Etched brass coal

  

Today seems like a good time to remember a little something I put together many years ago - and has just re-surfaced as I was tidying up - etched brass coal. 

April fool stories are always popular in the press. Many of us remember Steam Railway repainting "City of Truro" into BR Black to wind up the GWR fans. I though it looked great, and I am still lobbying for Locomotion to release it in this livery. Ideally with both sides painted, unlike the spoof story version. 

Anyway, I fancied having a go at this and persuaded David Brown, then editor of BRM, to let me loose. 

Taking a lump of real coal, I painted it in suitable colours, complete with a very obvious solder line down the centre. This appeared in the mag to mild amusement. 

Next, some iron pyrite (Fool's Gold) was crushed up and put in a suitable bag. This found it's way on to the Green Scene stand at York for the day itself, complete with a price tag. 

On the back we added the instructions:

Assemble coal into a heap using 700 degree solder. Prime with a short spray of black car primer then paint with Humbrol Coal Black modelling paint. Finally dust with black weathering powder to finish. 

At noon, Mike Cook read out over the tanoy, a short list of layouts whose operators had tried to buy the product...