HOW TO APPLY BALLAST
BASIC INFORMATION
Many people ask me how to apply ballast even if they have done it before.
They must not be satisfied how theirs turned out so the very best way will
be presented here. I use several techniques and each one has an advantage
over the other as the desired effects or the situations vary. A neat looking
roadbed is a major accomplishment and very satisfying to look at when finished.
The best rule of thumb is to apply it slowly and carefully. Each step is
very important to follow because “now”, you will be in control
of its finished appearance. It takes extra work to “fix” areas
where the ballast is to thick and mounded up. This problem is going to happen
in places where we didn’t mean too anyway. I’ll show you how to
“re-groom” a disaster. Study all the techniques we have introduced
in the text and then evaluate the various options presented.
Getting started
Cut a corner off the package. Sprinkle it right from the package directly
to the roadbed. The four mil Poly package is ridged and will not collapse
when you work with it. Keep the opening about four inches or less from your
work. Shake the bag back and fourth and parallel to the roadbed as you tip
it. Apply only enough to cover the area. You can always add some more later
and you will have to anyway because of random bare spots after wetting and
gluing. If you get to much on the ties, (knuckle head), stop!
Grooming around the ties
Use a stiff brush to move the extra down the line. There will still be a
few grains on the ties and rail flanges. Tap the rail tops with the brush
handle to bounce these stubborn particles away. Your can then wipe the tie
tops with your finger tip to remove the rest.
For track without roadbed
This applies to all track without roadbed such as industrial sidings, yards
or even mainlines. If you want the ballast to be perfectly flat beyond the
ties, lift the package up a little higher while sprinkling. This will disperse
the grains further and help eliminate mounds. A piece of paper can be used
as a guard where the ballast line stops against other scenery.
Fixes
A big mound of ballast maybe to big too feather out so, just scoop it up
with a spoon and remove it. Those little unwanted mounds occur in places
where I don’t want them. I use a small piece of news paper and drag
it over the mound back and forth to feather it out. What ever you use, it
will leave a mark. Your fingers will leave prints and a brush will leave
furrows. The best way to erase these marks is by tapping the bench work
from below with a hammer to flatten them out.
Ballasting with roadbed
Split cork roadbed always has a rough burr that needs to be sanded smooth.
Other roadbeds such as Homosote need to have the sharp edges sanded round.
If the track is not centered on the roadbed, plan on using more ballast
to make it even from side to side.
Start ballasting from the bench work up to the top of the roadbed first.
This allows the lower grains to become a foundation for the grains that
pile up on top. If you ballast from the top down, the rocks pick up speed
on the sloped roadbed and make a mess as they bounce all over. Now you can
ballast around the ties as we mentioned before.
Grooming
Wherever the ballast is uneven along the sloped bank, drag a piece of news
paper over it to grade it. You may even have to drag material from bottom
to the top. Sprinkle more ballast only to even out your repair marks.
Ballasting with two or more colors
Western railroads are notorious for re-ballasting with different colors
over the years. You can see different color bands in the roadbed as a result
of this. Begin by applying an earth product on the bench work up to both
sides of the roadbed. Start applying the lowest color along the base of
the roadbed and cover it up to the top edge of the slope. Apply the second
color around the ties but don’t let it spill down the slope and mix
into the other ballast. Three colors can be done the same way, however a
taller roadbed such as Homosote makes it easier.
Wetting
All dry scenery material should be wetted before bonding. We add a few drops
of liquid dish soap to a quart of water as a dispersant. This helps the
water flow thought the material evenly and thoroughly. The material needs
to get wet right down to the base. The wetting operation prepares the material
for accepting the bonding material.
Some modelers prefer to use rubbing alcohol or photo flow as a wetting agent
because they are of a lower viscosity than water. This means that it’s
less likely to leave “pot holes” in the dry ballast.
How to wet
Eye dropper method. It is very easy to disturb the ballast with even a drop
of water.
1. Start wetting the ballast by dropping water on the ties. The water will
slowly run off them and into the ballast. You will see the water spread
out into the dry ballast
2. Now you can drop water where ever the ballast is already wet. Do about
a foot of track until all the ballast is wet.
Spray bottle
1. Use a spray bottle that gives a fine mist. Hold the nozzle about a foot
away and start spraying in a sweeping motion. The one foot distance allows
the sprayer to disperse the water into a mist without blasting the dry ballast.
2. Some nozzles will sputter water drops just as you pull the trigger. Start
the spray action where the ballast is already wet and then move it over
the dry ballast.
3. Continue spraying until the ballast is soaked.
Before you bond it
Take a good look at the wet ballast. If you are not satisfied with the neatness
of it, stop! Allow it to dry out and then “fix it” while you can.
Bonding materials
White glue
One part white glue and three parts water is the most economical type of
bonding agent. I mix up a batch in a pint bottle and use it for all scenery
work. It sets up very hard and will even amplify the train wheel sounds
to the bench work. Have you ever heard a quiet train? White glue can be
softened by wetting the area with water. Now you can make any changes with
the track work if necessary later one.
Matte Medium
Matte Medium can be purchased in art supply stores. It is more water resistant
that white glue, however, the cost can be several times more. Some modelers
use it because they want less “sound board” effect while running
trains.
Granular glue
Some modelers like to pre-mix dry glue into the ballast. All you have to
do is spread it in place and then wet it. “Weldwood” powdered
glue will cure “water proof”. One disadvantage is that the ballast
may leave depressions as the glue dissolves while wetting. The major problem
is that once you “wet” it, you can’t fix it anymore.
Bonding
The same bonding method is used for “white glue” or “matte
medium”. Wet ballast is fairly stable and is not disturbed like dry
ballast during the bonding process. Spray bottles get glue on the rails
and make clean up more difficult. I have found that an eye dropper is a
safer tool to use for “N” & “HO” Fine ballast. Start
out by dripping over the ties and then out to the edges of the roadbed.
You can see the milky color from the glue seep into the wetted ballast.
This is how you can tell where you need to apply more bonding agent.
HO Mainline and Large Scale ballast is bigger rock so you can apply the
bonding agent faster. An eye dropper is still the safer tool to avoid making
those “pot holes.” You can use a 6 or 12 oz. bottle with a small
extended tip and just stream the glue on between the ties. Now you can finish
the sloped area the same way.
Touch up
Once the ballast is wet, look at it for excessive mounds. They will still
be there when it dries and hard to fix. Use your finger to pat it smooth
and then leave it alone to dry. Hopefully this problem exist in only a few
places at the most because you don’t want the finished job appearing
with a lot of finger prints. Let it dry and then lightly scrape away the
loose grains sticking out and then re-ballast the area lightly and re-bond.
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