Black Diamond Express

[tompm]

It is time for what the anthracite roads do best: Haul the black diamonds!

P2K Lehigh & New England FA1

P2K Lehigh & New England FB1

Atlas/ARHS Lehigh & New England 2 bay offset hopper

Atlas/ARHS Lehigh & New England 2 bay offset hopper

 

[tompm]

Atlas/ARHS Jersey Central 2 bay offset hopper

Atlas B&O 2 bay offset hopper

Atlas/ARHS Jersey Central 2 bay offset hopper

Atlas/ARHS Reading 2 bay offset hopper

 

[tompm]

Atlas Lehigh & New England 2 bay offset hopper

K&D/Athearn Lehigh & New England 2 bay offset hopper

Bev-Bel/Athearn Unlettered 2-bay offset hopper custom dry transfers for New York Central

Athearn Southern C/S 2-bay hopper

 

[tompm]

Athearn Central RR of Pennsylvania custom painted and dry transfers 2-bay offset hopper

Athearn New Haven custom painted and dry transfers 4-bay offset hopper

Athearn Virginian rib-sided two bay hopper

Atlas Reading 2-bay offset hopper

 

[tompm]

Atlas Lehigh & New England 2-bay offset hopper

Atlas Lehigh & New England 2-bay offset hopper

Athearn Lehigh Valley 4-bay offset hopper

Athearn Lehigh & New England custom painted and dry transfers 2-bay offset hopper

 

[tompm]

Athearn Central RR of Pennsylvania custom painted and dry transfers 2-bay offset hopper

Atlas Jersey Central 2-bay offset hopper

Atlas Reading 2-bay offset hopper

Atlas Jersey Central 2-bay offset hopper

 

[tompm]

MDC/Roundhouse Lehigh & New England NE caboose custom painted and decaled

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TCkBchy4Do

 

[NickB]

*Applauds* Man Tom your stuff always looks very realistic. Awesome looking!!

 

[Rednarb]

VERY VERY VERY nice!!! I love those coal hoppers and your details are wonderful! Oh man I so want a Black Diamond Express of my very own now!

Just curious, and because I'm a n00b, was it common at the time to have so many different roads on one consist?

 

[OldGettysk]

Really nice work again Tom !!

 

[jbaakko]

Awesome train Tom!

 

[Steve B]

Bob on Tom, very nice

 

[tompm]

Thanks everyone!

Just curious, and because I'm a n00b, was it common at the time to have so many different roads on one consist?

Actually there weren’t too many coal only drags. Most of the time there were other cars in the train with the coal hoppers making up 80 tom90% of the train. Most photos I have seen of coal drags or trains made up of primarily coal hoppers one road dominates but there is usually other roads intermixed. In almost every photo I have seen of coal hoppers on the LNE there is usually a P&LE hopper.

In Pennsylvania there were several roads serving the coal regions. We had the Reading, Lehigh & New England, Jersey Central, PRR, Lehigh Valley, DL&W, NYO&W, and I am sure there are others. In many cases they would occupy different shores of rivers as the river cut through the mountains. Sometimes they shared the same sides. Many towns were served by three or more roads. Also ownership of the various roads was intermingled. At one time the Reading and B&O owned controlling interest in the CNJ and the B&O owned the Reading at the same time. At one point the LV was owned in part by the PRR.

So to answer your question, yes there could be more than one road in a coal drag.

 

[Rednarb]

Thanks for the explanation, Tom!

 

[grande man]

Two thumbs up! Your trains always look fantastic Tom.

 

[RexHea]

Ahh man! Tom, you have my tongue dragging the floor with envy. Outstanding photos of some great hoppers, dirt and all.