I used a mix of 50% Titebond III and water two years ago. This year getting the layout back in running order was a little more difficult. I needed to rebalast some areas where the ground had settled. The glue was still holding the old balast very well. I had to chip it off to level the track and that took awhile. Not sure if I'll reglue this year. Has anyone else had issues?
Rex
I read forums for years before I decided on my track and ballast. All of my friends who felt it necessary to "lock" the ballast into place have eventually regretted it for various issues, including the one you are experiencing.
I don't live in an area with a lot of rain and I made sure I had no drainage issues, so I can imagine someone wanting to fix the ballast. I think in more hostile surroundings I would increase drainage and perhaps use coarser ballast to resist washing out.
Regards, Greg
Visit my site: http://www.elmassian.com - lots of tips on locos, rolling stock and more.
Click here for Greg's web site
I did that, not so good and then something called stabeliser ,another flop
Now I'm trying rice stone for balast.
I did not glue down my ballist when i installed it 2 seasons ago and I'm glad i didn't. we have lots of rain in the winter and it would have wash away or worse case gumed up my track. I need to reballist some areas but I am still debatting with myself on rasing the whole thing. So far not is winning because of cost. If i only could win the lottery, maybe buying tickets would help.............
Dave
The head is gray, hands don't work , back is weak, legs give out, eyes are gone, money go's and my wife still love's Me.
I have been floating my track in ballast. We get plenty of rain here. We had 9inches in two days a couple of weeks ago. Certainly there is some maintenance but it is easy to do. Usually just sprinkling some new ballast along the right of way is enough, sometimes I need to re-grade a little.
Raising the track just requires that I add some ballast then lift the track to the right place and pack the ballast under. lowering is nearly as easy. if i need to tweak a spot I just use a dowel to force some ballast under a low spot and add a bit afterwards if necessary.
Winnegance and Quebec Railway
Eric Schade Gen'l Manager
I live in the Sierra Nevada north of Lake Tahoe. I also use the “Floating System” and use Decomposed Granite for ballast. If I pack the DG in place it seems to stay. If track needs leveling I apply more DG, if track is high I push down on track moving it side to side burying it deeper in ballast. It helps that DG in our native soil!
Have fun, Rob
I also "float." I usually use either bagged rock from Ace hardware or ciners from a local source.
Please tell me more about "Decomposed Granite"! I was not aware of it before. What is it's composition, advantages, disadvantages?
It is literally what the name says, granite decomposed into finer pieces. They pack together well and drain well, and they are not dirt so won't wash away.
Common here in southern california.
Greg
I also am a floater. In Delaware I just used quarter or 3/8 inch grey gravel. It was great. It fits down between the ties. It is not crusher fines. I would not use that either by the way. Now I am reconstructing my railroad in South Western Utah and will do the same thing. It is so easy to level the track so that the train really runs smooth everywhere. Greg published elsewhere the exact way I do it. Dump the gravel over the track, lift it up out of the gravel for leveling both ways, add more gravel, sweep it with a broom down to tie level, sprinkle it with water, and run trains.
All 1600 feet of our track is locked in by ballast and I don't regret it one bit! (4 years to date with no touch ups) I actually can't believe everyone likes floating the track because of the time it takes to get the layout repaired when it is time to run again.
However, I will say that in order to be happy with fixing the ballast, the roadbed has to be solid. It is time consuming, but our track is level and true and it has been for years. Also, this way ensures that the turnouts are on level ground. The track on our railroad was put down on top of cinder blocks and concrete. Pictures of our layout can be found on my website
http://www.haworthengineering.com/
~Excellency in the Details ~
Rex: Take a look at an old thread here:
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/159524.aspx
This Stabilizer is great stuff, it is designed for sidewalks and driveways of crusher fines. It is RE-USABLE! When reworking a length of track I simply dropped the track onto the patio and all the ballast broke off. Put all the chips and sweepings into a paint bucket, put a paint mixing blade in the drill and pulverized it, Put it back on the rails, wet it down and all is good.
Tom Trigg
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