What's sliming my ballast?

[Chris333]

Use real limestone.

[Angus Shops]

I’ve tried the sanded grout ballast method on my layout and found that the only sanded grout blends I could purchase here (in Canada) are ‘polymer modified’. The result was that the ballast would not wet easily and developed a milky slime in the water that puddled on top of the track/ballast. Other than the colour of the slime that resulted it looks and sounds fairly similar. Assuming the problem was the polymer component of the grout mixture I checked around at a couple of tile supply shops and found that a grout blend without the ‘polymer mod’ was not available and I gave up on the tile grout ballast technique.

[wazzou]

...I gave up on the tile grout ballast technique.

Should be a trend. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Doing a bit of research and came across this: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2263749/help-shower-floor-grout-turning-blue-green

[Ed Kapuscinski]

...I gave up on the tile grout ballast technique.

Should be a trend. 

Such haters! lol

The funny thing is that this wasn't an issue on the old layout, and I think that looked fantastic. I just need to figure out WTF is up here. But I think the brains are onto something with acidity.

[peteski]

The funny thing is that this wasn't an issue on the old layout, and I think that looked fantastic. I just need to figure out WTF is up here. But I think the brains are onto something with acidity.

Are you saying that your old layout was sweeter? 

Seriously, what is different between the old and new?

[Angus Shops]

Should be a trend. 


Such haters! lol

The funny thing is that this wasn't an issue on the old layout, and I think that looked fantastic. I just need to figure out WTF is up here. But I think the brains are onto something with acidity.

I liked the look, both on your layout, which is why I tried it, and what I was eventually able to achieve on my test section, but the ‘milky slime’ made the application a real PIA. I planned to use it only on secondary track (yards and such) and it actually looks pretty darn good.

I’m still convinced my trouble with the grout method stemmed from the polymer component

[Dupesy]

Ed, out of curiosity, how old is the atlas flex?  I bought 4 cases less than a year ago, and in one case found a couple pieces of flex that had some corrosion on them.  While i was able to cut out those sections and use the smaller pieces, I'm wondering if Atlas got some rail with improper composition.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ed, out of curiosity, how old is the atlas flex?  I bought 4 cases less than a year ago, and in one case found a couple pieces of flex that had some corrosion on them.  While i was able to cut out those sections and use the smaller pieces, I'm wondering if Atlas got some rail with improper composition.

ThTs a good question.

I’ve got such a stash of the stuff there’s no telling when it’s really from.

[nkalanaga]

I've had Micro Engineering rail turn green twice, for different reasons.

The first was my fault, back in the 70s.  I got some nice white sand, perfect for ballast, and used it on a test/display track.  After a few years the rails turned green, and the steel spikes rusted literally to nothing.  I hadn't thought of the results of using Gulf Coast beach sand.  It worked for a couple years - in the very low humidity of southeastern Washington.  Not so well in eastern Kentucky's soggy climate.

The second was not my fault.  Our old house, where the first track corroded years before, became infested with mice.  For that, and structural, reasons, we abandoned it and bought a manufactured home.  I had a small railroad in my bedroom, and in one section, a mining area, built of Styrofoam (beadboard) slabs, with sand and plaster over it.  The mice got into that, hollowed it out, and set up camp.  Their urine corroded the track the same way salty ballast did.

Ironically, I had named the mining area Moria.  It truly did have monsters in it!

[Angus Shops]

I've had Micro Engineering rail turn green twice, for different reasons.

The first was my fault, back in the 70s.  I got some nice white sand, perfect for ballast, and used it on a test/display track.  After a few years the rails turned green, and the steel spikes rusted literally to nothing.  I hadn't thought of the results of using Gulf Coast beach sand.  It worked for a couple years - in the very low humidity of southeastern Washington.  Not so well in eastern Kentucky's soggy climate.

The second was not my fault.  Our old house, where the first track corroded years before, became infested with mice.  For that, and structural, reasons, we abandoned it and bought a manufactured home.  I had a small railroad in my bedroom, and in one section, a mining area, built of Styrofoam (beadboard) slabs, with sand and plaster over it.  The mice got into that, hollowed it out, and set up camp.  Their urine corroded the track the same way salty ballast did.

Ironically, I had named the mining area Moria.  It truly did have monsters in it!

Ewww, gross!

Ive never considered the possibility of mice infesting foam scenery, but evidently it has happened. Makes my choice of plaster cloth on window screening seem wise…

[wazzou]

I’ve never fully understood the fascination with grout.
I think it has its place, but IMO, ballast is not it.
You’ve shown the lengths you’ve gone to in painting ties and weathering the rail but how much effort and repainting will it take to pick all of the grout from the web of the rail and to repair the paint that’s inevitably chipped in that process?

This is AR&M.






I don’t or rarely ever need to clean up any stray ballast that’s floated above the ties or into the web of the rail.
I certainly don’t have to deal with the fog of grout adhesive.

I do admire your commitment.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That stuff does look really good.

But I love the accessibility of the grout. I don't have to find a shop with it or order online. Just go to home Depot and there it is.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

In experimentation news, I tried using the same grout mix on similar track without glue.

I did get it nice and wet though, and there was no oxidation.

That said, I also left it outside in the sun so it dried fast. I'm going to try a version inside to see what happens with a longer "soak".

[wm3798]

Having set a couple of tile projects over the past several years, I can tell you that what's available at the Big Box store today is NOT the same stuff you were buying several years ago.  The newer grout is designed to set faster and clean up easier, so less skilled workers can be paid less to use it. (My theory, anyway).  Also, other empirical evidence includes pallets of old style grout showing up en masse in ReStore donation centers.

In other words, the girl you fell in love with may have turned into a real harpy.

It will be interesting to see what the scientific method reveals...

Lee