Ballasting a yard

[orsonroy]

I asked myself the same question when it was time to start laying ballast on spurs and yards, so I shecked with the prototype. I'm modeling the NKP in the 1940s-1950s, and there were thankfully LOTS of people photographing the road in both B&W and color. I also have an interest in the P&E, and NYC affiliate road, and have run across a few hundred P&E/NYC photos showing off yard details.

In general, you want to make your yard areas look like they were covered in FINE sooty gray material. By fine, I'm talking baking powder used on an HO layout. Most modelers generally use ballast that's WAY too coarse for their scale. Woodland Scenics fine cinders is almost too big for HO mainline ballast! Important yards were devoid of any plant material in the entire yard, and the cinders were generally up to the tops of the ties, especially around engine service facilities.

To represent this effect, I use WS fine cinders and mixed gray ballast, mix them and then grind them into powder with a mortar & pestle. I use this ground ballast inbetween the rails. On the outside of tracks, I use WS fine cinders, glue 'em down, and then sand them smooth. There's still too much texture to the ground cover, but it's better than just plunking down fine cinders and calling it a day.

[tomwatkins]

Arizona Rock and Mineral Co. makes a steam era yard mix which is excellent. It looks like cinders, ash and some small ballast all mixed together.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[cwaldman]

The typical rule of thumb is lighter on mainlines, darker on other areas. Which would tend to be the seldom efreshed, stained almost black coal look.

Don't be aftaid to mix ballast either. i just read an article on weathering track by Sellios, and he mixes his to achieve tht well worn look.

Cletus

[johncolley]

Lay a filler strip between adjacent tracks approximately as thick as the ties, or else just ballast level with the ties. I am in HO and use HO cork on the main, N cork on sidings and A/D track, and all the rest yard and industrial/ service tracks on the plywood deck. Use a generous taper between levels at two car lengths minimum. I use shims made of cut ( to width of ties) plastic simulated credit cards that come with offers. Hey, they're free! I glue all my roadbed, shims, and track down with clear silicone adhesive. It's easy to relocate or remove in the future. Hold everythig down with weights for at least 4 hours to set it. Use standard ballasting procedures. I prefer to make the mainline a light grey fine ballast, well trimmed and weed free. All the rest can be a darker and less maintained look.

[challenger3802]

I've got a small servicing yard layout (and we're talking tiny here: 8 inches x 3 foot), the filthy dirt look was achieved by using Fine Cinders Ballast B76 from Woodland Scenics. It looks just like the filthy a***hat would have collected in the smoke box of locos, the same a***hat littered loco yards everywhere!

Ian

[mike33469]

I've finally started laying track {interrupted by 2 hurricanes} on my new shelf layout, three legs of which are going to be mainly yards and industry. I only wi***o ballast my main line. What do you suggest to use in the yards and on the sidings. I'd kind of like the yards to have that old somewhat neglected look. The layout is transition era steam and the RR is NYC. BTW I live in south Fl so I don't have access to good old NY dirt.