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No Mess Way Of Ballasting Track
Sohan wants to hear suggestions from readers on ballasting track:
“I’m finishing up my first permanent HO layout and I wanted to see if you guys had any tips on pouring ballast on the track evenly. My question is to find out how much I need because I have already started and in some areas it looks overdone or underdone. Most of the time the ballast sticks to the rails and I have to spend hours getting it off. I’m on a tight budget, so I can only afford having a can with few holes in the lid to spread ballast and spray-on glue to keep it down. Any tips or tricks?”
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2 Responses to No Mess Way Of Ballasting Track
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Sohan,
The method I use in applying ballast is this:
Cut or punch a small hole in the SIDE of a paper cup right at the base of the cup. About HALF the diameter of a pencil is a good size hole to start with though you may want to experiment first to get the flow rate you want. Place your thumb or finger over the hole and fill the cup with your ballast. With the cup over the track you wish to ballast, move your finger aside and let the ballast flow unto the track bed between the rails, moving the cup forward as it flows to get a fairly uniform application. Don’t be too fussy during this step.
Once the ballast is applied, place a finger between the rails and drag it so the ballast is pushed between the ties and the excess is spilled over the rails onto the outside of the track. Then, using a small paint brush, spread the ballast so that it is fairly even between the rails and along side the track. Don’t make this look too perfect because it isn’t that way in real life either. (Hint: If you have actual railroad tracks nearby, take a walk along the rails, paying attention to how the ballast looks and take a few pictures to refresh your memory).
Once the ballast is how you want it to look, take a hand sprayer (like an old Windex bottle) and fill it with water and a few drops of dish washing liquid. Gently MIST the ballast with the liquid from the sprayer so that you are just moistening the ballast. If the ballast beads up when you mist it, add a few more drops of dish washing liquid to the sprayer (this acts as a surfactant or wetting agent) and gently spray again. Avoid soaking or wetting down the ballast too much. You just want it slightly damp.
Next, make up a 50/50 mixture of white glue and water. You can get white glue at hardware or craft stores. One brand name is Elmer’s Glue although you can probably find a ‘no name’ white glue that is much cheaper. Using an eye dropper or similar application device, soak the damp ballast with the white glue mixture but avoid getting the glue all over the place. DO NOT use the glue near any turnout (or point if your from the UK) moving parts because they will become glued in that position permanently!! Leave the ballast dry and free around any areas where the track has to ‘move’.
Let the glued ballast dry over night. Finally, GENTLY vacuum the ballasted track to remove any unsecured ballast but not around the switch areas I mentioned. You may find a couple areas where the glue didn’t ‘take’ so you’ll have to go back to patch these areas but if you followed my directions carefully, you should have 95% completed coverage.
Hope this helps.
Geof in the US
I do the same for spreading ballast onto completed sections of track.
Its a bit of hit and miss however the trick I tried was small amount of ballast down the middle of the track, spread it with a brush, then spray soapy water before using glue in a spray bottle. The soapy water stops the clumping and as for over done/under done, try going small amounts in the first pass, let it set then come back and add more if it is looking sparse.