What type of Ballast should I use? I got a bag of Coarse Gray and did a small section on my mainline. Would medium gray be perfered? I kinda like the coarse it looks good to me.
Also, is it OK to have my mainline gray and the yard black? What about industries, should they match the mainline ballast? I was thinking the medium light grey/white for the industries.
btw this is for HO scale modern diesel era.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Motley I kinda like the coarse it looks good to me.
FAIL. Use fine for HO. Medium is iffy. I assume this is woodland scenics brand?
DrilineMotley I kinda like the coarse it looks good to me. FAIL. Use fine for HO. Medium is iffy. I assume this is woodland scenics brand?
Oh... really? OK then. Yes WS brand. Any advice on colors then?
Yes, really. Course is waaayyy too big. Each yard is different, but cinder would be a good color IMHO. My mainline uses "pink lady" color ballast because of the actual pinkish color seen on the Soo Line eastern Iowa trackage. You'll have to determine what color is right for you. Medium gray does look good however as I have used that color before.
Unless the railroad you are modeling has a specific color ballast, due to its source, gray is common color. It's your layout, if course looks good to you, use it. Many folks feel it is a little big in HO, some mix course and medium together. Try a little of the medium and some mixed, see which hou like best.
As for color, yes, there is often a difference in not only the color, but amount of ballast. Mainlines are better cared for due to higher speeds. Sidings may be the same or different color and are not usually as heavily ballasted. Yards were often black in the steam era due to the use of the cinders cleaned out to the locomotives. Yard tracks and lesser used sidings oftern do not have ditches along the sides and the tracks are sunk into the ground, due to poorer drainage. In more modern yards, the color would be more likely to match (but not necessarily) the mainline, but could be a finer texture to make it easier for crews to walk around the yard.
Have fun,
Motley - For HO usually the fine ballast is more like what you see in the real world but use what you think looks good - it's your railroad. As to colors, the mainline is usually lighter as it gets more attention. Black for an older yard would be fine as most were done with cinders as were many sidings (not so much traffic so not so critical on stability or longevity with heavy traffic/. The secondary lines are usually not piled so high with ballast and don't get the attention of the mains. Ballast colors varied greatly nationwide and some roads used a single distinctive color for all their main lines. Hope that helps get you started. J.R.
unless you are modeling a particular prototype use the gray you can get in the finest texture. real ballast stone is crushed and screened to a max size of 1.5". in the steam era cinders were used on yard tracks, sidings and also for station platforms and driveways
Thanks for the feedback! I think I'll try mixing the coarse with the medium gray/white for both the mainlines and sidings. And then just medium gray for the yard.
OH REALLY? LOL
Like you, I used Coarse ballast and thought it looked good. For a while. It's starting to look bigger and bigger the more I consider it. When you consider that the pieces, in scale, are about half the size of a man's head, it starts to look not so good.
However, it IS your layout, and if it looks good to you, then it is good. [Comment removed]
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
I prefer a 70% fine / 30% medium mix of gray ballast.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
There's a lot more options on the market than using WS ballast...http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=highball+ballast
[Comments removed] To the OP, do what makes you happy. It is your railroad...if you want to use coarse, use coarse. If you want to run SP cab forwards with a CSX AC6000, do so. This hobby is about enjoyment. Do so to your fullest.
The rights of neutrality will only be respected, when they are defended by an adequate power. A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral. -Alexander Hamilton
loatharThere's a lot more options on the market than using WS ballast...http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=highball+ballast
Another... ORRRRRRRRLY?
Is that Highball stuff good? I'm liking that limestone color. Is their HO ballast similar to WS medium or fine? I wonder if my LHS might have it....
Highball ballast reportedly is not as clean (stone dust in it) Arizona Rock and Mineral & Smith Ballast are made of real rock and are both clean. Smith Ballast is very cheap $2.00 a pound when I last bought some 3 months ago. They have a good selection of ballast,cinders, real minature coal and dirt.They make ballast for N,HO & O gauge.
Bob D As long as you surface as many times as you dive you`ll be alive to read these posts.
It's OK guys, no big deal here. It's only ballast.
I appreciate all the great advice.
Boys, I've seen people come to blows over cars, women, politics, but ballast!?!? Highball ballast has been around for decades. There are many smaller producers offering great products. WS is a wonderful resource, but not the only choice. Era, region and prototype you are modeling should guide your decision. If you are freelancing based on a prototype, see what the real road used. Lots of articles have been written on ballast and ballasting. Mixing a little dark ballast with your lighter ballast will look like shadows, giving a more 3 dimensional appearance.
slammin Mixing a little dark ballast with your lighter ballast will look like shadows, giving a more 3 dimensional appearance.
Mixing a little dark ballast with your lighter ballast will look like shadows, giving a more 3 dimensional appearance.
Ahaaaa, that's pretty cool idea.
~G4
19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.
Often it's not what you say, but how you say it, especially in a forum or email. Advice intended to be in the best interest can be interpreted as negative, especially when written in short form. I think the word 'FAIL' in caps was the trigger here, taken as denigrating. I'm pretty sure the intent was to provide advice that coarse ballast can look unrealistic - as in the rocks are half the size of a person's head - which conveys the message more clearly.
My Build Thread: https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/185298.aspx
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I never felt sniped, I took it as constructive criticism. In the end, I'll do what looks good to me, as long as it's within the "modeler's code" for prototyping.
Although, I must say, I will probably go with the medium ballast now. I have some great ideas now for what colors I want as well.
Yo Motley,
just remember that it is your world and you can do whatever you want! That's what this hobby is all about, having fun with trains! Any way you want! The only thing that I have found is if you want all of your mainline to look the same, buy all the ballast at the same time, or wait until you have all you need. I started with WS fine buff,one container at a time, then noticed as I added more, that there was a difference in shade with each batch. I am now building up my supply, and then will mix it all together and get after it. My railroad is 11'X18'and I can't afford all of it at once. Don't worry about the [term removed], they do their thing and we do our thing. Have fun!!
Phil, CEO, Eastern Sierra Pacific Railroad. We know where you are going, before you do!
Coarse ballast is WAY too large for HO scale. WS medium ballast is IMO too large for HO also. I've used both and think you're better off using the fine. Other makers of ballast may have a different size for medium and fine. I've used Highball on some projects in the past and recall there being a lot of dust that caused an issue.
As far as color, that is more a decicion based on the prototype you're modeling and the type of trackage - mainline, branchline, industrial siding, or yard. Most ballast will be some shade of gray. Color can vary within the prototype line. Prototype roads frequently got ballast from local sources.
[Comment removed]
I've just spent the last 45 minutes editing and deleting posts in this thread. Let me kindly remind everyone that it's okay to be truthful. However, truthfulness must also be exercised together with tactfulness. Being blunt can often times come across as showing little regard for another member's position or feelings. If you offer someone advice and they choose not to take it, that's THEIR choice and you must be respectful of that.
And the "us" vs. "them" attitude only serves to divide modeler's rather than uniting them. Albeit prototyper or freelancer, DC or DCC, Digitrax or NCE, kit or RTR; make your points but also be respectful if you see things differently than another person. Not all detail-minded modeler's are "rivet counters"; nor are certain freelance modelers less "serious" about the hobby.
I'm not asking that everyone stand around the campfire together, holding hands and singing songs. All I'm asking that you consider be more respectful of one another's points of view - especially when you disagree.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Regards,
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
MotleyIt's OK guys, no big deal here. It's only ballast.I appreciate all the great advice.
BLASPHEMY no big deal it's only ballast you say..........lol
Well the sad part is unlike other parts of the hobby you basically get one change to get it right at least not without a heck of a lot of work.
If you put down ballast that doesn't look right you pretty much have to live with it. I have never had luck with Woodlands ballast no matter that size. It's not "real" ballast so to speak as it's not made of stone.
I prefer Smith's ballast and have used both Highball and Arizona R&M both good quality products. But equally as important as the brand/type of ballast you choose is the method you use to put it down and secure it to your track work. I suggest making up a few small test sections with some spare roadbed and pieces of sectional track and try diferent brands sizes etc. until our satisfied and then proceed to put it down on our layout.
One other thing that our esteemed "have fun" guys forgot to mention in saying using coarse ballast is OK for HO is the derailment problems likely to be caused when the coarse ballast is used. The chances are greater for the coarse ballast to block flangeways, to be glued to the inside of the rail and cause derailments. How do I know this? Because I've seen it happen on modules where people have used coarse ballast and then I've had spent WAY too much time scrapping it off the inside of the rails so cars won't derail. Not 'fun'. All this because someone said, 'Sure, coarse ballast will work just fine.'
In many cases there is a 'right way' and a 'wrong way' to do things. When someone, especially a newbie, ask a question about how to do something like ballasting, or painting, or decaling, or laying track, it is irresponsible of people, especially veteran modelers, to not point out that the newbie is going about things the 'wrong way'. It is irresponsible to simple say "it's your RR so you can do what you want" or "as long as your having fun." These people are leading the newbie down the wrong road and may cause them enough frustration to simply drop the hobby all together. They should instead steer the newbie to the 'proper way' of doing what ever they've asked. This is different than running cabforwards with AC4400s or what color ballast to use. This is about fundamental techniques and methods like airbrushing from light colors to dark colors, the proper glue to use for ballasting, or using real water for a pond etc. (alright tstage, I'm sure you'll delete these comments too. At least the fire is warm)
In Ho coarse is too large period, medium is also too large but is used because it can look good as not everything most of us do is to exact scale. If you are doing exact scale then fine is the only choice. As for brand, some hate the WS stuff and others love it (a thing to note is that some of the other ballast brands have a sheen to them (they are real rock) but that looks out of scale and even though we cover it usually with a matt coating if you do not cover it completely some shine will show though. Another thing to note is real railroads used their best ballast (generally) for the main line and courser stuff for spurs etc. Also if a spur was done by the industry it could be pretty bad with a lot of less than good quality rock and not maintained so it would end up looking like rocky dirt.
I have 900 feet of brass track airbrushed rusty rail on cork roadbed. I use Kitty litter, nothing is glued down which makes changes/repairs a snap with a vacuum cleaner. It looks good, caused no problems with engines/rolling stock and it's cost effective. This has been on the railroad now for nearly two decades. I also use it on my O'gauge layout which consists of 350 feet of Gargraves track painted rusty rail on plywood roadbed. Again no problems with engines/rolling stock. Look around a bit ,I have found sizes and colors vary from different manufacturers. Make sure you buy enough for the whole layout and have some extra for changes at the same time. Through the years manufacturers have made adjustments to their products. Good Luck!!!
This is my first post on the site.
I'm currently researching the ballast used on a section of the prototype that I am planning to model in the near future. So far I've only been able to salvage a few pieces of ballast, as most of the lines have been covered with snow until the last week or so. Within a few weeks, however, I should be able to gather quite a few pieces which will serve as a good sample of what size/type of ballast I'll need to use. From what I can tell so far, it is a mixture of granite and a blackish/brownish semi-porous rock. (not sure what this is - does anyone know?) I will mention that I am modeling the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) passing through a small Central Ontario town. (The mile or so of track passing through this town is my main focus - I am wanting to recreate the track patterns but realize I will need to compress it to make it practical for the space I have available.)
As for size, I've taken a couple measurements but don't have a means to compare the size to the ballast available since I haven't bought any yet. But I sense that "coarse" is too large and might certainly affect the running of trains, i.e. will cause derailments. I can see myself already leaning towards a mixture of fine/medium for my project, using both the brown and grey types of ballast together.
To the original poster - if you are modeling a prototype, I think you would benefit from doing some actual research on the ballast used there, either first-hand or via other sources. Check it for colour, size, etc. You may get a better idea of what you need based on that. If you just want track with some ballast and have no specific eras/prototypes in mind, than use whatever you like, I'd say. But keep ease of operation (i.e. derailment issues) in mind. Can't agree more with the fellow who mentioned creating a few test tracks with different types of ballast - a little investment of time/money now could save some major headaches down the road.
Hope my first post was clear and within the limits of the forum. I hope to post more in the future as I will be having questions for my own layout.
track_shackFrom what I can tell so far, it is a mixture of granite and a blackish/brownish semi-porous rock. (not sure what this is - does anyone know?)
A guess from long distance without seeing it: sandstone.
Dante
Welcome track_shack! I assume from your post that you are located in Ontario, so welcome from a fellow Canadian. You really ought to go ballast hunting sometime other than February :)