Ballast on top of Woodlan Scenics incline?


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PIN DR

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I am using a couple of 2 degree Woodland Scenics foam inclines on my layout. Can anyone give me some ideas on how to ballast on those? Certainly, there will be no problem laying cork and track on them, but when I get to the ballasting I am trying to figure out how to do that without all the ballast along the edges of the cork just falling down into the gaps in the foam where it bends.

Do I need to put something over the top of the foam before laying the cork and track, or is there some method for doing this later?

As always, thanks for your help! I'd be lost without you guys!

Jeff
 
You can try using some lightweight spackle. In areas where the grade is too high vs. the base, you can probably stuff the gaps with newspaper before spackling to save on drying time (and spackle itself). I've heard of folks spraying small amounts of expandable foam (and I mean small - this stuff expands like crazy) into the gaps and then cutting the overflow level with the grade.
 
Yes light weight spakling is perfect for this. I have the WS incline sets, and I filled the gaps with light weight spakling I got from Home Depot. When it dries, it cracks, but you can cover those cracks easily with ground cover.

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Thanks guys, once again, problem solved! This forum and it's generous members are saving me tons of headaches by helping me solve problems ahead of time rather than having to go back and fix them. My benchwork is now done and I am almost ready to start laying track. Just need to get the final dimensions of a large bridge I am putting in and then I'll be able to finish the layout lines and start laying cork. Really looking forward to being able to actually run trains!

Jeff
 
Interesting. I tried downloading the instructions, but it's not working right now. Were you able to get the top of the inclines really smooth this way? I want the trackwork to go down as smooth and level as possible.

Jeff
 
Yes, it was really smooth, like everything else you just have to take your time. I did use their foam track bed, instead of cork, but I don't think that would make any difference.
I have attached a snapshot of the page, if you want the whole manual shoot me a PM

-Steven
 

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Go to Youtube and look up Woodland Scenics. They have some 1 hour long videos on their sub-terrain system, scenery, etc. Very good stuff to watch. They install the foam, then lay plaster cloth over the entire layout including the sub-roadbed. Then they lay the roadbed on top of the plaster cloth, then the track.

Hope this helps.
 
May I suggest an alternative? I took window screen material and put it down on top and sides of the incline. I put down cork roadbed and then the track. Instead of spackle, I used drywall compound and a spatula to shape the drywall compound to what I wanted for the incline.

I used gray paint as a primer until I decide on how to put in the scenery I want-i.e., funding becomes available. The window screening worked to hold the ballast in place while it dried.

Photoman475
 
There are a bunch of auctions on eBay for 4" plaster cloth. I plan to buy about 50 rolls of it. It's cheaper than the Woodland Scenic's stuff and I bet it works just as good. I thing in some places the 8" wide cloth is too wide anyway. And the 4" should be perfect for covering the sub-roadbed.
 
Cover the inclines with plaster cloth first, then the road bed, then the track. If you want to get real enthusiastic, you can run a thin layer of plaster over the top of the plaster cloth then sand it back down so it completely flat and smooth, thereby eliminating the "little" bumps that plaster cloth tends to cause.

Before laying the ballast though, cover your rails and give the cork and about a 1/4" either side of the cork a spray with 50/50 PVA/Water. That helps keep the ballast from falling off of the cork.
 
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