Hello all. I'm having a real problem finding crusher fines here in the N.W. suburbs of Chicago. I have found one supplier that does have a blue fines, and a product that they call red dirty granite (the supplier says it is 1/4 minus). Can I use this dirty Granite for working roadbed? Does anyone know of a supplier where I may be able to find grey fines or other options?
I'm a bit frustrated at my lack of progess. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Soulman
Dear Soulman,
I live in Aurora and had the same question. Then I heard about poultry grit being a good choice.
If you have a Farm & Fleet store anywhere nearby, you can get a bag of poultry grit. I picked up a bag there (they only had one size and one brand) and my gravel hasn't moved since I laid it down. The grit holds up against rain and water no problem. Plus, the bags make it easy to transport if you don't have a truck bed or wanna pay for delivery.
Jennifer
Jennifer:
Thanks! I sent you a pm...
If the "dirty" granite is anything like what we call 1/4 minus crushed granite, it works great down here in a dry climate. The nearest thing to a problem with it is that it can be a little too stiff.
I have used both chicken grit and crushed granite for ballast and prefer the crushed granite. The fines in the granite bond the ballast together and it doesn't migrate out of the roadbed as much as chicken grit does. Your choice of ballast comes down to two major priorities; What can you get and how well does it work in your situation. You just have to experiment with what you can get. The crushed granite is certainly a lot cheaper than chicken grit and you will be surprised on how much you are going to need if you properly trench and fill.
whiterab:
Thank you for your input. I am going to try to make it over to the yard that sells the rotten granite today. I found another supplier that sells decomposed granite, but I thought I read that this particular material should not be used as working roadbed.
The search continues..................
Happy Father's Day to all.
Yesterday, I did manage to visit a supplier that had various types of fines. The blue fines were great. Liked the color, got a better understanding of the composition, but at $151 a ton, I will use this for decorative ballast.
The rotten granite seemed too sandy. I bet it could be used for decorative ballast, but I have doubts for using it as working roadbed.
After talking to the owner, I think I am going to try crushed limestone (1/4 minus size). After explaining what I am trying to accomplish, he explained that I should have no problem using this type of material. Plus, it's only $15 a ton.
I'll let everyone know what happens........
If you think you have problems, try finding ballast in Florida!
For years I used 1/4 to 3/8 gray granite. Available here for $38.00 per 20 lb. bag. I used about 40 bags of it. Then I relocated the RR and the supplier had gone out of business.
Here is what I discovered.
Kitty litter. Pick a brand. Buy it at two different stores and what you get inside the bag is likely two different materials. One brand of kitty liter may contain Fullers Earth with green crystals one time, sawdust. vermiculite, or whatever with green crystals the next time . The only thing consistent is the green crystals in that brand. At different times of the year, the kitty litter from one brand, purchased at one store will change based on the availability/price of the product.
Chicken Grit. Down here, bags of chicken grit are most likely crushed oyster shell. Sometimes it"s crushed limestone. The Oyster shell version is SHARP and will leave lots of cuts if you brush against it. The limestone dissolve during a heavy rainy season and kill your plants.
Oil Dry. (The stuff sold in auto parts places to absorb spilled oil.) Down here it is usually Fullers Earth. Often it will say "Genuine Georgia Fullers Earth" right on the bag. It is identical to what is also sometimes sold as Kitty Litter, but 1/3 the price. If the Fullers earth comes from North Georgia, it will last for several years. If it comes from south Georgia, it will completely dissolve with the first rain and turn into a gray sticky mud that when hardened, must be scraped off the rails with a steel spatula. Rent a steam cleaner to get it out of your turnouts.
In general, down here ,county roads are surfaced with "shell" not gravel or crushed rock. You don't walk barefoot on a shelled road. If you go to a rock and gravel supplier, you will only find gravel. It is shipped in by rail for use in concrete. If you want crusher fines, you need to order a carload (railroad carload) and then unload the car and transport it yourself to your home.
You can do what I did:
I tried several different products before I found one that worked well for me.
Keep an eye open for a store that gets several pallets of product in at one time. If the color and texture looks close, buy one bag. Lay down a little track and ballast. Put a sprinkler on it over night. If it is OK in the morning, go back and buy the whole pallet. I settled on Oil Dry (Genuine Georgia Fullers Earth" purchased at an Auto Zone in North Alabama, about 400 miles from my house. The same brand purchased closer to home turned to mud. Oil Dry is three dollars per 50 lb bag. A real bargain down here.
B0B
there should be absolutely no problem finding it anywhere. County road crews use it for ALL subroadbed and sidewalks and to line pipe and sewer systems and developers use it for houses in large quantities.
If you cannot find it, contact the county highway department or contractors and they will gladly give you a source
Gents:
Thanks for the info; any and all suggestions are appreciated!
I began digging this past weekend. Go figure, its going to be 70 today back home and I'm stuck on the road working.
Mike: I like the new pics! I sent you a few pm's recently....did you receive them? I will check out the chicken grit... how far down would you trench?
Again, thanks everyone for your help.
Mike:
HMMM...I'll try the pm again.
The method you described using crushed limestone as the base, then using chicken grit ect. for decorative ballast is what I was leaning towards. I found a supplier that sells it for $35 a ton. I have begun digging about 2-3 X the width and 5'' deep....based upon what I've read, I THINK this should be deep enough. Am I on the right line of thinking?
As far as limestone goes, should I use screenings or something along 1/4 minus ect?
May I come in on this conversation for a bit of advise, I too am located in Florida, central that is--Kissimmee, and the only thing I was able to locate here in Orlando was a product called HARDSHELL Calcium Carbonate commonly known as Chicken scratch in these parts, I have tested it by letting some of it set in a bowl of water for days and it seems to hold up real well, I also put a liitle out on the layout and the rain doesn't seem to dissolve it. Only about 9.50 per 25lb bag, a real bargain...
Here's what I need some help with though, I've designed a raised line, have made a track support system using thick 6" metal industrial studding, along with a ladder type design out of 1/2" pvc board to adjust to different radi of curve, all supported with 1" pvc pipe. From 9" to a high of 22" off the ground and filled up to track level in the modeled area in my frontyard. No dirt splash or grass and growth encroachment this way, very little maintenance, no cutting back of plant growth all the time this way, just enjoy running the trains.
I want to glue the ballast around the ties of the track, to the flat solid support system, does anyone have experience with any type of a mixture that might work good enough to hold the ballast in place against rain wash out and the critters, but yet wouldn't discolor the ballast to much and could be removed without using a jack hammer if a switch or something needs to be repaired or a track moved, true and tried suggestions would really be appriciated.
Byron
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