Login
or
Register
Subscriber & Member Login
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Login
Register
Home
»
Model Railroader
»
Forums
»
Layouts and layout building
»
Ballast
Ballast
1220 views
1 replies
Order Ascending
Order Descending
Anonymous
Member since
April 2003
305,205 posts
Ballast
Posted by
Anonymous
on Monday, February 23, 2004 10:56 PM
What type of ballast should I use for around my ho track. Fine or course?
Reply
Edit
orsonroy
Member since
March 2002
From: Elgin, IL
3,677 posts
Posted by
orsonroy
on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 8:35 AM
I'd recomment ballasting with the fine ballast. The medium and coarse MIGHT be to scale for some roads, but in general it looks too large and cartoonlike. In fact, in some areas on my layout (gravel roads and yard areas), I grind up the fine ballast to make it powdery and more to scale (HO scale pea gravel and blow sand should be TINY)
A good way to check if your gravel or ballast is "to scale" is to wander outside with a small amount of ballast and a HO scale figure. Compare the figure's fist to the model ballast and check the size. Then find a rock that's the size of your own fist. Next, compare THAT rock to the size of real ballast. Conpare the ballast to your fist size, and then find some model ballast that's the same size relative to the figure's fist. (believe me, this is easier to do than it is to describe!)
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
Reply
Subscriber & Member Login
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Login
Register
Users Online
There are no community member online
Search the Community
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter
See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter
and get model railroad news in your inbox!
Sign up