What brand of ballast do you use and what is it made of (crushed wallnut shells, real stone etc) I`m modeling the PRR eastern area in HO so what color mainline and yard ballast do you recommend? I`d like to use a ballast made of crushed real stone.
Bob D As long as you surface as many times as you dive you`ll be alive to read these posts.
Bob
I used Woodland scenics ballast on my main lines. Its made from crushed walnut shells and dyed. On my sideings and yards I used finely siffted sand. If you use any type of crushed stone make sure you run a strong magnet through it first. You would be surprised how much metal comes off rock crushers and loader buckets.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
Bob--
I'll go with Pete on the crushed stone--DEFINITELY run a magnet through it several times before you use it.
I use WS regular and fine on my Yuba River Sub--dyed crushed walnut shells. Main reason is that some of my locos still have open-frame motors and the magnets attract any kind of iron oxide. However it sets very well on the tracks using thinned white glue and 'wet' water.
Can't help you on colors for the Pennsy, since I'm modeling California crushed granite. If this is any help, I use a mixture of light gray, dark gray and cinders on my main line, and more earthen colors for my yards. But for my particular needs, I like the WS ballast a lot.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I use Highball Products ballast. This is real crushed stone and comes in many colors. For the L&N in Kentucky, I custom blend a mix of HO scale "Limestone", HO scale "Light Grey" and N Scale "Cinder" in about a 4-2-1 ratio. You can blend whatever is needed to match prototype pictures of the PRR in the era you're trying to duplicate.
Robby Modeling the L&N CV Subdivision in 1978 http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/robby-ky/CV%20Subdivision%20Layout/
I use Woodland Scenics gray medium ballast. I don't really know what it's made of, or if it's real or not. It's light weight, and diluted white glue seems to hold it really well, so it seems to be a very porous material.
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