Laying Ballast

"Nick Davis" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@newspe.com:

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Use a very dilute solution, you don't need anywhere ner the 50/50 mix that's often advised, also add a *drop* of washing up liquid - your wife may be able to help on that score.

Then what I tend to do is make sure the ballast is how you want it then use a very fine spray to apply the glue/water/washing up solution - very gently misting the track. Continue this way until it's soaked through *then wipe the track clean* before the glue dries.

Alternatively use a plastic pipette or similar to drop the solution in place. This is the preferred method by the experts, however it takes to long for my tastes ... but it does mean that you can apply the solution in areas that are otherwise already sceniced without making a mess of work you've already done.

sheet that goes under wood flooring, stuck down with PVA. I painted roughly where the track would go with a pewter coloured acrylic, laid the track, then trimmed back to about 3/8? either side (the PVA holds the stuff in place, but allows it to be peeled of easily).

made a knobbly stone looking finish, and it provides some cushioning, but because the track is on top of it, it looks too bare.

bit of track. I tried applying the PVA and then the ballast, putting the ballast in place, and then applying the PVA, and even mixing the PVA and ballast. None really looks right, and I?ve ended up with bits of ballast stuck to the rails, so nothing would run.

First, paint the rails. Use a brownish-black mix. if unsure, go to trackside on a sunny day and take a few pictures of track and rail. Look for different locations, as track colours vary lot, eg, a main track looks different from a siding, etc. If you have an airbrush, it's fairly easy: spray sideways onto the rails. If not, use a small brush, and paint the sides of the rail. Don't worry about paint slopping onto the sleepers, they shouldn't be a uniform colour anyway. Wipe off the tops of the rails as soon as the paint has started to set up, but not more than an hour later. Caution around points: paint in the wrong place will interfere with electrical contact between points and running rails.

Then paint the sleepers a variety of colours (consult your photos). Use a plastic food container top as a palette, and squish out some acrylic browns, greys, and black, and mix, but not throughly - you want variations in colour. You needn't be precise about any of this, BTW. The ballast will unify the track.

The do the ballast:

a) Pour the ballast between the rails, and use a poly-foam brush to smooth it. Experiment on a shirt stretch first, so you get a feel for how much or how little to pour out. Do the same along the outside edges of the underlay. You won't need much.

b) Spray a mix of water + washing up detergent (a drop per 1/2l is about right) or water plus isopropyl alcohol (available at your local chemists as "rubbing alcohol" or some such.) You can use an empty, cleaned up Windex spray bottle (for example), or buy one. The detergent or alcohol will make the water soak into the ballast, which will then accept the bonding agent without beading up.

c) Prepare a mix of bonding agent, and use an eye-dropper or squeeze bottle to flood the ballast with it. One bonding agent is half-and-half PVA and water, with a drop of washing up detergent per 1/2l or so. Another is 2 parts PVA, one part water, and one part isopropyl alcohol. Another is thinned acrylic medium, as used by artists. Test the PVA mix, some brands set up hard as stone, which will turn the ballast into an excellent sound transmitter, which will in turn make your plywood base a wonderful amplifier of motor and gear noise. "School glue" usually sets up softer. the detergent and alcohol will make the agent flow into the ballast, and prevent beading up.

d) After everything has dried (it will take a day or so), clean glue off points, clean the rail tops, and run your trains.

e) You can darken the ballast with thin washes of browns and blacks, if necessary. (Consult your photos.) Dry brush an "oil streak" down the centre of the track. If you are modelling "today", dab small spots of glue here and there, and sprinkle shredded tissue etc, to make the track properly rubbishy. Sprinkle green flock around ,too - a lot of track is weed grown, especially sidings.

f) Now think about how you'll bring the rest of the layout up the same standard of realism as your track... :-)

Have fun!