I have this plastic painted ballast called Kato.
It is a wonderful plastic track peice. Got little stones too.
I enjoyed that semi rant very much.... "Rich! I tell ya Rich!"
lol.
That plastic takes a powder for weathering.
I spent 4 weeks once loading a ore car with wood land scenics glue and red ballast, gluing layers of stone in the entire load together. UGH.
dale8chevyss wrote: This is a joke, right? Or are you serious? Sometimes I can't tell. I'm going to go with you being serious, so I'll try my best to answer your questions. The brown corky stuff you put the track on is called roadbed. Ballast is the rocks and the stones that go over the track and the roadbed to make the roadway (track) look more realistic. What you were supposed to with the cork roadbed was split it down the middle as you did, then turn one piece 180 degrees so the squared off sides butt up against each other, then the angled sides would be on the edges of the roadbed. The narrow side of the roadbed goes up, and the wider side goes down. Hopefully this helps some.
This is a joke, right? Or are you serious? Sometimes I can't tell. I'm going to go with you being serious, so I'll try my best to answer your questions.
The brown corky stuff you put the track on is called roadbed. Ballast is the rocks and the stones that go over the track and the roadbed to make the roadway (track) look more realistic. What you were supposed to with the cork roadbed was split it down the middle as you did, then turn one piece 180 degrees so the squared off sides butt up against each other, then the angled sides would be on the edges of the roadbed. The narrow side of the roadbed goes up, and the wider side goes down.
Hopefully this helps some.
Hook, line and sinker!
Where can I buy pink foam?? (in California??) Will the white beaded stuff work??
Modeling the N&W freelanced at the height of their steam era in HO.
Daniel G.
"You show me a man with both feet on the ground and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants on." -anonymous
Ballast? What's ballast??? Is it that brown corky stuff that I put my track on?
By the by. Which side up do you put that corky stuff? Also, while I have your attention here, I split those strips down the middle like someone mentioned and stuck them down with flour and water paste. But when I put my track down, the ties hang over both sides and one side is angled and the othe side is squared off. Did I do something wrong???
Blue Flamer.
Which DCC system should I buy? And which trains are the best?
P.S.-My train broke. What should I do to fix it?
Speaking of ballast, I was wondering if if I can run my Big Boy (HO) in 15" radius curves using WS fine ballast, I have a friend who uses medium size ballast but sometime his decoder burns out for no reason at all, also would it look silly to have an Acela double heading with my Big Boy in the 1980's thru San Diego?
Man I feel better now, thanks for this "vent thread". ;)
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
I'll take 25 lbs.!!
Hmmmm self laying track?? is it also self cleaning? I'll take some that too! LOL
I've seen sooo many posts on ballast\ballisting and what NOT to use. Seems like no one ever agrees, so I just do what I want and don't give a hoot what anyone says.
I'd buy it!!
Have I mentioned lately how much I HATE doing ballast?
How about self laying track and self installing sound decoders?
Fawlty Logic wrote: I just saw another post on ballast! Aaaarggh! I swear----I am going to retire and spend time in the lab inventing ballast to end all ballast which will answer all questions about walnutshells/sand/gravel/magnet particles/cat litter/misting/alcohol/white glue/yellow glue/eyedroppers/spray bottles/syringes/floaters/dust/color change/spreaders/vacuums/nylon stockings/vibrators (say this is getting me hot)It will be non-magnetic, self-adhesive, find its own level, never change color, allow easy removal, will not attract cats, create realistic sound levels and make me a million dollars......a million dollars you hear!I will be rich, rich beyond my wildest dreams. I will be the toast of the modelling world, give lectures, sign cartons at the LHS for my fans. Rich I tell you!Really, doesn't anyone out there have a brother-in-law who works at NASA or DOW or Exxon who could knock off the perfect product in an afternoon in the lab?I think these post will continue until someone takes this issue as seriously as a major problem like obesity and just commits some time to it. A bit more effor on the ballasting front please and a little less on boring stuff like dieting and miracle drugs.
I just saw another post on ballast! Aaaarggh! I swear----I am going to retire and spend time in the lab inventing ballast to end all ballast which will answer all questions about walnutshells/sand/gravel/magnet particles/cat litter/misting/alcohol/white glue/yellow glue/eyedroppers/spray bottles/syringes/floaters/dust/color change/spreaders/vacuums/nylon stockings/vibrators (say this is getting me hot)
It will be non-magnetic, self-adhesive, find its own level, never change color, allow easy removal, will not attract cats, create realistic sound levels and make me a million dollars......a million dollars you hear!
I will be rich, rich beyond my wildest dreams. I will be the toast of the modelling world, give lectures, sign cartons at the LHS for my fans. Rich I tell you!
Really, doesn't anyone out there have a brother-in-law who works at NASA or DOW or Exxon who could knock off the perfect product in an afternoon in the lab?
I think these post will continue until someone takes this issue as seriously as a major problem like obesity and just commits some time to it. A bit more effor on the ballasting front please and a little less on boring stuff like dieting and miracle drugs.
Nice Rant!!! Way to get it off you chest. LOL
But will it look good and make coffee?
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Have fun with your trains