Freight yard ballast and dirt

[bsteel4065]

Hi

My layout is double decker PRR and NYC steam to diesel transition in mid 50's in Ohio in HO. I have ballasted the top level all but my freight yard. Freight yards are heavily worked places and every photo I have seen of a freight yard has no sign of much ballast in place. It's there but buried under dirt and grime and spillage that have covered it over the years.

OK.... here's the question. What do you guys use to scenic a well used freight yard? I have read much about stray wheat and plants growing from seeds that have fallen from freight cars but I really want that 'well used' and dirt covered look.

Grateful for your thoughts, expertise and know how.

Thanks

Barry 

[mlehman]

Barry,

One of the key things about yards is that crews will be on the ground a lot. Instead of a nice profile that drains obviously away from the track, you'll find a much more level surface that's easier to walk on. So much of the look you're after involves simply adding extra ballast to make it pretty much level between tracks. In real life, there's almost always still some drainage , but it'll be shallow and hard to see. In HO, that will be all but invisible.

Another factor in making walking the ground more feasible is that the ballast will be finer. In HO, use N scale ballast, for instance. There are variations in how ballast sizing is labeled, so go by eye as much as what the description by scale says.

When bonding the ballast down with matte medium as I do, the last step is to spinkle fine textured ground foam, etc, between the rails and the tracks. I gently pat it into the still-wet ballast, which generally gets it to stick without additional matte medium that might wash it out of position.

This is one of my standard gauge yards.

This is my narrowgauge yard in Silverton.

 

[Grampys Trains]

I used a mix of WS cinders, fine ballast, and med. foam as a base in my yard. Then I used thinned earth latex paint and, while that was still wet, I used dry, black Tempora paint, applied with a brush.

Some sand and a few dead grass.

 

[wp8thsub]

Appearance of yard tracks will vary by location and era.  Many a steam era yard was black and gray from the use of cinders, while the same facility may start to take on the color of the surrounding dirt in more recent times.

I ballasted this yard with some different colors of fine sand.  Once the ballast was glued, I went back with acrylic paints and chalk dust for more weathering, such as spills and compacted mud.

A higher angle view shows another yard.  Note that I filled the areas between tracks for a more or less level surface, which helps give the impression of track that isn't just sitting above the ground.

Heavily used areas of a yard typically lack much in the way of weeds or other growth.  A combination of toxic stuff in the soil, and foot traffic from crewmen, tend to keep such things under control.  

[richhotrain]

Rob, I have asked you before to stop posting those photos of your ballasted track for me to see. It is a violation of my 8th amendment rights. 

Rich

[rrebell]

I find it best to ballast as ussual, then come back with your dirt, you can add up slowly till you get the look you like.

[kasskaboose]

Making yards look less 'clean' is quite easy.  I use dark gray ballast and paint the track black for grime or a burnt umber/siennacombo to mimic rust spots.  I also space many ties unevenly and even put in some grass or ground cover esp on the ends. 

There's also nothing worng with adding some junk, including stray wheel sets.

[MisterBeasley]

I think the most important thing that I did was to level the ground all across the yard, instead of having the tracks elevated on roadbed.

I use a skim coat of Gypsolite to get a grainy surface, and then paint the area with a camouflage pattern with a green wash.  I add a few different colors of turf and touch it up with some ground foam and field grass.  I cut a notch to add a small ditch with Envirotex.

[BRAKIE]

The majority of the model yards I 've seen is way to clean,has spotless white or grey ballast and loaded with tripping hazards.Pity the switchmen that swings off a moving car after dark with all that debris laying near the track.

Many railroads used cinders for ballast in most yards and the dirt will be black from smoke,grease and filthy ballast.Ties may be partially buried. Track will not be in the best repair due to the slow switching speeds.

 

[doctorwayne]

I'm currently ballasting track on the recently-added partial second level of my layout.  While the main lines are using sifted limestone screenings, I wanted that dirt-and-cinder-filled-ballast look for the engine terminal and experimented with a few short lengths of track and various materials.
Here's a photo showing the results:

At left is some finely sifted real dirt, mixed with black tile grout.Next to that is some of the dirt on its own.
To the right of that is some limestone ballast mixed with dirt.
At right is more limestone ballast mixed with black tile grout.


None of the examples have had the rails or ties painted and most should, for my tastes anyway, be filled a little more so that the ties are less visible. 
I also have some reddish-brown grout which, in small quantities alongside the rails may improve the look.  More tests are needed, I think.

Wayne

 

[dknelson]

When the BN (now, BNSF) yard in Galesburg IL was brand new, the ballast was almost white rock, very cleanly applied.  There was no vegetation whatever and the entire yard looked sort of like a moonscape.  Even today decades later it still looks fairly neat but there is some vegetation, some ruts from vehicles and changed track locations, and some deep puddles.  For the most part that yard is not walked - crews get about in golf cart like vehicles.

The C&NW yard in Butler WI was ballasted with what looked like chips of their
"pink lady" mainline ballast.  Presumably the chips were the wastes from regular ballasting.  The chips were very evenly applied and came right to the tops of the ties and to the ends of the ties, so the entire walking surface would have been smooth.  That is an important safety concern in a yard that is worked all hours of the day and night.

I have used sifted fireplace ash to model the sort of cinder ballast used in some yards.  I have taken photos in modern times showing track where the cinder ballast is still in place after all these days, which is remarkable, but is now breaking down and starting to allow the growth of vegetation.

Dave Nelson

 

 

[bsteel4065]

Hi

Thanks for all the info everybody and especially the samples Wayne. I shall be airbrushing all my track over the next week and I'll be mixing in rust and black. I'll then start on the 'lost ties', 'level infill between tracks', 'grimy', 'well trodden, much used' effect. Not sure how long this will take, but will post effect when done.

Thanks guys as always.

Barry

[tomikawaTT]

The original infill between tracks is usually a finer grade of gravel - ballast rock makes a rotten walking surface.  Drainage in heavy precip areas could well be French drains - perforated pipe under the gravel, given away by occasional manhole covers into the junction boxes where branches reach the main drain.

Then crud comes in, everything from leaking cargo to tumbleweeds.  The end result is a surface that resembles tarmac (thin asphalt over gravel) but really isn't.

My prototype uses drains utterly unlike anything I've seen in the US - concrete box drain channels with removable slab covers.  Sort of like a narrow concrete walkway between tracks.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[bsteel4065]

Thanks Chuck

I would have thought that drainage in a freight yard would have a real requirement. Maybe drainaways with an iron grid cover. Does anyone have any knowledge of drains in freight yards? (Sorry guys, I can't go check a local US freight yard without travelling at least 6,000 miles from the UK!) 

Thanks

Barry

[mobilman44]

Hi,

I've seen and walked a lot of freight yards, and for the most part, they have one thing in common.   They are covered with dirt and rock, debris of all kinds, and the lesser used ones have weeds all over the place. 

Especially if your yard is pre say 1970s, I would use a mix of all the black and brown scenic material you can find, with weeds and "stuff" spread around.

[peahrens]

Thanks to those who posted and contributed to the thread, including pics.  I have two yard ballasting areas to do, one freight, one loco servicing, and I'll be referring to these suggestions.

[Motley]

The technique I used was....

Using real dirt I found outside (for free). Mixed in N scale fine ballast, about 90% dark dirt 10% dark grey ballast.

I spread it all over the tracks only leaving the railheads visible. Then I compacted it with the palm of my hands. Then I spray'd it down with a fine mist of the usual white glue/water mix.

After it dried I used black wash for oil stains.

[kasskaboose]

Your question caused me to re-check my yard again to indicate usage.  Besides different color ballsat, I also put more time into adding rust to the yard and didn't bother including cork roadbed.  The difference in elevation between the yard and mainline (with cork roadbed) is quite suitable and realistic.

[northeast_train_guy_1965]

I have a follow up question to this thread. I have used roadbed on my mainline and I am wondering if roadbed is used on undustry sidings and in small industry yards. I understand you want to have a level look. Does this mean put down roadbed @nd then level it off between tracks or tapper it off to the industry buildings? Thanks

[dknelson]

If for no other reason than to make it visually clear that your yard tracks are not a main line, I would not use road bed with the beveled edges, because there are no ditches between yard tracks as a rule.  However there are practical reasons to use roadbed when laying model train track.  I'd explore getting the same type of cork, but in larger sheets, like 6" wide.  I think Midwest has them and perhaps IBL does too.

Dave Nelson