Ballast for My Layout...what to use??????

[Big_Boy_4005]

I seem to be particularly full of stories on this topic . Here's another one.

I bought a house that was built in 1922. The original cast iron, coal fired boiler was still in the basement when I bought the house. It had been converted to oil, and subsequently to natural gas. It was covered with a layer of something white and dusty, as were many of the pipes leading to it.

Of course I wanted this old monster out of the house, but when I was told what it MIGHT be and what it would cost to have someone remove it, I took it upon myself to do the clean up. I soaked the material so as not to kick up any dust and carefuly bagged it and got rid of it. And we all lived happily ever after. THE END.

Now I'm curious, what are railroad brakeshoes made out of???? Even if brake shoes and pads do contain asbestos, that asbestos is only part of the makeup of the pad or shoe. Do the dangerous fibers actually become airborne as they wear?

The bottom line when it comes to this ballast idea is, I would be more worried about getting a metal splinter than any asbestos content.

As with anything in life, care, understanding, and common sense go a long way when it comes to health and safety issues. The reason so many people died from asbestos exposure in the past was clearly due to a lack of understanding. Now we understand what happens, so as long as we exersise care and common sense, we should live long and prosper.

Cigarette anyone?[:O][banghead][sigh][;)]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the advice and input. I went with roofing granules which were just what I was looking for.

Thanks again,

Mike

[Allen Jenkins]

Now Big, I know you would use protective (surgical) gloves, to do the handy work, heck I use surgical gloves to reply to the sticky polls! Eye protection, gaunlet leather gloves, head protection, (I recommend ED Bullard), Steel-toed shoes, unless you work with high-voltage, -then,non-canvas leather tree-stand boots, (Bass Pro-Shop). However, no brake shoes used in the United States of America, are made of asbestos. And anyway, I'm referring to steel brake drum dust. My challenge is to eliminate the worry about conductivity-the ability to transmit or convey electrical energy caused by a "completed circut." High resistance(R=Ohm), is in play here from rust, micro-size, and low voltage. Thanks Big_Boy, for your understanding of all things, Model Railroader, Enjoy Your Hobby! ACJ, See you in Cinci, next year!

[Big_Boy_4005]

This has been a fun and interesting topic, and I feel that we have exercised it thoroughly. This is what the forum is all about. Sharing ideas and information.

My layout is large enough to try them all, and I very well may.[swg]

[Anonymous]

Boy, I wish I had checked out these ballast ideas before I spent a small fortune with Woodland Scenics for their ballast products! I really like the idea of using the granules from shingles.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cconoverjr

Boy, I wish I had checked out these ballast ideas before I spent a small fortune with Woodland Scenics for their ballast products! I really like the idea of using the granules from shingles.

Better late than never. [;)][:D][#welcome] to the forum. You never know where that next great idea will come from. If you have a question , don't be afraid to ask!!!

[Anonymous]

I also used black roofing granules as asphalt for railroad crossings. It matched the black roofing material with embedded granules on it that I used for roads on my layout. A 10' x 8" strip cost me about $6 at Home Depot. I layed the roofing material on top of corrigated cardboard to give it a little height and then used the black roofing granules on the side of the roads to hide the cardboard, and give depth to the road.

I plan on using a very watered down greyish color to age the road.

[Anonymous]

I use grit for bird cages. Its made of somekind of compressed paper but looks and feels exactly like scenic express medium gray granite ballast. Very hard, very grey and the perfect size. It costs about $3.00 for a five pound bag. I mix iit in a ratio of 3:1 with the 'real' stuff from Scenic Express (though you cannot tell the difference between the two by looking at it).

You get more variation in color by mixing with the scenic express offerning (which is about $7.00 for a half pound) - the scenic express is a slightly different shade of gray (a little lighter).

Only down side is that the bird litter is scented and so far the scent is still slightly noticeable (after six months).. Its not a bad smell, just a little bit like Glade air freshner. You have to put your nose close to the track to notice.

The stuff works easily and dries as hard as a rock when glued in place (i use matte medium heavily diluted and sprayed on). I had NO success with pouring on a mixture of glue/water as it tended to cause runouts in my carefully prepared ballast.

I tried to find "starter" chicken grit but in this part of Texas the local feed store doesn't carry it - in fact they thought I was crazy asking for it. They only had one type of grit and that was was too large for scale.

Good luck.

[ChiefEagles]

Saw Buckeye's layout Sunday. His is small bits of rubber. Gets on track or in gears, no damage. Neat.