Ballasting

[Anonymous]

A few months ago (I think is was) there appreared in either Classic Toy Trains or Model Railroader magazine an article about ballasting track. I don't know which one or what month it was. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated as I am getting to the point of starting to ballast my layout.

[jonadel]

Vern,

There's a fairly recent discussion on this forum about ballasting. Check it out.

Jon

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=45113

[CSX FAN]

Brennen's Better Ballast was featured in CTT. I have to find the month.

His ballast is the best. I used it on my layout.

Jamie

[Anonymous]

My method:

Spread the ballast (any brand or type, but I generally prefer a stone ballast with a granular size somewhat smaller than that designated for the particular scale I'm modeling in--for example, HO ballast for O gauge track). I dispense the ballast from a paper cup that I squeeze from the sides to form a sort of lip or funnel shape. This allows me to control where the ballast goes, and how much is dispensed.

Use a small paint bru***o spread the ballast evenly between the ties; to sweep ballast off the web of the rails; and to shape the shoulders of the roadbed. If you're modeling a mainline roadbed, you'll probably want to have the shoulders be fairly uniform. If you're modeling a neglected short line or spur, you can have more ragged edges along the base of the ballast.

Use a small atomizer--the kind used for perfumes works great--to wet the ballast with "wet water," which consists of plain water with a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent added. The idea is to saturate the ballast with a fine enough mist so the ballast itself isn't moved out of place while you are wetting it. This step allows the glue you'll apply next to spread more evenly and completely, and it helps to keep the ballast in place while you apply the glue.

I use ordinary white glue to glue my ballast in place. Some folks use matte medium or some other adhesive, but white glue works fine for me. I mix a fairly diluted solution of white glue, water, and again, a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent, and I use a fairly large eye-dropper to dispense the glue mix atop the pre-wetted ballast, starting in the area between the rails, and letting the glue just soak into the ballast. I work in fairly small sections of track at a time, because this is a bit of a tedious chore (however, the results are well worth the effort). I add the glue mixture until the ballast is thoroughly saturated--to the point where glue "leaks" out of the bottom of the roadbed and into the surrounding scenery. This won't hurt anything, even though it will look like quite a mess. After the glue dries, you'll never know it was there, and you gain the added benefit of having the trackside scenery materials glued even more firmly in place.

Allow everything to dry overnight; then, go back and carefully check the track and ballast to make sure that no ballast particles are glued to the rails and that the roadbed itself is rock-hard.

After you are satisfied with your ballasting efforts, go back and clean the track--especially the railheads--thoroughly. I first go over the track with a hard track-cleaning eraser, and then go back and clean it with a rag saturated with track-cleaning fluid (I use LGB smoke fluid and cleaner). Also, if you previously screwed your track in place, go ahead and remove those screws. They are no longer needed, since the ballast will hold the track in place, just like on the prototype.

I have used this ballasting technique for many years on layouts in all scales, from Z through Large Scale. Properly ballasted roadbed makes any layout look a whole lot better, and it certainly enhances the realism.

[Anonymous]

Alan - thanks for the article - One question, and Mike Spanier, feel free to chime in, how badly will this process damage my Super "O" track, when (as all layouts eventually must) it's time to dismantle. As hard as we're working to get Super "O" manufactured again, I'm not convinced it ever will be, and maybe (mistakenliy) feel that what I have is really an investment and need to treat it as such. I've always got GarGraves and Tubular to fall back on when it comes to doing scenery...

[zwbob]

tex- I don't know how it would be to leave the ballast loose and dry since I have always glued mine but I personally would NOT glue it to super O track. I doubt it will ever be manufactered again. I think you might break the plastic ties when you go to dismantle.
Just my [2c]

Bob

[Anonymous]

Although I've never used Super O track on any of my layouts, I imagine that if you did ballast it (I sure would), you could later remove or replace the track by just soaking it thoroughly with hot water, which will loosen the glue, and then gently prying it up, one small section at a time. I have done this with other types of track in various scales, from Z to Large Scale, with good results.

After the track is removed, scrub it good (hot water) to remove any glue residue and/or stuck-on ballast fragments, and then give it a good cleaning with a conventional track cleaner. If I was doing it, I would probably spray it with WD-40; allow it to penetrate for a time; then wipe off the excess WD-40 and go over the track with a commercial track cleaner (I use LGB smoke fluid).

But Mike Spanier is definitely the Super O expert, so I would defer to his recommendations if they differ from mine.

[Anonymous]

Hi Vern,

I wrote the the article "Four Steps to Better Looking Track." It was in the Classic Toy Trains January 2005 issue.

[FJ and G]

Yesterday I completed all of the track (a 5 track yard, a junction, and harbor track on my lower shelf layout. i then ballasted the track with 2 types of ballast (2 colors like RRs often do. A darker ballast I obtained from Broad Run River behind my house and a lighter gravel, obtained from road spillage (both gravels are about scale size).

Then, I used a trick that Allan or someone else on this forum talked about not too long ago. I rubbed WD-40 on the tops of the rails before spraying my wood glue/water, bit of soap and alcohol mixture.

And I was pleased with the results. The glue didn't stick on the rails like it used to and I wiped it off with a paper towel.

That trick saved me lots of time and rail rubbing. Next week I'll have my camera back and will give pictures