N Scale ballast

[nscalemike]

Hi all,

I know there has been talk here about what to use as ballast for n scale and I tried to do a search but couldn't find anything specific.  I have heard people mention sanded grout, unsanded grout, the arizona rock brand, ws, and a few others that I can't recall now.  Is there any consensus that is recommended?

Also,  what about a color to match something like this:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=336581&nseq=14

It seems the local lines are pretty generic gray.

Thanks
Mike

[seusscaboose]

Consensus?
Here?

 

But seriously folks..


lots of folks like the Arizona and the Smith and Sons... that's the real rock stuff...

the WS stuff gets panned b/c it is walnut shells...

the verdict is still out on the grout...  (from what i hear)...

but i think alot of it comes down to the method and any treatment you give it...

Ed used grout to make unitrack look good...    john sing makes unitrack look great as well...

mark and chris and others do a great job as well...

i think it is more about the method (whatever you prefer) and perfecting it... 

i realize i didnt really answer your question... and didn't mean to come across wrong

maybe you can search the forum's Poll's and see if there is one up on ballast preference...

maybe that would be a place to start.

EP

[wazzou]

I like AR&M but I know others like Smith and Sons Penn/Ohio or some such thing.

[mark dance]

I concur with Seus.  I think ballastign is more in taking the time with the application and finish than the type of ballast used from my experience with *all* the major types of ballast.  I have settled on WS now that I have a technique I am happy with. 

The photos below are a mix of 1/2 WS fine brown and 1/2 WS fine grey for the main line.  If the mix were closer to 100% fine grey I think you would match you proto picture pretty well.





my $0.02

md

[nscalemike]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Mark, your scenery in amazing and if your using ws then I'm not going to automatically rule it out.  As it stands now, I have a small bag of ws fine in gray, lt gray, buff, brown, dk brown, cinders, and a tub of a mixture of lt gray and buff already.  So maybe I'll continue to play around with that.

I also located this material from Scenic Express.   http://www.sceneryexpress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SE0366
Is this the Smith and Son stuff and if so, does anyone have photos of what it looks like after its done?  Maybe a bit pricey but I would think I'd only need one bottle to do the whole layout.

Thanks,
Mike

[Mark5]

Definately been discussed here. I use Highball. It's rock.

[MichaelWinicki]

Mark Dance makes a great point about simply taking the time to do it right.

I use Highball which is as Mark5 said, is real rock.

The ballast for the main on my lower-deck is 45% Lt Grey, 45% Dk Grey and 10% Black.

[nscalemike]

Michael - That's about the coloring I think I am after too,  looks good.

Are you Highball users using the N scale size or Z,  I notice that MB Klein has a lot of variety listed in both scales.


Mike

[MichaelWinicki]

Michael - That's about the coloring I think I am after too,  looks good.

Are you Highball users using the N scale size or Z,  I notice that MB Klein has a lot of variety listed in both scales.


Mike

N scale sized Mike.

[GaryHinshaw]

I'll put in a word for the Smith & Son / Scenic Express.  Like ARM & Highball, it's real rock that stays put when you glue it.  I have used WS ballast in the past too and, like Mark notes, you can get great results with it if you're careful wetting it.

I don't know what the real story is vis a vis S&S vs. SE: a few years ago SE carried ballast labelled S&S, but then they switched over to a house label.  I have samples of both and they are identical as near as I can tell.  But the color names on the SE web site have changed since I looked last time.  I have canisters labeled Grey Limestone (SS1250) and Penn/Ohio limestone (SS1450) branded S&S and SE.  I don't know how these compare to the current colors Light Grey and Blended Ballast, but I need to find out before I deplete my current stock.  I think the Blended is similar to the Penn/Ohio.  Here's a shot of some Penn/Oho prior to gluing or weathering:



I think this would be a pretty good match to your CN photo, but you might want a somewhat lighter grey.  This is grade #50 by the way.

HTH,
Gary

P.S. You can see more close-ups in my Picasa album, in various states of weathering,  here, especially this one.

[VonRyan]

Are you guys sure that WS is crushed walnut shells, it looks and feels to me to have appropriate mass for rock not to mention the fact that each type or "color" tends to have a differing surface feel. Now if someone has candid photos of the manufacturing process that proves that it is walnut shells then i'll take your word for it. But since i have a bag of their buff color ballast, in medium/fine, what do i replace it with with a very similar light-tan/cream color that matches the Great Western Railway's mainline ballast color. I'm trying to be absolutely correct with color and i'm trying to make sure that the material is real rock so it is actually real ballast and not the leftover shells from a WS company party. I only need an amount the size of one of WS's small bags since i'm only ballasting the 10" line an N-Trak module. Some help would be much appreciated as to what direction i need go in for some actual ballast in the needed color. -Cody F.

[ednadolski]

Now if someone has candid photos of the manufacturing process that proves that it is walnut shells then i'll take your word for it.

Courtesy of Candid Camera:



Ed

[mark dance]

Are you guys sure that WS is crushed walnut shells, it looks and feels to me to have appropriate mass for rock not to mention the fact that each type or "color" tends to have a differing surface feel. [snip] ... i'm trying to make sure that the material is real rock so it is actually real ballast and not the leftover shells from a WS company party. -Cody F.

...at the risk of starting some controversy here (perhaps restarting might be a better term for all I know), why is the material the ballast is made from important if the aesthetic results are satisfactory?  Is it any different than using styrene to simulate steel or wood for example?

Perhaps I am missing something?

md

[Ed Kapuscinski]

...at the risk of starting some controversy here (perhaps restarting might be a better term for all I know), why is the material the ballast is made from important if the aesthetic results are satisfactory?  Is it any different than using styrene to simulate steel or wood for example?

Perhaps I am missing something?

md

I agree with Mark. The proof is in the pudding.

The reason I am not in love with the Woodland Scenics stuff is that I find it hard to work with.

I've fallen in love with a blend of sanded grouts though, for much the same reason. A lot of ballast "floats" when you get it wet. This stuff, because of its built in binder, gets wet and stays put when you glue it.

Pardon the Unitrack:

[mark dance]

Beatiful work Ed.

The CP prototype in my area and era had very different ballasts in many areas...sand/dirt/weeds on some lightly trodden subs [Slocan, Kaslo], clean grey granite on heavily trafficed subs [to Tadanac smelter], etc.  Anything and everything.  Also, where there is clean ballast it is quite coarse. 

I have pretty much a bag of every WS fine ballast made and freely mix them to match photos.  I also have bags of S&S/SE and ARM but not enough variety to match the colours I am looking for or to blend the ballasts at transitions.  I use these for the GN/BN trackage instead.

With WS ballast I have resigned myself to doing several passes on the ballasting but, now that I have a technique I am happy with, I am ok with this and the process goes quite quickly.  I dont' try and get it perfect with the first pass...I refine the look over 2-3 passes each one smaller and faster than the first.  Then a quick touch of paint if required and it is finished to the level I am looking for.

Probably more info then anyone wants, but you never know.

md