Sharing

 Hi Folks. Last week, the Model Railroader association that I belong to had an online Zoom meeting in which several members gave 5-10 minute presentations. I volunteered to give one on my method of ballasting. I explained how I do all my scenery first as well as tracking weathering, before ballasting. I passed along some methods that have worked well ( and I feel look pretty good) for me. I initially use a cinder type ballast along the margins of the N scale cork ( that I used on my On30 switching layout) and  glued this down ( and let dry) before proceeding to add the Woodland Scenics Medium Grey Blend between and along side the ties. I think the medium size from a size perspective works very well for On30 track ( doesn't look too big or too small) - if I was doing HO scale , I think I would use a N scale sized ballast. I work in 12-18 inch long sections, as using my method of ensuring ALL the ballast is off the surface of the ties and the web of the rail can be tedious and time consuming. The benefit is that once it is done, it looks great to me (neat and tidy!!). Once the ballast is down and ready to secure, I first use eye droppers to apply alcohol followed by Woodland Scenics scenary cement. I never spray with spray bottles as this will just blow the loose ballast away if too much force is used. Some folks use the "wet water: technique first , but I find that by using alcohol, it dries things out much quicker - left overnight , things will be dry in the morning unlike the wet water method which may stay wet for several days. I find the key to adding the alcohol or glue is to have the nozzle of the eyedropper facing the web of the rail, so when the liquid comes out it is not flowing directly on the ballast disturbing it - also using a slow steady squeeze of the eyedropper bulb is important. Here are some pictures that I used during my presentation. Till next time...