Weeds in Ballast; How Can This BE?

[FJ and G]

Strange but true. I've got grass growing in my ballast. Not a lick of dirt. How can this be??????

The grass is even growing in my bucket of ballast which has absolutely no soil in it. Very perplexing.

I purchased Roundup to treat the ROW (maybe need to buy an operating weed car.

Here's the question:

Will Roundup damage my n/s rails and cedar ties?

Much thanks!

[vsmith]

Some weeds love rocky soil like ballast. I get them too, and thats with 2 inches of crushed gravel over plastic weed barrier!

Round Up works best, spray it wait a day, then cut the weeds. Roots will die out and not grow back. Wont hurt your ties at all.

[FJ and G]

Great! Thanks.

BTW, I don't really mind terminating the weeds. Gives me a sense of real to goodness operations. Something indoor folk who use those ladding cards cannot even approach.

[John Busby]

Hi FG&J
welcome to the world of real railways[:D]
grass will grow almost anywhere it can get a look in.
roundup will not hurt your track won't do the grass much good ha ha ha[^]
Be carefull not to get it on plants you want to keep its one of those types that work there way down to the roots through leaf contact but it will breakdown very quickly on contact with the soil so is one of the safer ones from the plant perspective provided you don't get it on the leaves.
You could make a couple of tenders that are all tank with spray booms on them that cover the road bed area and fill them with pre mixed round up tow them round the track turning on the tap where needed with reasonable safety to the wanted plants.
Exercise the usual personal safety precautions remember it is too good for you iether so follow the manufacturers safety notes on the pack.
regards John

[Capt Bob Johnson]

I see a market for somebody able to make a good working tank car that will do a creditable job of rounding up the roadbed weeds! I'd sure buy one. And if they made like a 2 storage car 1 spray car unit train so I could do over 700 feet in one filling, I'd buy that!

[tangerine-jack]

Dave, just as a reminder you live in VIRGINIA, the plant growing paradise. Anything will grow anywhere, why do you think I elevated my railroad? I got tired of cutting the plants on the right of way. Good news is that the roots can't take hold on the ballast and they are easy to pull up. It's just something you have to do from time to time. I use some total vegitation killer and it keeps the growth down to a minimum. That's about the best you're going to get.

[piercedan]

LGB tank cars have spigots and will hold a liquid.

Use your RR to do real work1!!!

[icepuck]

A forum designed product sounds interesting. A simple idea,use a tanker, some sort of R/C controled soleniod and gravity.

[tangerine-jack]

Ooohhhh, sounds like a challenge![:-,] Moohahahah! Moooohahahah (evil laughter) You're on buddy!

[Camaro1967]

I hate to burst your bubble, but I remember recently reading in another forum where someone used a tank car to dispense herbicide onto his roadbed. Unfortunately, advancing age prevents me from remembering exactly which forum it was. I can work on it though.
Paul

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Paul,
Try the forum of a distant club member; Jon (a moderator) from Williamsburg area; has a car with bears that whiz roundup off the back corners! Not quite actually a MOW car on most modern railroads, but great for his whimsical one!

Very small gallonage of his car would preclude it's use on my railroad! Bigger is better!

[Camaro1967]

Oops, just got around to reading this one Bob. You are right. I do remember the bear whiz car picture now. You would need a 50 gallon drum of roundup attached to that car on your layout just to make one round. That would work. I kind of leave them alone until they get big enough to really see, and then I pull them.
Paul

[dwbeckett]

aaah the weeds of summer, I have had weeds grow on elevated track without ballast. weed be gone works well, If you use care. we get rain most of the time in the winter ,no snow. Hopfuly when I build my railroad indoors I won't ever see them.