Ballast Glue?

[Oakhurst Railroad Engineer]

[URL=http://s112.photobucket.com/user/mkbradley_photos/media/IMG_0726_zps187c8el2.jpg.html]

 

I have a section of my new garden railway where I have small drainage rock used as ballast sitting directly on top of a concrete slab. What do you folks use as "ballast glue" to better hold it on place?  On my HO layout I would use dilluted white glue, but I don't think that will work.

Thanks,

Marty

[ttrigg]

Several years ago (8~10?) we had a lengthy discussion on this point. The 'craft glues' that work so well indoors wil fail quickly outdoors. "Liquid Nails" and other construction adheasives are not designed to hadle UV rays from the sunlight and will break down in a few years. Waterproof glues like 'Tight Bond III' will hold fast for several years. All of these 'glues' have one problem, when a crack appears, and it will happen, there is not much that can be done to hide the crack. My recommendation is to go to your local 'Rock Store', the folks that sell patio flag stones, they have every thing from crusher fines to bolders that are weigh by the ton each. They will have a bonding polymer for the small stones and crusher fines. I have been using these polymers for over 15 years without major problems. It is a fine powder that is mixed into the stone and stone dust. Lay the stones in place then a light sprinkle of water and done. The polymer stays in place during rains and lawn watering. When a crack appears, just sprinkle a bit of water and tamp it back down, crack is gone. When you decide to change the arraingement of the track, simply shake the ballat off the track into a bucket and crush it up by hand. Relay the track work in the new configuration, tamp it down a bit by hand and sprinle some water. Several of my neighbors have used this stuff to replace their cracked concrete driveways and sidewalks around the house. When cracks appear (from earthquakes, tree roots, or just plain ground settelment) they just pound it with a hand held tamper, smooth it out and add some water, and it is like new. 'KRC Rock' is a good source.

[Rex in Pinetop]

I tried Titebond III.  It worked great for a couple years as Tom mentioned.  After that I'm constantly finding "clumps" breaking off and exposing the non glue reaching balast below.

I'm now putting up cribbing in the spots where we're getting the most run-off.

Rex

[ttrigg]

A warning and a thought.

Warning: The polymer powder is very fine and will float away in the air. If you breath it, it will 'glue up' sections of your lungs. Always wear a face mask with replaceable filters, not the cheap 'surgical' type.

Thought: Use a good brand of exterior house paint of a dirty earth tone color. Set your track aside and pick up your balast. Lay down a coat of the paint wider than the balast area. Let it set up for a couple hours. As we all know the concrete will suck the moisture from the paint. Lay down a second layer of the paint and let it set overnight. Using a chalk line snap a boundry line for the balast area. Lay down a thick layer of paint about three feet long and immediately pour on the balast and tamp it into the paint. Skip 2~3 inches and lay down another section and repeat until you have covered the entire distance. These gaps will allow for complete water drainage. Then balast up to the desired height and relay your track. Then as part of your yearly maintenance reshape/replace the balast as needed. This will allow you to avoid the cracked balast syndrome.

[smcgill]

Here are some ideas fom LSC 

http://largescalecentral.com/forums/13/track-and-trestles/search/?submit.x=0&submit.y=0&title=ballast&search_in_subforums=0

 

[chocho willy]

I have found a product at hardware stores is Lowes home depot,etc called concrete bonding adhesiv. It looks like, smells like, and works like Elmer's glue. It is for bonding old concrete and new concrete together. Use it just like Elmer's in ho but use a garden hose in Lew of a squirt bottle, Bill