Time for ballast...

[Angus Shops]

I was poking around in the LHS and came across a bag of Woodlands Scenics 'gravel', a product I was not aware of. It's intended for modelling gravel roads and such, but I bought a bag if 'fine grey' for a test patch on the layout. This product is a mineral material, not the usual ground walnut shells so it wets easily with ordinary water and stays in place. The 'fine' grade is seemingly perfect for N scale. There are only two colours available, buff and light grey, each in 'fine' and 'coarse'. The light grey might be a little too light for me and it could be a little greyer as it has a slight 'buffy' tone. There is a slight variation in the coloration of the individual particles, so it's not too monochromatic, but it avoids the 'salt and pepper' look. I might experiment with a little grey wash to see if I can nudge it a little closer to what I am aiming for, but otherwise I'm very satisfied.
So this begs the question: If WS can produce a quality mineral based gravel, why don't they produce a quality mineral based ballast, with a wider range of colours and textures?
Geoff

[craigolio1]

Search hash pipe mesh or screen on eBay. Comes in all kinds of sizes. Great for sifting.

[nkalanaga]

"Search hash pipe mesh"

Some places that could attract attention....

[Maletrain]

OK, I searched it, and found a lot of inserts for pipes of various sorts.  But, there was no description of the mesh size(s?).  Got any links that would help us use these things for their "undocumented" sifting purpose?

[MK]

They should give you a mesh size, e.g., "60 Mesh".  Then you can look it up here.

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/chemistry/stockroom-reagents/learning-center/technical-library/particle-size-conversion.html

[chuck geiger]

Out of the blue, I received a package from AR&M last night.  No note or correspondence from them since the order was placed, so I have no idea why I heard nothing for almost a month.  But, ballast is finally received.  I'll report back later on the color and texture.  First, I guess I need to rip out the ballast that I installed on about three or four feet of track.  Ugh.  If the trackwork wasn't complicated through there, I'd just rip up the track and replace it.

DFF

One month and change later, no ballast, several calls different reasons each time, Jane said it's coming, then son George who answers his cell phone on the top banner of their website said they would send it. If you can find it at a NHS (National Hobby Store) on line the shipping is more than the bag or bags.

[chuck geiger]

and boom...