Ballasting and updates
Here are some shots of the ballasting I have done and are in the process of finishing:
Update of the fenced area with proposed house in place:
For those interested, the way I do my ballasting is a s follows:
Firstly I make sure the area to be ballasted is clean and free from obstacles
I then run a line of Ballast down between the rails, not too much as the ballast needs to spread
I then use a 1/2" soft, long bristled artist brush to spread the ballast between the rails down to the level of the ties
I then use an eye dropper to soak the ballast with 91% alcohol
Next is dripping a mix of white glue and water (50/50) down the center of the rails
I will then wait for a few minutes for the glue to settle then use a model knife to re-position any ballast that moved during either the alcohol or glue phase
A couple of things to remember though.
I only run out the ballast over about a 12" section at a time. That ballast will spread out to around 16" to 18" if kept between the rails.
When spreading the ballast, keep the brush vertical and don't push down on it, let the weight of the brush do most of the work. You will probably have to brush over the ballast 3 or 4 times to get it down to the level of the ties. When spreading it, try to spread it from the rail to keep any pieces from building up on the inside of the rail. Any ballast that does can be removed after you have laid the glued
When ballasting the outside of the rails, use the same method; however, once you have laid the glued wait a minute or two then gently push any ballast back toward your road bed. I use a piece of HO scale sheet to do that and to shape the ballast to conform with the shape of the road bed.
Once everything has dried, I give mine 24 hours, I will go back over the area with the brush to remove any loose pieces OR to add a little more ballast where it may have fallen out or come away from the road bed.
The essential thing is to work in manageable lengths of track, to work slowly and to ensure that NO BALLAST gets lodged on the insides of the rails.
Doing turnouts or points is the same as described above, if you do them at all. Sometimes I will, other times I wont. Things to remember when ballasting points though:
Ensure there are NO obstructions between the point rails and the main track.
Ensure that ballast is cleaned out from the frog area and the guide rails
Once your points have been ballasted, ensure that your points still MOVE. If they don't, wait for the ballast to dry then use a little water or alcohol over the tie bars then move the tie bars back and forth until they become free. They will become free and should do so very quickly. Periodically move the points back and forth until the water or alcohol completely dries.
I think that covers it pretty much. A video of the process would be a lot clearer though I think.
