Ballest on Ez-Track

[bfelix]

I am thinking about Ballasting my Ez-Track. I know it is an art so I am worried that I will mess it up and it will look bad. I am just wondering what others think. Also I want to kind of make it weathered/Oil would you re comend mix different ballest colors together to get that look so you don't have to paint? Just looking for some suggestions...

[Doneldon]

bfelix-

You don't have to ballast EZ Track but it will look better if you do.

Woodland Scenics and others make several kinds of ballast; choose what works best for the area you are modeling or the look you want. You can go to a railroad's historical society's web site to learn what a specific prototype used or visit a local right-of-way to inspect it for yourself. Railroads typically used what was nearby (read: low shipping cost) for ballast. You can use the ready-to-go ballast or make a custom blend of colors. If you do that, keep a written record of what colors from which manufacturer you mixed and in what proportions. Otherwise, you'll never be able to duplicate it. You can ballast in stages because the ballast products are quite uniform in color and texture. Or, you can purposefully change colors to represent an area which has been replaced or newly laid. You might do this, for example, at the point where a spur has been added for a new customer (i.e., industry).

Basically, you spread your dry ballast on your track, go over it carefully to make sure it isn't on top of the ties (especially right next to the insides of the railheads), and then glue it in place with a mixture of white glue, matte medium or Mod Podge, plus water and a touch of dishwashing liquid (not for the dishwasher). Spray a little water with the soap first to dampen the ballast and prepare it for the adhesive mixture, and then use a large syringe or squeeze bottle to flow on the glue which is mixed about 50:50 with wet water (water with a few drops of detergent or soap to break the surface tension of the water). Flow the glue mixture onto the middle of the track until it begins to run out of the bottom of the ballast. Keep the ballast and glue well away from turnout moving parts. You can go back later to work on these carefully but major ballasting is not the time to ballast turnouts. Let everything dry overnight once you've placed and glued the ballast. Be aware that some modelers use alcohol for diluting their adhesive instead of water.

You begin to detail your track before you ballast. It's fairly simple though it can be time consuming. The first step should be to paint the web of your rails (the vertical part) a rusty grey/brown. You can spray the paint, use a brush (a long, soft bristle brush like the ones used for pin striping) or purchase paint pens which you use like a magic marker. Whatever you do, clean off the tops and inside surfaces of the rails so your paint doesn't interfere with electrical conductivity. Don't worry if you spray some paint on the ties or the plastic ballast contour. You won't notice the paint on the ties and the paint on the roadbed will be covered by ballast. A light spray or daubed, semi-dry-brush coat of oily black (after the ballast is fixed) will look like dripping oil and grease more-or-less down the middle of your tracks. You can add a light rinse of diluted rust over all (except the black) if you want to emphasize the rust accumulation on your track. Note that many modelers find it easier to paint their rails before it is attached to the layout. This is easily done while watching TV and can avoid a lot of painful bending over the train table. This last part is most meaningful to elderly model rails like me.

Railroads use less ballast on sidings and spurs. You can show this by letting side tracks gently descend to near or on your train board, if you have one. You'll need non-roadbed-attached track for this, and some balsa strips sanded into a long wedge shape. Yards and infrequently used industrial sidings have almost no ballast which you can model by putting your track right on the train table. Use very little ballast but paint the rails like on your mainlines. If you are modeling the steam era, or something close to it, you can use black ballast to represent the cinders which railroads often used in yards. (mainlines, too, at times.) Woodland Scenics sells cinder ballast or you can use dark gray sandpaper, like Tri-M-ite, to look like a cinder base. Remember to spray it with a matte coat because the sandpaper sparkles a little due to the abrasive.

You'll want to dull coat all of your track once you're finished with the detailing, ensuring that you get those electrical surfaces clean afterwards.  A dull coat is especially needed if you use colored chalks to weather and age your tracks but it's a good practice for any track and roadbed. Last, make tiny tie plates from paper, leave a few rails and broken, aged ties on the ground near the tracks, and make some rusty spikes by painting pieces of staples to represent the hardware that winds up on rights-of-way everywhere.

I hope this is helpful. As you can see, it isn't so much an art as it is using color and a few details to mimic the grungy, worn look of a working railroad.

                                                            -- D

[jward]

don't let others tell you differently. ballasting is not an art form. in fact it is one of the easiest things you can do to dress up your layout. the only two things you have to watch for are that you don't get ballast in your flangeways and points on your switches and crossings. other than that, it's as simple as you want it to be.

one thing you'll want to do is pre-wet the ballast before you glue it down. some recommend water with a couple drops of detergent added, misted over the ballast. that has never worked for me, i wet mine with rubbing alcohol applied with an eyedropper. once the ballast is sufficiently wet, soak it with white glue/water mixture. i thin mine to a 50/50 mix. don't try to run trains on it until the glue has dried overnight.

it's as easy as that.

[Balrog21]

This guy has some great vids. This one is how to ballast points. Worth watching!
http://youtu.be/bj04VA4cOo8

[bfelix]

Thanks for the tips and taking the time to tell me what your thoughts are.
How do you make the ballest look right around your switches and crossovers?

[bfelix]

ok so after I posted that I watched the video on points that was posted. Thanks for sharing and all the insight. still makes me a little nervous to do, but I do like the look of it..

[Pops]

Thanks guys, for the detailed description.
I feel more confident about trying it now.