New to this forum

[unittrain]

just found this forum and hope to be posting pics of my late 70's chessie set up I have a few
scratchbuilt bridges and stuff to show I'm currently setting up the rest of the bench work and
I'm starting to lay my freshly weathered track and having a awful time trying to ballast the
track where it looks good! I'm using Woodland Scenics medium ballast after trying the fine and it was terrible! But the medium still clumps any ideas would be appreciated. Pics will be coming by weeks end of
the first module.

[Mark5]

Welcome!

Personally I like real rock for ballast. Others may disagree. 

Mark

[John]

Welcome to the forum

I use masking tape to make sure the ballast is nice and neat ..

I also wet the ballast with a mist of windex, until it is good and moist ... then dribble on a 50/50 water white glue solution .. use fine ballast .. looks good ..

[up1950s]

Welcome Unittrain .

[tom mann]

Clumping is not due to size, it is due to the fact that the ballast isn't wet thoroughly.  Do this:  mix alcohol and water (the windex that John uses sounds good, too) and mist the ballast like heck with a nice sprayer.  Don't spray the ballast directly, let the mist rain down to avoid shifting the ballast.  Then, using a dropper, dribble on matte medium.  This will work for you, with a little practice. 

Welcome aboard!

[wm3798]

You're doing N scale right?  When you say "Woodland Scenics medium" are talking about the color, or the size of the ballast?  The medium ballast is way too big for N scale.

I use a blend of grey craft sand and WS fine ballast with reasonably good results.  I use the old reliable 20% white glue, a drop or two of dish soap, and warm water to hold it down.


My suggestion would be to use one big rock, smash all that Chessie nonsense, then start over modeling a real railroad. ;D

Welcome to Railwire... that's just my odd way of welcoming Chessie fans...

Lee

[Mark5]

My suggestion would be to use one big rock, smash all that Chessie nonsense, then start over modeling a real railroad. ;D

Welcome to Railwire... that's just my odd way of welcoming Chessie fans...

Lee

Lee isn't bitter about the cat though (that's what his therapist says anyway ...)

[Pomperaugrr]

Welcome aboard. 

I'll agree with those that said to go with real stone ballast.  I have had good luck with Woodland Scenics fine ballast though, in the past.  Use the alcohol or windex as stated, then hit it with the water/glue or diluted matte medium.  When using Woodland Scenics ballast, if you are modeling in N scale, use fine.  If you are modeling in HO, also use fine.  You can also mix shades to get a more realistic coloration of prototype ballast.

There is a great group of modelers here.  I have learned much and am still learning, even though I have been a model railroader for over 30 years.  You will enjoy your time here.  Be open to new ideas and don't pre-judge anything.  You won't be disappointed!

Eric

[ljudice]

Give a try to the Scenic Express "real stone ballast" - although I do use the #40, which is the small HO scale ballast. I find n-scale ballast picks up a pattern and ends up looking like cat litter (oops sorry to Chessie haters), instead of rock. I just don't think it scales properly, but
others may disagree!

Lou

[Nato]

 Welcome to the group (Forum).  Correct me if I'am wrong but isn't the Woodland Scenics ballist made from crushed Walnut Shells? I have been usuing Arizona Rock & Minerals Ballist with good results, sometimes with a bit of real dirt from the modeled local mixed in. Highball probably makes the nicest ballist with the finest texture that I have see in N Scale.                                                                  Ntae Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[chuck geiger]

Good to have you on board!

[Chulvis]

Welcome to Railwire. Home of the original a$$hat. You'll like it here.

[cv_acr]

Welcome to Railwire. Home of the original a$$hat. You'll like it here.

It's like a train wreck. It's somewhat horrifying (Have you seen the chulvis image header yet?), but you .... can't.... look....away....
There's just something about Tom Mann's head looking back at me from the header that is mesmerizing...

[unittrain]

Thanks for all the help I'll be giving some of this a try this weekend. I'll post some pics let you see
how it turns out. To the cat bashers remember the lion is the king of the jungle an it is a cat! ;D
I do have some Conrail, Penn Central and Erie Lackawanna units too The town I grew up in
Has the former Pennsy Pittsburg to Cleveland line, The former B&O New Castle sub-division, the
Erie Lackawanna mainline (now abandoned pretty much) and a former Nickle Plate single track
line which is now W&LE. Alot of railroading here in Kent Ohio so I try to be alittle diverse with
the locomotive fleet, But most of my power is Chessie and its predecessor lines. I'll have some
pics up by the end of this weekend of some of the stuff I've built.

[Chris333]

Kent, cool. I have some video of Erie and EL taken from the yard's light tower at Kent. Franklin Mills was re-named Kent after Marvin Kent brought the Atlantic & Great Western (Erie) through town.