I just ballasted my first turnout and it still works. Honestly, I am a bit surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised, none the less.
Richard
Yes, a happy result. Like life, YMMV. I've got somewhere over a hundred, most were fine with the care I took in ballasting them, but a certain percentage will always seem to be a little aggravating. After several campaigns to deal with the problematic ones, I'm in good shape now.
The one thing that reliably helped was keeping ballast away from moving parts. Something that helps is to paint the roadbed a dark color, so bright light colors don't show through the ties. Makes it look good with just a dusting of ballast over things well below rail level.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Congratulations on your success. Pleasant surprises are the best kind.
As Mike suggested, paint the roadbed (at least under your turnouts) before laying your track. There are some textured paints that look much like ballast or just get a plain color that matches your ballast.
Have fun,
Whatever you do, don't get ballast on the insides of the rails - - - ugh.
And place a drop of light oil on all moving parts of the turnout before gluing the ballast in place.
Rich
Alton Junction
Don't you love it when a plan comes together?
After taking a close look at a few prototype turnouts in my friendly, neighborhood industrial district I noticed one odd thing. The headblock ties were set ON the ballast, not IN the ballast. All the other ties were ballasted to the tie top, but the bottom edges of the headblock ties were clearly visible. Other than the throw rod and its linkage to the switchstand, the only thing between those two long ties was air.
I paint the track template that's part of my hand-laid turnout pckage with grey rattle can primer to get that effect.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - to Union Pacific 21st century turnout standards)
mlehman . . .Something that helps is to paint the roadbed a dark color, so bright light colors don't show through the ties. Makes it look good with just a dusting of ballast over things well below rail level.
. . .Something that helps is to paint the roadbed a dark color, so bright light colors don't show through the ties. Makes it look good with just a dusting of ballast over things well below rail level.
Newbie luck strikes again. (Or rather, reading first pays off.) I had painted the rails, ties, and roadbed Railroad Tie Brown before ballasting and it really did make a big difference.