7mm Ballast, what do you use ?

[richard carr]

We are about to reach the point where the next big task on the layout is going to ballasting,.

It will be a mix of running lines, a goods yard and a diesel depot, so I was wondering what materials other people use for ballast ?

Thanks

Richard

 

[Dog Star]

Richard, @richard carr ,

We use solely Woodland Scenics products for (a) consistency of material, (b) availability, (c) range of granule sizes, colours and materials, (d) lightness (compared to, for example, granite) plus (e) colour seems to be non-fade.


We use the larger size granule to represent most recent ballast for passenger lines, through medium grade for secondary / mineral lines to fine grade for neglected yards. Choose the colour to suit your wishes, for example adding brown shades to the grey ballast gives the opportunity to "age" the "new" ballast. For some of our trackwork we have added trace material from the iron ore and limestone products as much of the PW in the FoD was ash and clinker waste from local iron foundries. OK so we have a fair number of opened packets, Scrufts is but a twinkle in the eye when compared to the real estate of Masborough.

Can send photos if that appeals to you.

regards, Graham

BTW - sleepers and timbers start as glossy/oily black for new creosote of new PW and migrate to silver grey in the vicinity of the buffer stops of the goods yard. If you can face the adventure, search out Games Workshop and enjoy the range of grey and metallic paints all of which are useful for weathered and rotting wood.

 

[michael080]

There are at least two manufacturers in Germany that provide a very good ballast material. The significant difference between these suppliers and others is the sharp edged appearence. See an example of my 7mm plank below.



Their webshops are Spurenwelten and Startseite . The example above is Koemo diabase ballast.
You will need google translator for their websites.

Edit: Simon is absolutely correct with his latex vs. PVA comment, my example is fixed with diluted latex.

Michael

 

[simond]

Granite from Javis.

Don’t use PVA, as it’ll go green, I use latex from Screwfix.



Atb
Simon

 

[Phil O]

There's a supplier called Atwood Aggregates, that attend various shows, that sell real stone ballast in various grades down to dust. The stone comes from various quarries in the southwest, that have been known to supply the railway with ballast, including Meldon. Obviously no current contact details due to the lack of shows and mail order is out of the question due to the weight.

 

[Scale7JB]

Interesting about the PVA vs Latex.

Does it flow any better than PVA , or still have quite a lot of surface tension?

JB.

 

[Oz7mm]

Richard

That takes care of the next year then.

There's a supplier I have recently become aware of called Natural Scenic up at Ely. Might be worth a look.

Natural Scenics Ltd

Regards

John

 

[DavidB]

Attwood Aggregates crush the real stuff from the quarry. However, they have only a Facebook page and shut down during Covid. According to posts on the Scalefour Forum, they are doing some orders but going to get going properly again in the New Year. An email to them will get you up to date information. There is a link to the email on the Gauge O Guild website.

 

[Focalplane]

Using real stone crushed to scale sizes can bring about a very different colour and texture depending on the rock. Granite, for example, will break down into its constituent minerals (clear quartz, white felspar, black mica if Dartmoor), you will still get the speckled appearance but it will be grain by grain. Basalt is a fine grained rock so will not have this problem. A study of the geology of the model's area will give a good indication as to what colour and texture to aim for. Dartmoor Granite is grey, Shap Granite is pink.

I use Woodland Scenics but also grind up cork sheet underlay leftovers in my blender, the cheapest form of ballast there is.

Ballast goes darker when glued down. This is rarely a problem as the colour is just the start before the weathering process.

This is my current recipe:

Birmingham Moor Street

It is a combination of several ballast colours plus the addition of some turf colours. It will be used as shown for my main line past Moor Street and will also be mixed down for the station itself. The entire area will be heavily weathered for late 1950's smoggy, sooty Birmingham.

 

[simond]

Interesting about the PVA vs Latex.

Does it flow any better than PVA , or still have quite a lot of surface tension?

JB.

John,

I find it very runny. I water it down maybe 2 or 3 glue to 1 water, and I pre-spray the ballast with a misting bottle with a tiny drop of washing up liquid to about half a litre of water.

I drop the glue on with a small polythene dropper bottle - probably around 50-100 cc - that MrsD got with hair colour in. The glue runs very quickly around the ballast, it’s very easy to see where it’s gone, and where you’ve missed, and it dries over a day or so.

In general it’s been fine, but I must have got it too watery in one spot, and had to go over it again.

hth
Simon

 

[Phil O]

Stoneycombe granite is pink and was used for a period through the '70s, on the western in parts of Devon and Cornwall.

 

[LarryG]

I use Woodland Scenics pale grey mixed with dark brown ballast in a large jar to give a speckled effect. For O gauge track I use OO ballast, and for OO I use N gauge. I use the glue, lay & ballast in one go method. It never turns green.

 

[simond]

Just for completeness, this is the stuff I used

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mapei-wall-floor-latex-plus-white-1-5kg/48884

atb
Simon

 

[simond]

I use Woodland Scenics pale grey mixed with dark brown ballast in a large jar to give a speckled effect. For O gauge track I use OO ballast, and for OO I use N gauge. I use the glue, lay & ballast in one go method. It never turns green.

I think there is a specific reaction between some real stone and PVA - the green tinge is very obvious if it happens.

 

[Osgood]

The consensus then is that Woodland Scenics ballast products are safe with PVA?
(Not that I am adverse to using Copydex-latexy-type stuff)

 

[simond]

The Mapei stuff does not smell of trawler!

I used woodland scenics, sand, coffee grounds & sieved garden earth with it too for ballast and more general ground cover

I tend to use pva for the static grass and lumpy stuff.

 

[daifly]

I have a vague recollection that WS ballast is made from crushed walnut shells so is unlikely to behave the same as natural stone material. Dave

 

[richard carr]

Thanks everyone for your replies so far, that has certainly given me something to think about.

A long time ago I did use sand from the beach (as I lived by the sea) this was put in a jam jar, powder paint was added and shaken. It was then laid and dilute pva added which set the paint off and it all worked quite well for N gauge.

Richard

 

[adrian]

I find it very runny. I water it down maybe 2 or 3 glue to 1 water, and I pre-spray the ballast with a misting bottle with a tiny drop of washing up liquid to about half a litre of water.

That's my experience as well and will always use latex, with extreme caution as it causes an anaphylactic reaction with my better half, using good quality stuff rather than the cheapest as it's less likely to cause a reaction.

I've never had any success with spraying or misting as I always seem to be able to disturb the ballast when spraying. Watered down I just add it using a dropper right on the shoulder edge of the ballast, capillary reaction simply drags it into the ballast. Also unlike PVA it doesn't set rock solid so I like to think it provides a little give and noise absorption but that is a purely subjective guess on my part to justify it's use!