John P
Active Member
Hah. That is very perceptive of you, because I did do considerable work on the ballast there, for exactly the reason you mentioned. The yard is done with Woodland Scenics fine gray ballast, but what I did with it was stain it in a 9x13 glass baking dish (which I do not use for food!) with some Minwax brand "Ebony" stain--the oil based, not water based, kind--diluted 4:1 with paint thinner. It's a smelly job, and the stain tends to make the ballast stick together in clumps. But it does give you a product that's uneven in texture and color, and just as you say, it's in between gray and black. Here's a picture from when I was doing the job (and it was in 2004! How we grow too soon old, und too late schmart!)
http://tmrc.mit.edu/progress/reports/2004/10/
The main line may have WS tan color ballast, but in some places I've experimented with staining gray ballast with Minwax water-based "Walnut" stain. That's more pleasant to deal with than the oil-based kind, but it turns out to be quite difficult to keep a consistent color. It's a pain in the neck and I don't recommend it! The yard, though, was worth doing.
If you try staining ballast, try not to let the stain soak evenly through the granules. The idea is to get a variety of tones, all mixed together after the stuff dries.
http://tmrc.mit.edu/progress/reports/2004/10/
The main line may have WS tan color ballast, but in some places I've experimented with staining gray ballast with Minwax water-based "Walnut" stain. That's more pleasant to deal with than the oil-based kind, but it turns out to be quite difficult to keep a consistent color. It's a pain in the neck and I don't recommend it! The yard, though, was worth doing.
If you try staining ballast, try not to let the stain soak evenly through the granules. The idea is to get a variety of tones, all mixed together after the stuff dries.