ballasting HO track


BigE

BigE

Active Member
So as not to further hijack the "Now I understand" thread, I'll start anew.
I've been asking how much ballast I'll need to do my 80' of HO track on beveled cork roadbed with 10 turnouts and one cross-over.
Having no responses anywhere I've asked, I called MB Klein to ask those always helpful fellers.
I'm wanting to get the Woodland Scenics B1393 fine gray-blend shaker.
The guy I talked to didn't know but asked his buddy sitting next to him.
He says I could get 9-10' from one shaker.
Gees!!! Really??
Holy ballast Batman! That's going to be near $100 + plus a bunch of shipping because I doubt it's all that light.

Is this information correct?
Surely they make this stuff available in larger bulk like a 5lb sack like kitty litter making it a little easier on the CC.
E.
 
If you watch their video on ballasting, they are quite liberal with the stuff. I applied my ballast with a small spoon or small bottle with a tip cut big enough for the grains and applied it only between the rails and on the edges at the tie ends. Also, if you have the cork roadbed depends on how much you pile over that.

One bag lasted me several years and then I went to natural ballast made from sorted granular material.

I also used the kitty litter and picked out the larger chunks with a tweezers. Arm and Hammer was the brand. The color is real good but it is on the large size. It would work, however, to put a base of the kitty liter down and cover it with a fine coat of Woodland Scenics fine.
 
My guess is that 3 containers would work just fine if not applied too deep or beyond the roadbed.

Greg
 
logandsawman said:
If you watch their video on ballasting, they are quite liberal with the stuff. I applied my ballast with a small spoon or small bottle with a tip cut big enough for the grains and applied it only between the rails and on the edges at the tie ends. Also, if you have the cork roadbed depends on how much you pile over that.

One bag lasted me several years and then I went to natural ballast made from sorted granular material.

I also used the kitty litter and picked out the larger chunks with a tweezers. Arm and Hammer was the brand. The color is real good but it is on the large size. It would work, however, to put a base of the kitty liter down and cover it with a fine coat of Woodland Scenics fine.
Click to expand...

My problem with kitty litter is it makes me sneeze terrible bad. Only thing I'm allergic to is stupid, lazy, and closed minded people who refuse to better themselves in one way or another. That's another matter.
Of course they are going to apply it liberally. That means you need to buy more of it.
I'm sure the "glue people" would tell you not to dilute it all so as to have to buy plenty more of their stuff as well.

I just feel I need to get some more "stuff" going on. Scenery or otherwise. I'll re-do some wiring and replace some yard light tomorrow. I did run the trains while I was up there - a couple dozen times and nothing new about that. One of my So. Pac. cars had all it's window fall out. I put those back in.

It really has been near about 40 years since I've done any scenery work.
The wreathing powders are on their way tomorrow. I've never done that at all.
E
 
Eric,

I have 75' of track work on my layout and wasn't too shy with the ballast. I used "almost" 2 bottles of medium ballast over foam track bed. I'd imagine that 2 bottles (shakers) would be enough for 80', especially if you have bridges and tunnels, that I didn't ballast as I saw no need for it.

Some where on the forums I detailed exactly how I did my ballasting as well if your interested - think there is a video as well.
 
wombat457 said:
Eric,

I have 75' of track work on my layout and wasn't too shy with the ballast. I used "almost" 2 bottles of medium ballast over foam track bed. I'd imagine that 2 bottles (shakers) would be enough for 80', especially if you have bridges and tunnels, that I didn't ballast as I saw no need for it.

Some where on the forums I detailed exactly how I did my ballasting as well if your interested - think there is a video as well.
Click to expand...

No tunnels or bridges here. I did order 2 shaker bottles of fine yesterday. We'll see how far that goes.
Find me that video if you can. I'd like to see it. The more input the better in my mind.
E.
 
Go to Home Depot or maybe a cheaper local supplier/hardware store and purchase a bag of sharp sand...or landscaping sand. It's cheap, clean, and you can get it in a variety of colours. I use local beach sand, rinsed to get crud or salt deposits out of it, dried, magnet passed over the stuff spread thinly on a cookie sheet, and then placed on my rails.

Based on my ten years of reading ballasting threads here and there, kitty litter is to be avoided. I has clay in it and will possibly look horrible once you wet it.
 
Considering myself lucky as the LAJ Rwy ballast looks more like an afterthought. Probably parent company Santa Fe had a hopper nearby they wanted to empty. There's no real roadbed anywhere except to cross a minor drainage to the LA River. The LAJ is located on a very wide river flood plain w/ very little topographic variation. If you want to know if your ballast is to scale, take a human figure & stick the feet in it. If you ballast is larger than 1/3 of that foot it's TOO LARGE! Have seen layout pix of dirt roads that look like small boulders & not dirt.

3 LAJ LEAD BALLAST.bmp.jpg

2 LAJ #1 ON THE ROAD.bmp.jpg
 
take a human figure & stick the feet in it. If you ballast is larger than 1/3 of that foot it's TOO LARGE!

So well put, thanks Andy. Never thought of it that way.
 
Easier that I found out: imagine a piece of that rock in their hand.
If it's bigger than a [scale] baseball then it's too big.
In the end, doesn't matter. What do YOU want? Go with it.
I waffled on this for months.
 
Forum:

Just as a suggestion that I thought of when you mentioned kitty litter, oil dry can make a great talus. It with takes white glue well and maintains its color. A bag lasts forever.

Thanks.

Greg
 
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