[sptrains.com]

Does anyone have a good way of ballasting track to roadbed where the ballast holds the contour nicely, and doesn't interfere with the operation of crossings and turnouts? I ballasted my track, but I'm just not satisfied with the results. It's going overtop of woodland scenics roadbed, and I've been unable to find a way to get the ballast to stick to the sides of that (on the slope) without heaping on tons of ballast and having the stone end up really wide. I also got some stuck in my crossings which has been a major pain to get out.

 

[ulf999]

I apply white glue with a brush on the slopes, then add ballast on the sides. When it's dry, I add more. The second layer 'sticks' to the first layer

 

[Lownen]

When applying white glue with a brush, you might want to thin it with water. 1 part water 1 part glue or 1 part water 2 parts glue should work well.

 

[sptrains.com]

Okay, I'll try that, I was using the wet water / dilluted glue through a spray bottle method but still getting some clumping. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Lownen]

Josh;

I didn't notice Woodland Scenics products in your scenery section. They have good books and videos on building scenery using their products.

 

[sptrains.com]

I'll have to work on the search then, we actually carry the full line of products and I used their grand valley system to construct my layout.

I'll see what I can do to improve the searching, it's always good to get feedback on what's not working. I'm in the process of rolling out a new wishlist feature on our site so people can save their favorite items and share them with friends and loved ones, so we get the things we want, and not another handy bundler!

 

[ntrainlover]

What i do is I put ballast down and spred it with a flat bristled paint brush and soak it many times in senic cement.

 

[alfalfa]

Good thread. :thumbsup:
I will not ballast for awhile and was wondering the same thing. I bought ballast and have been practicing with less than good results. I have plenty of glue.

 

[Boston&Maine]

Ahh, the joy of owning MTH RealTrax and having the ballast as part of the track

 

[sptrains.com]

Here's a picture of my ballast, not the worst thing ever, but definitely not perfect.

 

[Lownen]

Not bad at all, Josh.

Tell us about the train. I can't make out the loco wheel configuration. But it looks good with those vintage heavyweights. Who made the loco and cars... this is HO, right?

 

[sptrains.com]

Yes, they are ho. the engine is a proto2000 2-4-0 DCC a sound. Its my first steam engine and I use it to run sightseeing excursions. The cars I picked up at strausburg pa and are replicas of the heavy weights they have there.

 

[alfalfa]

Looks pretty damn good to me. :thumbsup:

 

[fsm1000]

It is not much but I have a video showing how I lay ballast that might be useful. It is on the main page of the Model rail section of my website. Hope it helps

 

[B.C.RAIL]

Ummm, what is ballasting??

 

[Boston&Maine]

Ummm, what is ballasting??

"Ballast" is the crushed stone that is laid around the ties which help give the rails and ties some structure... You can buy model track which already has ballast molded onto it, but some people like to make their own, hence the term "ballasting"

 

[B.C.RAIL]

Ooook rite, I see, well now I knowhwell:

 

[fsm1000]

Bob here is the link to my video. It might help
http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g144/fsm1000/Videos/?action=view&current=Ballasting101.flv

 

[rutlandville]

This is a big help. I'll be doing this chore right the first time! Using a brush to brush on the glue mixture is a great idea!

 

[stationmaster]

I spray the glue/water mix. I don't worry about cleaning the rails, as that would be done anyway because of weathering the track.

The cleaning is with a fine emery cloth attached to a wood block.