I'm sorry if this is a redundant thread... I looked for an answer to my question before posting this and didn't find anything on point... I'm about to begin ballasting my layout and I was wondering if anyone had some tips on applying ballast to the Kato turnouts; how to keep ballast out of where the manual swith lever exposes the internal workings of the turnout (pic attached), and out from between the points and stock rails. Thanks in advance!
Basically, the answer is “Don’t.” I have carefully blended acrylic paints to a similar color as the ballast I am applying, and wash the roadbed plastic ballast of the Unitrack with a dilute mixture. Then, when dry, tape off the turnout from just before the points to just after the frog with blue painters tape, and make sure to securely tape off the slide switch as well. Then, bring the ballast up along the sides to just the upper edge of the roadbed. This is a Kato #6
I do the same having a matching ballast cover to the Kato unitrack and keep ballast totally clear of the of the turnout.
Rick, That should be easy enough... I'm going to use the gray Kato ballast treated with black chalk, so I won't really have to mix anything to "match". So, you are ballasting between the rails everywhere else, it's just the area between the point blades and the frog of your turnouts that you're using this technique? Where is the slide switch in this pic, is it down and out of frame? Are you camouflaging that in any way? So... you're modeling a 'high wind' area, eh? Brilliant!! LOL!
Yeah, the slide switch is just to the left of the frame. LOL, I got the fencing for that area laid down next to where it would go, years ago, and have never finished the front area (To the right in the photo)! Unfortunately, most of the work came to a halt after a pinched nerve in my neck, one of the reasons I started with FreeMoN modules; much easier to work on without contorting oneself. When I do work on the JACALAR, it has been mostly in the yard.
