry Christmas to you.

[@25mfd]

those hostess ding dongs are good.

[@billvassar7473]

hope you had a safe and wonderful Christmas. real nice load thanks for shearing.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you for your comment and thanks for watching.

[@jacko9759]

GOOD job Ron, thanks for sharing these ideas!

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks for watching.

[@paulturenne434]

Geeze Louise Ron ,this certainly is a brilliant idea ,I will certainly have to use that for myself...... Love your vids ,and slowly catching up on them all.Keep up the good work.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks for your comment and for watching.

[@elsdp-4560]

THANK YOU...for sharing.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you for watching.

[@wilzdart]

looks very cool....will try this load. hope you have a great holiday with your family

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Let me know how it works for you and thanks for watching.

[@Waterkloofmr]

Hi Ron, a different approach is to use aluminum foil, cut into small strips and then forced into the square hole of a socket and ratchet set. I know there are different sizes of ratchets and sockets available, the smallest I have is about 5mm x 5 mm (sorry I do not know the imperial size for that. Simply place a few of the crumpled foil strips into the square hole of a socket, where the ratchet would go, and then force the ratchet into the hole. repeat this process a couple of times till you have a neatly compacted square bale.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+Henry van Wyk Yes, others have suggested foil bales. They work great. This is just a different look. Both make good looking loads of slightly different types.

[@samisunshine4509]

This is genius!!!

[@beeble2003]

By the time you've added the pencil shavings, those bails are quite a lot bigger than 3x3x4ft. A 52ft gondola has a floor area of about 52x9.5ft and the sides walls are 4.5-5.5ft high, so if the bales were the size you'd planned, you'd be able to fit three across the width of the car (admittedly, a tight fit), and 13 along the length of the car (with zero space between them so, in reality, 12), and they'd only come two-thirds to about half the way up the car sides.

[@ralphgreenwood5857]

packs looking good!!

[@philfodera6294]

Great video!

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you, and thanks for watching.

[@jo-bahn8737]

Another inspiring method! Thanks and merry christmas!

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks you my friend and Merry Christmas to you.

[@fgeneturner]

Great video Ron! I'm tempted to go count and measure my gons and start building right away. Excellent motivation. Now I will go an check out your other videos on RTNT. I believe that you have inspired and motivated me. Thanks!

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+Gene Turner That is awesome. If you are making gondola loads, I made a video about making scrap steel loads a couple weeks ago. Here is a link. I am planning more videos about various go dola loads in Jan & Feb too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIKpmpyLj9GLf5Y

[@charlesmayer7097]

Awesome idea!!

[@charlesmayer7097]

What size thickness of styrene did you use for the base?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I believe I uses 0.020," but basically any will work

[@charlesmayer7097]

@@RonsTrainsNThings thank you!!

[@kennybroomfield8402]

Very nice. Need to try this in HO scale. Merry Christmas to you and yours. See you next year and looking forward to the new and improved RTNT.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks, Kenny. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

[@dwightatnorthernstar1820]

Really great

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks Dwight.

[@N-Scale]

Great how to Ron and Merry Christmas to you both as well.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks, Mike. Merry Christmas!

[@wolfgang548]

Hi Ron. I made loads similar for HO Scale in 2 sizes: 24" and 36" cubes. I used 1/4" dowel for 24" and 3/8" for the 36" then wrapped each piece in wrinkled aluminum foil. The 2 links below are what I made them look like and I'm satisfied with the results. rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3918242 freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=csxt707513&o=csxt

[@Perfusionist01]

Nice work. I never would have thought about pencil shavings! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks and Marry Christmas to you as well.

[@BaronvonBavert]

great work !!! Ron ...merry christmas to you from Solingen/Germany

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you.

[@ernieparsons1071]

Thanks for the great ideas Ron! Merry Christmas and the best in the new year to you and yours, : )

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+Ernie Parsons Thanks and Merry Christmas.

[@duncancabassi3262]

Great work Ron. The loads look great. I agree with Eldon's comments below. Merry Xmas to you and your family. Duncan

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you so much and Merry Christmas to you.

[@csxbaltimoresubdivision7746]

great video, the load looks great, and so realistic to, thanks for sharing and Have A HAPPY HOLIDAY AND NEW YEAR'S....

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thanks for watching.

[@dacuzzz]

great how to Ron... thanks for sharing & have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year... vinny

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+bnsf6951 Merry Chrustmas to you, Vinny.

[@pieseasmyseas]

Looks good if you want I'll show you how I make my scrap bails

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Absolutely. I am always looking for new/different/alternative ways of doing stuff. 👍

[@pieseasmyseas]

Let's just say it's the real deal I have it up for you check tomorrow I'll make you a quick little video tonight it don't actually take long I'll probably get it up about 2 in the morning but you can watch it whenever it'll be up tonight

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I will watch for that.

[@pieseasmyseas]

I'm abt to start on it now check around 9pm CSX time lol

[@pieseasmyseas]

It loading up now be ready in abt 15 mins

[@MMRails]

'Hairy ball on a toothpick'. Reminds me of a Christmas party I went to and ate a meatball that fell on the floor. What's the rule? 25 seconds? Great video. -Mark

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+M&M Rails I think that's 5 seconds...the trash. Lol.

[@trains4350]

Nice video. Can you make a video on how to make Petroleum coke loads? Thanks!

[@davidmuse7004]

Ron, great video! The loads really do add a look of realism to the gondola. Have you done any weathering on the loads? Thanks for sharing this video and have a great and safe Holiday Season! D. Muse WTCMRR

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

David Muse I did not wearher these loads as the paint left them with a dull silver/gray color which is how they tend to look. One could soe spots of color to represent paint still on the aluminum. Some of the bales I've seen can be quite colorful.

[@alexweis9706]

Hay ron you did a great job on that i will try that have a merry christmas and happy new years to your family 2018

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.

[@azmike1]

Neat! But a little too "tidy." This load would look better on a flat car. In my opinion. Good job though! I like the pencil shavings idea! Don't you love this hobby? Thanks again!

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I have never seen bales like this on a flat car, but that is not to say that they are not transported that way. I simply don't know. These bales come in many sizes. Sometimes small bales are just dropped randomly into a gondola, but in N scale it is hard to make bales that small, at least with this method. Others have made similar bales with aluminum foil which works pretty well and you could make smaller bales that way. With larger bales like this I have seen many pictures of them loaded basically just like this. There is a prototype for everything as they say. Thanks for your comment.

[@bayda53]

Hello Ron, Where did you get the quickie pin vice ? ( micro mark ) ? Have you ever gave us a full view of your layout ? The double shelf layout out looks nice but it is hare to see every thing let me know if you have any full view of your lay out on prior shows if not it would be nice to see your artistry. Thank You, Steven

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I bought this hand drill at a hobby shop many years ago, but micro mark carries a similar one called a micro hand drill. I did do a layout tour video several months ago and an update more recently. Here are links to both. kzbin.info/www/bejne/npOYaHx-lNWaZqs kzbin.info/www/bejne/omiXhKqYac-ci9U

[@paulknappcollections]

I need to make wire coils in N scale for a steel mill diorama. Any suggestions? Thanks

[@eldonlowman253]

Ron: Great video on aluminum!! WHAT IS THE SOURCE of those piles of tires In the scrap dealers yard?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I wish I could tell you. I bought a box of scrap piles on ebay about 9 or 10 years ago that included them, but I have no idea where they came from originally. They are cast resin, and I have piles of crushed cars that match them, bur I don't know the mfgr. Sorry. Eric at IMRRO recently received the same piles of cars and he didn't know who made them either.

[@scottbrandt3814]

another great idea i might be able to do with my limited talent

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+Scott Brandt I'm sure you can. Thanks for watching.

[@CONTAINERMAN68]

The gondola (/ˈɡɒndələ/; Italian: [ˈɡondola]) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is similar to a canoe, except it is narrower. It is propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a sculling manner and acts as the rudder.[1] For other uses, see Gondola (disambiguation). This article is about US railroad practice. For information on European open wagons, see Open wagon. A railroad gondola seen at Rochelle, Illinois In US railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-topped rail vehicle used for transporting loose bulk materials. Because of their low side walls gondolas are also suitable for the carriage of such high-density cargos as steel plates or coils, or of bulky items such as prefabricated sections of rail track. Maybe it's just me, but the way you pronounced gondola, made me think of the boat they use in Italy and not of the train car? Gon-da-la=boat Gon-do-la=train car? If that makes any sense? Very good how to video! Thanks Ron! Roy

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+CONTAINERMAN68 Well, it is the same word, we just choose to pronounce it differently. The railcars are named for the boats due to their long, shallow shape. This is why I made the silly intro that I did for the scrap steel loaf video.

[@CONTAINERMAN68]

Ron's Trains N Things I thought so! I didn't know if there were two pronounciations of the same word? We Americans like to make our own words with different spellings! Good videos, thanks. Roy

[@thelowmein9143]

Hey Ron wouldn’t it be faster to paint the styrene base before you glued the loads on it?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

+The Lowmein Faster, yes, but you can't glue to the paint. The paint will just peel off.

[@alderusdmc]

Wonder how a gold bullion load could be modeled.

[@Maurice00PA]

Just working my way through your videos. I saw the scrap steel loads video first and am wondering why didn't you add a nut like you did the steel load for removal with a magnet? I assume you will be removing this load too. When you do remove the aluminum load has there been any problems with the pencil shavings coming off? Thanks for the tips.

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I couldn't hide the nut in the aluminum load like I did the scrap steel. I've been using tweezers to remive it, but will probably add some washers to the bottom when I get some small enough, which is why I didn't when I built it--all I had were too big.

[@beeble2003]

@@RonsTrainsNThings Probably a better way would be to hollow out one of the bales and put a neodymium magnet in it.

[@thelowmein9143]

Ron if you can afford it, and if you think it’d be needed, places like northern tool and equipment sell miniature table saws, they would make quick work of jobs like cutting that bass wood. Just don’t cut your finger off!

[@Prin7er]

Roughly how much weight does it add to the overall weight of the car?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

I did not weight this load, but I will and add a comment to answer that question. These gondolas have hidden steel weights and are plenty heavy, but if weight is a problem you could always use a piece of metal for the base instead of the styrene.

[@Prin7er]

Thanx Ron. keep up the great job you do.

[@kenrosser8160]

Most large scap dealers load those bales in to box cars

[@LodewijkVrije]

wouldn't it be easier to just make a small wooden cube with the Inner dimensions of one of those bales. and leaving one side of the cube open. then take a bunch of different colors Aluminium foil. cutting it into small pieces. and then dropping them in the open cube. and compressing them with a hammer and a piece of wood. to make actual compressed shredded aluminium bales

[@IMRROcom]

New look as in a JoeG mustache?

[@RonsTrainsNThings]

Not exactly. New look for the videos, not for me personally. I guess I could shave clean, but nobody really wants that, trust me.