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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by mdemt Ok. I have tried to lay ballast for years. I want it to look like the photos in all of the mags, but I cannot seem to duplicate the look. I used Atlas Flex Track on Midwest Cork roadbed, and have the woodland scenics fine ballast. How do you get it to lay down evenly, then stay there in a natural look? I have no clue how to get it "between" the ties and not all up on the rails. I have to ask for advice here. What do you guys suggest? [/quote] It can be tough to get the Woodland Scenics stuff to stay where you put it, because it floats. If you mist the entire section you're ballasting with alcohol, it usually stays. But, frankly, I avoid the whole issue and go with a rock-based product like Highball. So: Pour ballast betwen the rails and along the sides of the roadbed.. Carefully--and I mean real carefully--get it looking exactly how you want it. Using a small paintbrush, brush all particles off the tops of the ties (this always makes model track look bad!) and away from the rails. Shape the slope just right. Spend a lot of time on this part and get it just right. Then mist alcohol from a spray onto the ballast. Spray overhead and let it fall gently onto the track. Get it good-n-wet. Then use the old eyedropper and slowly drip 50-50 white glue and water onto the ballast. Do it between the rails and continue to flow it onto the track until you see white showing up on the shoulders. Do this with care and you will not mess up your countours from the earlier step. Use a lot of glue--white must show up everywhere, or it won't be stuck down when the glue dries. (This is where the WS stuff often fails,m because when it gets wet and floats, everything gets messed up.) Good luck!
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