That’s the post.
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Yes.
I have TWO Weaver OEM f.s.
2 bay & 3bay.
I have never seen any. But that does not mean it did not happen, just one data point. At one time I had a large fleet of 2 bay and 3 bay weaver hoppers, at least 20 of each. I never saw a load for them made weaver. Korber models did some cast urethane loads for the original 2 bay cars. There was a guy that used to come to the Cleveland O scale show regularly about 10-15 years ago who sold loads for weaver hoppers and the Intermountain/Atlas USRA 55 ton hoppers.
I had both the Korber and the Weaver loads.
I used to get them from St. Charles Models but it looks like they are no longer in business. 
I must have almost 20 Weaver 2-bay open coal hoppers. When I was buying them in the '90s, I don't believe that Weaver was making loads, but a couple of aftermarket companies did. I have some loads that are on balsa wood, and others that used soft foam as the base. I forget the name of the manufacturers. If you check some popular auction sites, I'm sure they'll pop up from time to time.
I purchased a 6 car set of 3 bays direct from Weaver. I purchased the coal loads for them through them as well at the same time. I don’t believe they made them in house. They were a soft foam. I want to say Blue Ridge or Blue Mountain Hobbies made them. But you could purchase direct from Weaver.
I have both 2 bay and 3 bay Weaver coal loads. I think I got them off of ebay many years ago. They are cast in some kind of heavy plastic. The coal load is heavier than the plastic car with diecast trucks. Really makes the car top heavy.
Here's a 2 bay load in its never opened package.
Ken
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@Mark V. Spadaro posted:That’s the post.
Weaver didn't make coal loads or any other loads. The foam loads were made by Blue Mountain until the owner passed. That was sometime around 2011. A group I belonged to was in the process of having a custom run 2 bay composite Reading hopper made. There was no source for loads at this time, so I experimented with some materials and settled on a luan base, and Black Beauty blast media, and made the loads for our custom run cars. During this time, Joe had found a supplier from somewhere in the mid west. My guess was St Charles Model Works, but I was never sure. Joe was kind enough to include the loads in the cars during packaging for us.
The post above yours shows Weaver-branded coal loads.
@C&O Allan posted:I used to get them from St. Charles Models but it looks like they are no longer in business.
St. Charles, miss them.
@PRRMP54 posted:The post above yours shows Weaver-branded coal loads.
I spoke to Joe once about making, and including, coal loads for his hoppers. He was gracious in telling me he’d consider it, but that it was unlikely. I posted this question because I’ve had a long hiatus from toy trains. As far as Kanawha’s pictures, I believe they were sold by Weaver, but not made by Weaver.
@Dave_C posted:I purchased a 6 car set of 3 bays direct from Weaver. I purchased the coal loads for them through them as well at the same time. I don’t believe they made them in house. They were a soft foam. I want to say Blue Ridge or Blue Mountain Hobbies made them. But you could purchase direct from Weaver.
Wow, you stirred a memory. Back in the early 2000s I bought a 12 pack of Weaver 2-bay PRR "Coal Goes To War" hoppers from them. The man's name was Neville Bordlemay? And he made coal loads for them. I think they were located up PA 934 north of Anneville?
George
@kanawha posted:I have both 2 bay and 3 bay Weaver coal loads. I think I got them off of ebay many years ago. They are cast in some kind of heavy plastic. The coal load is heavier than the plastic car with diecast trucks. Really makes the car top heavy.
Here's a 2 bay load in its never opened package.
Ken
Ken - I remember purchasing several of these Weaver brand coal loads directly from Weaver. I'm still using them in many of my fleet of 26 hoppers. Thanks for posting the photos of your unopened packages.
I ordered a 6 car B&A hopper set from a 2012 catalog. Ordered loads to go with them. Coal load is a soft foam base.
The odd thing was they were also shown in an earlier 2010 catalog as available. But 2 of them have different part numbers.
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Check out DC Rail and Hobby Depot of Unionville, VA. Dave does custom loads including for Weaver and generally has them in stock. He may have picked the Blue Mountain inventory back in the day but I can't recall. He got his start in loads from a similar situation.
Don’t remember this ad, but, it’s probably my inspiration for this car, part of my Conrail work/wreck train!
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I have a few old Weaver catalogs I dug through.
The Fall 2010 shows the cast loads. The 2 bay load P727 is the one I have new in the original package.
The Spring 2012 catalog shows only the 2 bay P727 being available:
The Spring 2013 shows all three types being available but the product numbers have changed.
I imagine sometime between those last two catalogs I posted Weaver depleted their cast coal load stock and moved to a new supplier. The newer ones may have been the foam loads.
Ken
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@RidgeRunner posted:Check out DC Rail and Hobby Depot of Unionville, VA. Dave does custom loads including for Weaver and generally has them in stock. He may have picked the Blue Mountain inventory back in the day but I can't recall. He got his start in loads from a similar situation.
I have a number of their coal loads. In my opinion these are the best loads out there. They have a wood base and the top has been individually shaped so each one is a little different. Not anywhere near as heavy as the old Weaver cast loads and not subject to accidental bending as the foam loads are.
DC Rail and Hobby used to attend a number of shows in the VA and MD area but then they dropped out of sight. I figured they had gone out of business. Great to see they're back.
Ken
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I know Bob Thatcher at one point made coal loads. I had some MTH hoppers where the coal loads didn't come with the cars. Sorry for being a bit off topic.
John
@jbmccormick posted:I know Bob Thatcher at one point made coal loads. I had some MTH hoppers where the coal loads didn't come with the cars. Sorry for being a bit off topic.
John
Was that Bob's Coal Loads?
