MTL Track & Ballast Question

Hi. New to this forum but not to Z scale.

Sometime in the last few months I saw a photo on the web of a Z scale diorama (or maybe a small layout) in which the builder had used MTL snap track. The track itself had been lightly weathered and ballasted along the edges and between parallel tracks. It looked surprisingly good. Certainly the weathering and ballasting reduced the "snap track" look. I can't find that photo again along with the text that went with it.

Are any of you using MTL track and adding ballast? If so, what brand of ballast?

My own home layout uses flex track with conventional ballasting but I am intrigued by the new Micro-Trains track as the basis for a second, quickie office layout.

Jim in Austin, Texas

 

Jim, I think it is me, Jim in Santee, CA you are looking for. You can see some of this MTL track here at Trainboard by going to photos and looking for Socalz44. The desert location layout features 'doctored' MTL Micro Track. I would also invite you to Z Central Station, I am the Moderator there. Join if you have not done so. The check our Photos section. Find Socalz44 again and there you will see many more photo of MTL track work. Beyond my photos we have over 3000 Z related pics from our other members. Cheers, Jim CCRR

 

Here is a picture of my MT sectional track ballasted with my home made crossings. This is an older photo of my layout but it does show the trackwork.

 

Jim (Socalz44) -- it was indeed your layout I saw. Most impressive work. And JoeS you also demonstrate how effectively one can disguise preformed track. Thanks for the replies and photos. Jim

 

James, welcome to Trainboard!!:teeth: Swing by here often, you'll see lot's of stuff in Z!!

 

Joe, Excellent! Who's ballast did you use? Cheers, Jim CCRR

 

Thanks Jim! I've always been a fan of your work. I'll have to upload some more recent pictures as the layout has gotten better. The ballast is woodlan scenes fine cinders. Since I run the SP moguls so much, I always seemed to recall old pictures with cinders for ballast, or at least something close on the SP lines.

 

JoeS, Thanks. I too use the WS fine cinders for my yard area. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Jim CCRR

 

Jim here is a more recent picture of that section. I think it shows the track and layout a little better.

 

JoeS, Excellent! Cheers, Jim CCRR

 

Excellent work there Joe. Very nice roads.

Arizona Rock and Minerals has fabulous ballast, much better for Z but unfortunately the colors on his website are terrible so you really cannot see them with out buying them. Flat rate shipping so by 6+ bags of any xxxx-1 grade and you're good.
.

 

That is a catipillar scoop. I seen it at Kmart in the toy car section and it looked close enough to scale. The dozer and dump looked closer to N. I figured for 2 bucks what the heck!