Scenery was going pretty good in my test area, got down the basic ground cover colors and did static grass in 2mm, 4mm, and 6mm. Then came time to ballast, what a mess, the texture of the scenery just grabbed the ballast and the valcum trick did not work because of the texture on the scenery even with a very small nozzle would not grab some peices before it started sucking up the shoulder. Then I fiqured I needed a smaller nozzel, so I grabed a peice of pipe styrene and inserted it into the mini vac nozzel with an angle on the end. This got the job done except in one small spot, a peice of card stock shield fixed that. Next I will try a styene shield.
That's why I ballast first.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain That's why I ballast first. Rich
Yep!
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Me three. I read the idea that real world ballet occurs after the scenery, but added ballast first anyway. It allowed easily adding and cleaning up the ballast. When scenery then added it was not much of an issue to bring it up to the edge of the ballast with minimal overlap.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I'm glad I try to read everything these days. I would have never thought it's a good idea to ballast first before scenery. In the back of my mind I was always thinking the ballast would be the last step I would do on my layout.
I stand corrected, ...Thanks
TF
I ballast right after I put down the dirt texture. Then comes everything else.
I certainly haven't done enough to be considered anything like expert at scenery, or even accomplished at it, but that works for me.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Track fiddler...I would have never thought it's a good idea to ballast first before scenery....
Even if your layout is a "Plywood Pacific", ballasting the track and painting the rails are the first steps that will make your layout look better almost immediately.
I've always found both of those tasks very relaxing and very rewarding, too.
Wayne
Track fiddler I would have never thought it's a good idea to ballast first before scenery.
Yep, ballast goes on first. I make my ballast profile extra-deep, then bring the scenery up to make it look right.
-Kevin
Living the dream.