Ballasting: I need a Working Tamper and Regulator

[Jesse6669]

Not talking prototype, but model..

One of my frustrations with small scale (Z or even N) track is getting the ballast to look "neat" before wetting/gluing.  I wish I had a tiny working tamper/regulator to go down the track...

Dumping the ballast is easy enough, but getting good shoulders at a 30-45 degree angle, and keeping the tiny stones off the top of the ties or out of the web of the rail is..a pain in the hind-quarters.  Using a brush feels ham-fisted to me--it moves too much ballast.   I don't need it to be perfect but I'd like it to be neater and easier to achieve than my tests--and a whole (small) layout is far more work than a 6" test track.  I'm trying different things; I thought about using a tiny blower or a very low-powered vacuum..  Complicating matters somewhat, I'm using grout sand--which I think looks great for Z ballast but is really fine. 

Does anyone have any pro tips or tricks?  Suck it up and do it? 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is one of my favorite aspects of grout. When you get it wet it settles prototypically.

[Scottl]

Still not convinced about grout as ballast in all situations as the cement and fines get on the ties.

The tamper idea made me think, could the same process work with model stone ballast?  Some kind of vibration to shake it all down (cue the vibratory jokes, this is TRW after all).

[dem34]

I've been messing around the last few days with a 3D PrintedBrush holder car. I recall there was a company in Germany that made them but I can't find it anymore. But Most of the problems I personally have is with Kato Unitrak with how shallow the relief for ties is. So if the brush dips too low it tends to just fling the ballast back onto the ties. So the idea of the car is to essentially just be a sled that holds a paint brush at a fixed height that can be adjusted zip ties. So a couple passes knock everything off the ties without leaving the center of the rail ties empty and requiring painting a unifying ballast color.

[jargonlet]

I’ve used these ballast blocks for years in multiple scales. It gives a nice shoulder and makes ballasting so much easier. Bachmann makes them now but I think mine are the older proses.

https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=6236

[sschnabl]

Here's an article from MR about how Cody Grivno ballasts track, making sure ballast stays off the ties and rail web as well as achieving a good looking profile on the shoulders.  I know all the photos are HO, but I think the results are obtainable in N and Z with smaller brushes.


https://www.trains.com/mrr/how-to/expert-tips/tips-for-successful-ballasting/



Scott

[mu26aeh]

To get loose granules off the tie tops, I just tap along the railhead with a brush handle or similar allowing the vibration to move them.  Gets most of the job done.  What's left over I wait until the glue has dried and come back with a utility knife blade and scrape quickly back and forth removing anything in it's path

[Ed Kapuscinski]

NGL, I've often wondered if a "personal massager" would be useful in situations like this, but I've never had the courage to buy one to find out.

[garethashenden]

Dumping the ballast is easy enough, but getting good shoulders at a 30-45 degree angle

I've been thinking about making my own version of a Jordan Spreader. Bit of styrene sheet with two groves for the rails, then the desired ballast profile on one side. Just push it along the tracks and achieve the desired profile in the same way as the prototype.

[chessie system fan]

NGL, I've often wondered if a "personal massager" would be useful in situations like this, but I've never had the courage to buy one to find out.

But there was someone on the old Atlas forum who did! I'm surprised you don't remember that. 

From what I recall of the video he posted, it seems like more work than the tap on the track method.

[MK]

"Honey, it's for the trains in the basement!"
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"Really!"

[dem34]

They make paint shakers now that do the same thing but still come with the suspicious noise.



Great way to turn heads at the group miniature painting session. We briefly thought the manager brought the Lovense she was trying to sell the week before.

[mmagliaro]

I'm glad other people have this problem getting the ballast granules off the ties.  I thought it was just me.
Even with a small paint brush or foam brushes, I find that I end up putting ballast granules back ON the ties while I'm
getting most of it off.  No matter what, I always end up going along the recently ballasted section with tweezers,
picking pieces of ballast off one at a time.  I ballast about 3 feet of track at a time.  It really only takes a few minutes
to go down the line with tweezers to do this.  It's just the act of having to do it that is so maddening.

[BCR 570]

I find that a small flat brush followed by my finger works well for removing ballast from tops of ties.

Tapping the rail with something heavy like a screwdriver does a good job of settling the ballast down.


Tim

[TravelingCarpenter]

Ballasting can be a pain,, I don't like to do it all. I would rather have teeth pulled with a pair of rusty pliers.

While perusing the interwebs I came across the Bexhill Ballast Vacuum. I am a very satisfied customer. The inventor is from the UK, but a gentleman here in conus has them available for purchase.

Here are some pics done on Atlas CD55 track.




TC