This is our Choo-choo train pinecar. The original block that came with the kit was cut in two, and put back together with a piece of dowel. This is, of course, a risky procedure, because if it's reassembled out-of-square, you'll never get it to go straight. Of course, we're not there to win the race, but we do want to make it to the bottom of the track.
The "coal" is some weird crystalline cat litter we had, glued to a piece of paper, and spray-painted black. It was just the right scale, but I guess rock salt or something would have worked.
The second set of wheels came from another kit, which is why they don't quite match. Only the ones with the silver hubs actually touch the ground. The "tank" is a piece of closet pole dowel. We turned the smokestack, gold "bell" thingie and the small front wheels on the lathe. The headlight is the remains of a big "snap".
It turned out to be too heavy (our max is 6 ounces), so the coal car is drilled almost to oblivion from the underside.