I'm hoping someone can help me . . . I plan on modelling a part of the Lake Superior & Ishpeming RR in N scale, but want to use real taconite dust as part of my track ballast.
I've noticed in pix that the trackbeds of both the LSIRR and DMIR feature spilt taconite - which has a redish/purple colour in certain light . . . and is NOTHING like the rust-red iron ore found in the Pilbara region of NW Australia.
Is there are supplier of such fine taconite dust? Or what products would come closest to it?
Chrs!
Pete Heininger
Even if you could find a supplier of such material, I wouldn't recommend its use. Taconite's high concentration of iron would attract any loose particles to the magnets in your locomotives' motors, causing clogging, wear, and short circuits. In its place, I'd suggest you look at Chicago & North Western "pink lady" ballast, Santa Fe mauve ballast, or "iron ore" ballast made by Woodland Scenics, in a scale smaller than you model, and see which color best matches what you're looking for. Good luck.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Tile grout comes in all sorts of colours and is very fine. You could experiment with this. I am not sure what you are talking about, so maybe you could post a pic. and we could come up with some better ideas.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Seconding the second poster. From real world expierence with that stuff. We had a modeller in our club that decided to do exactly what you want to do. Shifting modules and poor cementing left a medium that did and would come loose. I have a steamer that needs a very very through cleaning because it not only worked it's way into the lubing around the axles, but into the gear chain and up into the open frame motor. I've only just found a cleaner for all of this damage.
Steven's warning should not be taken lightly! I have heard several horror stories over the years of individuals who have concocted their own ballast mixes and those who have not made tests to check conductivity or iron content wound up turning their layouts into big RESISTORS! Seems to me there was an MR article some years ago where the layout builder had this very problem. Every additional foot of track that was ballasted added that much more resistance.
I made a "magnetic pick-up car" and pass it over the entire line every few months. You would be suprised at how many track spikes, springs and fine pieces of metallic junk it will occasionaly pick up. Widh I had one for non-ferrous items, too (Kadee springs, etc.)
Smith & Son's ballast was sold through Scenic Express, I don't know if they still have it, but they offered a very convincing iron ore (red/brown) or taconite (grey/brown)
Good Luck, Ed
In addition to the warnings from other people about magnetism, it would not be advisable to use anything that can conduct electricity because that can cause short circuits between the rails if you apply too much.
By the way, taconite is not a natural ore, it is man made. Concentrated ore is mixed with clay (one source is from around Rapid City SD), rolled into balls and baked to form pellets. They are very hard. They are about 1 inch in diameter, which would be about .01 inch in diameter in HO or about 1.5-2 in diameter N scale ballast.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
What is Taconite used for?
Joe Staten Island West
joe323What is Taconite used for?
It is used in steel production. Here is a nice explanation: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/education/geology/digging/taconite.html
Joe
Taconite's color also changes a lot over its brief life. Every piece I ever saw in person was in Pittsburgh, where it had turned red-brown. When it's fresh, its much grayer: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=334783&nseq=16
You may have the best choices of the ballast coloring you want at AZ Rock and Mineral http://store.rrscenery.com/?page_id=25 If the CNW pink granite is too "pink" blend it w/ some red cinder. By mixing various "real" rock ballast, you can concievably come up w/ about any variation needed. Scroll through the ballast offered and see if it helps, I would call them if you have any questions. Good company w/ great prouducts.
Santa fe Mojave and Sothwest Chief Desert Plum also have a purple cast.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
I live on the Iron Range in Minnesota. Do not use either raw taconite or ground up pellets for anything on a model railroad. Taconite contains magnetite and pellets have residual amount. This is highly magnetic and gets everywhere. I can't even use local sand or gravel because it has traces of magnetite in it.
Raw taconie is a slate gray rock that tends to darken as it ages. Similar rock with very little magnetite is used locally for ballast.
Taconite pellets are very dark gray with a trace of reddish blue in it. These tend to dribble out of the older cars and every ore railroad here has at least some between the ties.
There are non magnetic substitutes available that look good.
Let me add another NAY vote. Never, ever put anything conductive and/or magnetic on a model railroad right-of-way as scenery. It's an engraved invitation for Murphy to come over and play.
I have taken to testing any 'natural' material that I might want to use by sifting it past a Kadee under-track magnet in a plastic bag. All sorts of things end up stuck to the bag - everything from odd lumps of naturally magnetic rock to staple clippings (and I would dearly love to find out how staple clippings found their way out into the desert miles from any building...)
Non-metallic, non-magnetic paint comes in a variety of colors - and meets the three foot rule. The tracks where heavy braking occurs are 'rusty' from brake shoe wear - ground up fine iron in the prototype, pigment applied with an airbrush in my modeling.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I also like to be pro-active in the looking for nasty magnetic stuff. I run this magnet over the tracks every once a in a while and I am amazed at the things it finds and wonder how it ever got on the layout.
A long time ago I used taconite pellets on my layout. I got them off the tracks back in the days of the Reading hauling iron ore from the Grace Mine in Morgantown Pennsylvania to the steel mills in Bethlehem. Even after some cleaning, they were dirty dusty and would at times build in dust to causing shorts on the track. I got rid of all of them when I moved to the west. I now use...to represent iron ore, a type of sand that is somehow used in floral arranging and is sold in the craft store...Michael's. You get 2 lbs for I believe...$3. It looks believable and is clean to use on a model railroad. They also have a black sand that's obsidian like and passes quite well for anthracite coal.
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
I'd find something the right size, secure it and then paint it to suit.
Even powdered chalks could help to finish it off because of the nice earthy/dusty finish they give. Rubbed on with a finger they stay put very well.
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
mikelhh I'd find something the right size, secure it and then paint it to suit. Even powdered chalks could help to finish it off because of the nice earthy/dusty finish they give. Rubbed on with a finger they stay put very well.
Good ballast weathering idea, Joe fugate used/uses powdered tempra paint to weather and wets to a degree to color the ballast. Dry brushing and weathering powders work great for stained tie/ ballast and rust from rail/ tie plates.
Very late to the party here, but I would like to jump in and piggy back onto this thread. The problem with getting ballast is that it doesn't look like taconite. Taconite is round, ballast is not. Has anyone found any suitable replicas of scale taconite?
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
I have several bags from different manufacturers. I think some of it was from Highball.
Take a look here at iron ore, then scroll to the bottom and look at the cinder selection. I think the coloring of the cinder blends are very close to taconite dust.
http://www.sceneryexpress.com/Loads_Ores/products/1291/2/0
When I check my stock I'll let you know what I have. Some of it is very old, might be from Smith & Son's.
Some modelers like Arizona Rock & Mineral. They might have something close but it is hard to tell from the photos:
http://store.rrscenery.com/
In my experience I have not had much success with any of the Woodland Scenics stone/ballast products.