Ballasting the tracks...

[TheHeretic]

Ok I am starting to build my train layout (HO) and was wondering if there is anything that someone has done that has the details of using Medium Ballast around the tracks as I lay it down.  Ok I will lay it all down and than do it I think...

I am using cork as the substrate and am painting it with rock colorations first.  OK someone made some good rock based paint in spray cans.   Than I would like to ballast the tracks.  

I just need an idea on how to do this.   It seems to be easy and yet tough at the same time.  

Any help would be great.

 

Dean 

[Tjsingle]

Ok take this from me, I have a Athearn SD70mac, and the ballast got up into the gears... I finally got it out. Ballast should be glued down with white glue. It Dries clear and any excess can be wiped up with ease. Make sure that the ballast is not above where the rail is or that equals diaster for your locomotives

 

Hope that helps

Tommy S

[selector]

If you pour enough ballast to make it look realistically groomed, you don't need to paint the roadbed....the cork, or whatever you are going to use.  Let the ballast hide it.

Use a an artist's brush to spread the ballast you pour and work it all the way down between the ties until you have to pour more.  Try to keep it off the tops of the ties, both between and outside the rails, and try not to let it form a berm up against the web of the rails, either.

Once you have it groomed with a nice slope and the ties are mostly clear, then wet it by dribbling a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water over the ballast. Use a squeeze bottle, but with just a tiny hole to let the stuff dribble...no jetting!  Keep the orifice close to the ballast surface, too...if you let it fall very far it will displace the ballast.

Then, go back and dribble a mixture of white or yellow glue and water, plus two drops of dish detergent (mix it thoroughly) onto the wet ballast.  Add a fair bit until you know it has penetrated most of the depth of the ballast.  Then let it dry.

Try not to get any glue on the rails.  If you know you have left some there, wipe it up with a damp cloth wrapped around one finger.

Does that help a bit?

[Anonymous]

Selector's got it. I just have one thing to add, which is to clean the tracks after the glue dries, but before you run trains, because it's frustrating trying to run trains on dirty track! Take my word for it!

[TheHeretic]

Thank you very much selector.   I had seen the instructions on the side of the medium ballast bottle but it was a bit sparse in it.   I do thank you for expanding them out.  

And I will use this for this train layout.   And the next one.  And even the next one.... 

 

Dean 

[trainfan1221]

Here's a good tip for ballasting your layout... Patience.  Take your time and the finished productwill be worth it.

[selector]

Thank you very much selector.   I had seen the instructions on the side of the medium ballast bottle but it was a bit sparse in it.   I do thank you for expanding them out.  

And I will use this for this train layout.   And the next one.  And even the next one.... 

 

Dean 

I was pleased to be of use to you.  Please don't hesitate to post other questions as they arise for you, and others will be sure to jump in..

-Crandell

P.S.- yes, I agee, patience is the key...work a bit here and take a break, a bit there,....

[cowman]

I agree, no need to paint the roadbed if you are going to ballast.  One place you might want to consider using the stone paint is around where your turnouts are going to be, then you don't need as much ballast around the moving parts of the turnout.  Be careful though, if you  have any foam on your layout have a  good coat of latex paint on it before you use the stone paint.  Most of them damage unprotected foam.

Good luck,

[Mr. SP]

I used Woodland Scenics ballast and glued it using the bonded ballast method. I mix Elmers yello carpenters glue 50% with water and add a bit of liquid soap after mixing to glue the ballast down. Loose ballast will find a way into the gears on your locomotives so be sure it is all glued. The glue will look milky when applied but will dry clear. The ballast will look loose but is attached well. Clean the track with a Brite Boy after the glue is dry before running any trains as there will be some glue on the track.

Be careful around switch points so you don't glue them while gluing the ballast.

[R. T. POTEET]

Ballasting track is, to me, the most tedious of all layout building operations - but it absolutely positutely has to be done.

I have used a couple of different schemes involving jigs to lay ballast; one of these very similiar to this one I outlined in a response to a previous post of some time back:

To start, I found a plastic measuring cup which had slightly tapered sides and which measured approximately 1 1/2" in diameter at the small end; to this I glued a couple of short lengths of code 40 rail to the bottom of this cup - I used a length of code 55 flex as a gluing jig to insure that this cup would glide smoothly down my trackwork as I layed down my ballast. I drilled three holes in the bottom of this cup - the two towards the outer edge just beyond the outside edge of my flex are 1/8" in diameter while the third one near the center of the cup is 3/16". This contraption - Contraption #1 - is used to lay down ballast athwart my roadbed.

Secondly, I acquired a length of 1" diameter Plastruct half-round acrylic rod; I cut this rod into several 1" wide lengths and an equal number of N gauge lengths. To the curved surface of these pieces I glued 1/4"  strips of foam rubber trimmed carefully to fit the length of these rods and flush with the flat edge; I then attached a solid 1/2 inch diameter handle to the flat side. This contraption - Contraption #2 - is used to smooth out the ballast both between as well as outside my rails.

After I have the flex in position atop the cork I then lay Contraption #1 atop the flex and fill it with ballast; going slowly this ballast runs out of the three holes athwart the roadbed leaving a ridge of ballast down the center of the track as well as immediately outside the track. When the ballast is ridged up on the roadbed I take the 1" length of Contraption #2 and, applying firm downward pressure, pull it along and smooth the ballast into the gap between the ties. The downward pressure will sweep the top of the ties clean of ballast. After this stately chore is done I use the N gauge length of Contraption #2 to go down the center of the track in order to clean up any berm formed against the base of the rail; this unit can be used on the outside of the track also to eliminate any berm formed against the outside of the rail.

Before wetting and gluing my ballast down I sweep both inside and outside the rail with a soft brush in order to create a somewhat irregular pattern to the ballast. This step requires me to go back over the roadbed with the 1" length of Contraption #1 to remove any ballast from atop the ties but this time I do not apply any downward pressure.

[jim22]

rtpoteet, that sounds pretty cool.  How about posting some photos or a movie on youtube?

Where's spacemouse?  I think we need a ballasting invention design contest!!!  I have been wondering if something could be made out of a rail car to apply ballast, wet, and glue in a nice easy pass.  Of course, turnouts would be a problem.

I don't mind ballasting between the rails, but getting a uniform ballast appliction outboard of the rails is proving tough for me. 

Jim 

[fsm1000]

Some great advice here. If you also would like a mini video on how to apply ballast I have one on my website if you wish to see it.

 

Hope it helps:)

 

The link is here

http://fsm100.googlepages.com

and yes it is missing an 0 as it is a different website.