Ballest

Modern track with welded rails generally has deeper and wider ballast than would have been the case with jointed bullhead track in LNER days. There are loads of photos to give you an idea. It would have varied by area and I can't help you with detail there.

Depending on the nnature of the line and its traffic it could be similar to the main line or just ash ballasted. A fairly common variant was an ash layer on top of the formation so it would show in the cess, then a thin ballast layer under the track.

In the steam era sidings were pretty universally ash ballasted, ash being a freely available by-product of the loco sheds. Stone ballast off the running lines was a rarity.

Keith

The ballest for the main running lines will be easy to do, but how to go about simulating the ash ballest may be a challenge unless there is a commercially available ash ballest or someone has a recipe for making some.

Bob

In message , Bob Heath writes

Try polyfilla. Sprinkle sand on it before it sets, then paint it all ash colour.

In America a company called Arizona Rock and Mineral grind all sorts of different kinds of stone into scale ballast, for modelling different prototypes. They also do an ash ballast.

Woodland scenics materials are readily available in the UK, distributed by Bachmann, and include Ash ballast, the fine grade does a good job for 4mm scale sidings. Keith

Thank you for the info It looks like the stuff I will be needing. Thinking of ash ballest led to thinking about the clinker and ash left after a BBQ. If it was any good, it would be a plentiful free supply. I will post something in the future if the idea works

Bob

Pulverised it should do I would think (towel, big hammer)

Mike

I did try the ash from smokeless fuel "ovoids". This is rather more gritty and substantial than the charcoal ash from a barbecue. I was quite pleased with the appearance, but not so pleased when the rails started to corrode. Won't do that again !

Duncan

Wood ash should do the job in terms of scale but as I remember it from the

1950s the ash and clinker ballast was a darker grey to almost black - Thats in the South Manchester area so some of the stuff may have been from local iron and steel works.

Mike

It should be less messy than BBQ remains but it is a good idea

The layout is not based on anywhere in particular and the time scale is not important in this case. I like the LNER in general and also like to see long trains on the move so am building this layout for that reason. However as I am going to the expense and time to do this I think it is worthwhile to do the labourious things, rusting the rails , ballesting etc to make the project more worthwhile visually

As well as the mess, there's the question of whether the BBQ remains would have the correct scale appearence. Oh, and your layout would most likely stink like... erm... an old BBQ. ;-)

What you could do is experiment with odd short-ends of whatever you're using for track bed and lengths of spare or scrap track and try the various techniques you're considering. Once you've found a method you think looks right, you can apply it to your actual layout without having to hack out a treatment you decide you don't actually like.

Probably wise. It is (IMHO) still worth nailing it down to a general area, though, because it will help you put together a general 'look' and your layout can look like it may well have been a real location.

My Dad's Castledale layout

for example, is mainly composed of buildings that actually existed in the North-East. The notional area is the Yorkshire and Durham dales. IIRC, the only building that wasn't in the general area was the station building itself. It's based on Morpeth, but fits well with everything else.

The trick with Castledale is that it's nominally ex-NER, and they tended to try to have designs that were either standard or based on existing buildings elsewhere in the system.

The long trains are as good a reason as any, and there's nothing quite like an A3 or A4 on the end of nine or so teak coaches. This is one of the main reasons my Dad decided to build Thorpe Thewles - although I do rather wish he'd picked a less obsucre location so that the research would be easier. ;-)

Whether exhibition layout or 'layout that never leaves home', it's always worth putting in the extra effort.