Chain for freight car loads

I have found chain at Michaels, it worked very well for my military loads.

Micro-Mark has assorted chains

http://www.micromark.com/Searc...p;searchPhrase=chain

I go to the jewelry section of AC Moore, and find all sorts of chains and other things (generally called "findings") to make tie down hardware from.

 The best part is they are remarkably inexpensive

A number of us have encouraged folks to take a walk through EVERY aisle of a craft store, like AC Moore. I can't count the times that the "lightbulb" went off in my head when I saw something that could be used for layout scenics ( and EVERY aisle means EVERY!).

There is also Clover House in the Scenery Source List over in the Scenery Forum.

Around here (MI) ditto for Michael's, JoAnn's Etc., even Hobby Lobby.  This sort of stuff is tucked away in the jewelry-making area, but, as you said, the other aisles have nuggets of usefulness too.

Good suggestion for spending a leisurely hour at a store even the spouse would love to wander!

BTW, searching among the wooden model ship details is also an excellent idea.  I do the ordering for these at our store (LHS) in addition to the trains.  I had a lengthy discussion with Mr. Garcia of Model Expo (sole owner/distributor of Model Shipways products) regarding the dwindling number/selection of ship detail parts over the past few years.  His comment was that much, if not most, of the wooden ship modelling business is in Europe...Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, et al.  The details have often been made by small 'cottage' industries/craftsmen who have been literally dying off or 'hanging it up', so to speak, due to their own economic problems.  (Sound familiar?)

Now, items like chain, rigging, blocks, deadeyes,...most commonly need items for sailing ship models...will still be around, but maybe not consistently, depending on his source(s).  But brass turnings, cast metal items, carved wood details, etc., may be gone for a very long time...except as made only for complete ship model kits.

So it goes.  Every hobby has its problems at the sourcing end these days.  It's where we are in this world.  You just don't turn on specialty, highly skilled craftsmen-oriented new businesses with the snap of the fingers anymore.  And cultivating them into the far corners of the world is a VERY expensive effort...not typically funded by governments or venture capitalists, but out of some individual's own pocket.  e.g., priced overseas airfare lately?  Even in the 'cattle' section of the plane? How many widgets does one have to sell at the net wholesale level to pay for that cultivation...and then some in order to make a (gasp!) profit to live on???

Time to develop/hone our own personal hobby skills.

AC Moore and Michaels are excellent choices, But a friend

of mine goes to any of the dollar stores and gets the cheap

"chain" necklesses. he buys any and all of them and they make great

load tie downs on his flat cars.

Thanks to all for the info.

We have Hobby Lobby and Michaels down here so I will bive them a look.

DKdkrd,

Thanks for the info about Model Shipways. I spent two nights wandering around their site looking for the chain that I had purchased a  few years back. Now I know why.

Thanks again to all,

Richard