Best option to secure ballast?

[AggroJones]

On all my previous layouts I used diluted white glue to secure the ballast around my track. But after i ballast , trains run much noiser than with no ballast. White glue locks it up hard. Do you think using matte medium, which dries softer and somewhat flexible, will kill the noise some? My theory is yes. But I want to see if anyone else reccomends it.

Will matte medium applify sound less than white glue?

[selector]

I wish I could answer that question, AggroJones; it's a good one.

I'm pretty sure that a softer medium will help to deaden sound by not propagating it back out to either the subroad or the air. I would also think that foam under the ballast, as I have done, would be a help. In fact, I did not do the eye-dropper method of adding glue to the ballast. Instead, I sprayed it with a bottle and only gave it enough to thoroughly wet the top few millimeters, say up to 1/2". That leaves the core unbound and able to absorb sound better. To be honest, though, someone would have to do an experiment or use a sound meter. Of course, the track clean-up afterwards is a bit of a chore.

[dehusman]

It will be softer to a certain extent, but still noiser than loose or no ballast. What is your subroadbed. Foam is noisier than plywood.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

I tried the lot - mortar, cement & pit fines which in New Zealand is rocks12mm down to dust, and weeds still grow in it. So as in this topis I changed to white glue - PVA, and then to standard carpetglue which sets rubbery and stinks and has to be washed off with mineral turps. Its the best if you want to really stick things down and is reasonably quiet if thats what you want. Anyway in the end i gave it all up and went back to pure fines, nothing more. Our climate is subtropical, almost monsoon in northern parts and the pit fines sets in under rain and goes very hard. Why use more ??

[Seamonster]

It would seem that any kind of glued down ballast will be noisier than track without ballast, so IMHO you just pick one and go with it. I may be wrong but I think that pins or nails through the ties that reach into the plywood add to the noise too. After I glue down the ballast and it's hard, I go back and try to remove most of the track pins. They're not needed any more anyway. I use diluted white glue for one reason. It makes track removal very easy. Same for scenery. I've just done some major renovations on my layout, ripping up track and scenery, and all I had to do was to soak the ballast and scenery with "wet" water, wait a few moments, then scrape it right up with a putty knife. So easy.
...Bob

[AggroJones]

I think I'll try matte medium on a short stretch of finished track and see how much quieter it is. The parts I already did with white glue seem so loud, I don't think matte medium can out applify that.