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Ballast for ourdoor railroad

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  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: North, San Diego Co., CA
  • 3,092 posts
Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 8:47 PM

sentinel

You might try what I do. My local "Rock Shop" (boulders, large rocks, gravel, and such) sells crusher fines in two forms. First is straight crusher fines. Second is crusher fines with a polymer additive. The additive is a bonding agent, it is a "re-bonding" agent. Don't know the correct name but here is how it works, it is designed for driveways and pathways, tamp it into place then wet it down, the additive "glues" it together. If it chips, just "crunch it up" tamp it back into the whole and wet it down to reactive the additive. As track ballast, I put it down and wet it. When I need to pull up a track section, I spend a few minutes crunching it up, and put it back down and re-wet it. Works great and I love it. It puts an absolute stop to ballast migration and is totally reusable, unlike many other gluing options.  Check with your local "rock shop" for details.

Tom Trigg

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: S.Easton , Mass.
  • 593 posts
Posted by smcgill on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 7:51 PM
Try Titebond III wood glue ( found in the big home stores) in a 50% mix with water. This forms a type of skin that will help keep the Ballast together. Just wet it and you can break it a part. Sean

Mischief

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 1 posts
Ballast for ourdoor railroad
Posted by sentinel on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:55 PM

I have an ourdoor railroad in Northern Indiana and have used cement blocks for the base over a perferated drain tile and crushed limestone in clay, it works great; through 4 winters and no movement. However, I use crushed lime stone for ballast but it doesn't hold. Does anyone have any suggestions for securing the ballast and still keep it looking realistic. Indoors you can use White Glue but outdoors is a different story. I was thinking clear epoxy but I could never change the track.

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