I am working in HO scale and have a few questions about ballasting.
1. What size ballast is best to use?
2. Whatever size ballast you recommend, how much does one shaker size woodland scenics container do (10 feet of track, 20 feet of track)?
3. I have heard of people using cats pride kitty litter, is this a good size for HO?
4. When do you ballast, when your done building your streets, mountains and etc, or before? It seems it would be easier before.
Sorry for so many questions! This is my first layout and I am just trying to do it as right as possible.
Many of us like a finer grain so that the scale is all 'right'. I use fine local beach sand. Fine isn't as fine as the tiny grains in those small hourglasses that one sees...somewhat larger, close to 1 mm across.
Woodland Scenics sells various forms of ballast, including colours and sizes. Arizona Rock and Mineral does as well.
One of those 8" tall clear plastic shakers should do something like 20+ feet of ballasting, depending on how deep the aprons need to be due to the profile and depth of the roadbed.
I know that some use Kitty Litter, but others have reported that it doesn't look right once it is wet for gluing purposes. It contains fillers and absorbants that are hydroscopic, and they will alter in appearance.
When you ballast seems to be split. Same as painting the rail sides to make them look weathered. I prefer to ballast about last, once all the terrain is done and much of the local scenicking done. Makes the ballast look like it came later...which it does. Add some weed incursions later. And the last thing I do is to hand-paint the rails with a small brush so that some of the paint bleeds down onto the ties, plates, and adjacent ballast grains, just like in real life.
Crandell
This little guy works wonders as well. It really smooths the ballast out once you sprinkle it on the track. You can pick it up in the paint department from most stores.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Theere seem to be as many opinions on ballasting as there are modelers. I'm sure you will get a number of ideas. The thing you will have to do is try some and see which works best for you. Also, if you go to the right side of this page and down to Search Our Community and search for balast, you will find many ideas there also.
1. Size chosen for HO seems to be a bit of personal choice. Some like WS fine, others WS medium, still others mix the two. I's suggest putting some of each down and see which you prefer. Color depends on the location you are modeling.
2. Since I haven't gotten to the ballasting yet, I'm not sure how far a shaker will take you.
3. Have heard of cat litter being used, but any I have seen would be pretty big for HO.
4. When, there again you will get many suggestions. It's the last thing the RR did whan laying track, and the scenery was there before the track. I plan to do mine near last with a few near track bushes and between the track growth on sidings after. It allows you to run your trains snd make sure your track work is flawless before ballasting. Many will say do it first so you don't have to reach around other scenic items to do it. Certainly if you have hard to reach places, do them early.
One thing I would suggest is getting some textured paint the color of your ballast and paint under your turnouts. This way the thin, careful ballasting around the moving parts doesn't show up as much, Whether you paint all your roadbed or just under turnouts is up to you.
I have also seen the suggestion, do not do long streaches at once. Then if your ballasting messes up your electrical connections you do not have to search as far. You can work in several places as long as you work in different power districts/blocks, so you can isolate an area to test it.
Good luck,
Richard
If you wish to you could pre-ballest the track roadbed first before laying the track. I paint it with a thick coat of grey and sprinkle the ballast on top, is quick and looks some what better then bare cork, plywood, or foam. I do about six feet at a time, takes about five minits. Vacumm it the next day and the ballest sticks very good in the paint.
What I really like about doing this, is that I can compleatley redoo a yard, realign track if needed, and it looks decent for the time being.
I wish I would have done this years ago as I looked at that bare cork roadbed for years before I got back to it.
The ballast size is up to you, I found that mixing light and dark ballast in different percentages and different areas can add interest, as it (to me at least) doest all look the same. Railroads do not care what shade the ballest is, its by size, grade of rock and tonnage price from quarry to point of usage.
I like to ballast before doing ground coverings such as trees and buildings. They tend to get in the way.
Craig
I will be done putting down the cork roadbed on my layout this week. I wanted to paint it grey to help later on when I get to the ballasting. Would it be best to use a flat latex paint?
Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
http://s1082.photobucket.com/albums/j372/curtwbb/
I tried using kitty litter for talus (that crumbling rock at the base of a cliff) and learned something along the way. Do NOT use clumping kitty litter; it turns into a goo when you spray it with wet water. I didn't try it with alcohol. Now, the only place I use it is where it was meant to be used; in the cat box.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I use gray grout.
Tashtego I use gray grout.
Did you use a water/glue mix to hold it in place? Or straight water since it was grout?
I apply it dry with a small brush. When it looks about right, I spray it with wet water. Thinned white glue is applied with an eye dropper. After it dries I go back and apply a second or third coat.
I always hold it in place with a glue mix .Mike.