The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

@LIRR,

Your track looks great!  I also like your ballast better than mine.  What brand and type is it?

DFF

[LIRR]

Woodland scenics fine light grey

[davefoxx]

That explains it.  I used WS ballast on an old layout.  Loved the color, but I had problems with floating grains making a mess.  I swore I’d never put myself through that again.  I’m using Express Scale Ballast by Scenic Express.  I like working with it, but I need to get used to the color I chose.  I’m looking at the small test area that I did, and it’s growing on me.  It also dawned on me that it will look different with foliage and dirt abutting it rather than bare foam subroadbed.  I’ll keep going.

DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That explains it.  I used WS ballast on an old layout.  Loved the color, but I had problems with floating grains making a mess.  I swore I’d never put myself through that again.  I’m using Express Scale Ballast by Scenic Express.  I like working with it, but I need to get used to the color I chose.  I’m looking at the small test area that I did, and it’s growing on me.  It also dawned on me that it will look different with foliage and dirt abutting it rather than bare foam subroadbed.  I’ll keep going.

DFF

Also... airbrush it!

You can also apply a black wash to make the grains pop a bit more too.

[DKS]

I like to brush on powdered chalk here and there, especially along the rails where the ballast gets stained with rust.

[davefoxx]

Also... airbrush it!

You can also apply a black wash to make the grains pop a bit more too.

Good call.  I'll need to do something to blend the variation between my first attempt, where I tried to do a different color of ballast over the lighter shade, and the second attempt where I only used the darker ballast.

I like to brush on powdered chalk here and there, especially along the rails where the ballast gets stained with rust.

Another good call.  I also use powdered chalk to make the oil/grease stains between the rails.

DFF

[LIRR]

I wouldn’t obsess over it, when a train is moving over it, attention is on the train. When there’s no train, will anyone be standing there studying the ballast? Much like the scenery for a live play. When the actors are on stage, no one notices the 2 dimensional furniture painted on the wall behind

[DKS]

I wouldn’t obsess over it, when a train is moving over it, attention is on the train. When there’s no train, will anyone be standing there studying the ballast? Much like the scenery for a live play. When the actors are on stage, no one notices the 2 dimensional furniture painted on the wall behind

Well, to be fair, some of us modelers scrutinize everything.

[davefoxx]

Well, to be fair, some of us modelers scrutinize everything.

The ballast, if not to my satisfaction, would bother me whether a train is running or not.  I'll know it's there, and that tends to nag at me.  It's tough to be a perfectionist in this hobby, which is why I despise certain aspects about it, like ballasting.  I tend to be a lone wolf when it comes to operating my layout, so I'm much more concerned about me being able to accept it than others.

DFF

[nuno81291]

+1 to getting the ballast right in the beholders minds eye. I tried to screen my own ballast from an article I read, it came out ok once I colored it to my liking. What scenic express colors are you using? And that WS looks surprisingly very good (though I recall the PITA floating crushed walnut is...)

[davefoxx]

. . . and we're back.  But just barely, considering all I accomplished tonight is anti-progress.  So, as you may recall upthread, I started ballasting, but I didn't love my selection.  It was from Scenic Express, so I'm really disappointed how it came out.  Meanwhile, over one month ago, I placed an order for Arizona Rock & Mineral ballast, but my order received no response from the manufacturer, until a package showed up on my doorstep approximately four weeks later.  I had almost called the company to see if I could get a refund, but I never got time at work to make the call.

So, tonight, after hemming and hawing for weeks, I grabbed a spray bottle full of soapy water, a putty knife, and a small screwdriver to begin scraping out all of the old ballast.  Here's where I started:



Of course, that was taking forever, but I was making good headway, until I accidentally popped one of the tracks up.  At that point, loose ballast went under the track, so it wouldn't sit level anymore.  You mother fucker.  Then, this quote popped into my head, "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry.  You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."  And, Goddamnit, this happened:



That, of course, made my day.  But, I still had to get the ballast out of those turnouts (see above), which I absolutely had to avoid pulling up, considering they had been custom cut up to fit the track plan.  The small screwdriver fit nicely between the ties, so I just spent an eternity plus one hour gouging out ballast from between each tie.  Fun times.

Fortunately, I did no more damage, and the screwdriver, putty knife, and a wet/dry vac resulted in this:



Whew.  I'm going to allow all of this to dry, and then I'll start replacing the cork roadbed and track.  That will need painting, and then there's the ballasting.  This is bullshit.  I hate model railroading.  I think I'll go get drunk.

Good night,
DFF

[DKS]

BTDT, got a closet full o' those t-shirts. But, that won't make you feel any better, I know. Just remember, misery loves company.

[CRL]

I guess it’s too late to mention that real railroads replace track, ties & ballast using whatever ballast they have on hand, whether or not it matches what’s on the adjacent track. So, having a section of mismatched ballast, especially around “new” switches, is very prototypical. 

[Point353]

Bet that Unitrack is looking pretty good now. 

[davefoxx]

I guess it’s too late to mention that real railroads replace track, ties & ballast using whatever ballast they have on hand, whether or not it matches what’s on the adjacent track. So, having a section of mismatched ballast, especially around “new” switches, is very prototypical. 

Um, yeah, not really facepalm-worthy when: (1) it's obvious to everyone on TRW about mismatched ballast, and (2) the ballast that I don't like seems to have translucent particles or something going on in the texture that blows realism, in addition to the color not matching the prototype.

DFF