I'm going to say ballasting the track is the chore I hate the most. I'm probably saying that because it's what I ended up doing today and it is still fresh in my mind. It's really not all that bad if I have enough material and I can get the majority of it out of the way all at once, but it doesn't usually happen that way. Tomorrow the most distasteful chore may be something else, but today it's ballasting. I'm posting a picture showing the section that I ballasted with the loose ballast in place before I applied the glue. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow after the glue dries. *keeping my fingers crossed* The second picture shows the ballast train heading up the hill to the next project.
I agree. Ballasting is a pain. The thought of glue around the track always worries me. Disastrous should one get it wrong, but the results are much better than plastic roadbed if done right. Your ballast looks like its turning out well (and the rest of the layout looks great, BTW. Open and uncluttered!), hopefully it won't shift before it dries.
In the past X years I've been on Trainboard and having read thread after thread on ballasting there have been one of two prevailing bents: Ballasting is the most horrible...! Ballasting is the greatest...! Personally - I find that layout design is in and of itself both the most horrible and most wonderful aspect of of model railroading. Then again, I have never tried ballasting.
It can be tedious. But I don't usually mind, as doing ballasting means the track is in palce, and working as designed. We can operate and scenery is moving ahead. Progress!!! Boxcab E50
I actually enjoy ballasting. It's only the waiting-for-it-to-dry part I don't like. I have my own personal zen when it comes to ballasting. Just listen to your favorite music in the background, have some good lighting and have a go at it. Also, no need to spray wet water or glue all over the place. Use a hobby syringe or a pipette and everything becomes much more manageable. I also came up with my own technique on making that oily line down the center of the tracks. I think I'll make a video of it and post that up.
Isn't buying track the worst chore ?? Its all good planning it, but devoting money to buying it is the worst
Too me I've had sooo many problems ballasting.. That its horrible.. Maybe when Im actually able to build a full layout I'll get better at it.. but for now.. I hates it.
Ballasting is very time consuming, but the part of the hobby that I really, really REALLY do not like, is digging the blasted track back out of the invisible webs of white glue the migrate up the rails. Think I spend two hours doing near archeological intensity cleaning for each hour spent ballasting.
I look at ballasting as a necessary evil in second place to getting under the layout and reaching up to clean the track inside my 3 tunnels. Jim
Dreadful work My top 3 would be: 1. Ballasting 2. Painting stock black MT wheelsets Roof Brown 3. Putting addition decals on locos. I'm doing a pair of Gevos now and it will take 40 indiviudal decals before all is said and done.
Re-wiring an established layout has got to be the worst in my book. We've had this seemingly interminable wiring upgrade at my club.
While tedious it is, I like the results you're getting. You have a nice-looking layout shaping up there. -Gary
Just remember the first rule of ballasting track; You can never use too much alcohol when ballasting your track. I usually begin with two or three shots of Jack Daniels’ with another shot every ten minutes or three feet of track whichever comes first. While this doesn’t in any way reduce the tedium of ballasting your track, you generally pass out before it becomes too bad. On the downside; you could wind up ballasting your cat. Then there is the cleaning debacle. We clean our track so our wheels won’t get dirty and we clean our wheels so our track won’t get dirty. The Ourobourus of model railroading.
SD90ns - Um, "Ourobourus" - careful, this is a family forum. You could frighten children. I prefer red wine and I'm glad I don't own a cat, er, I don't have a cat, (nobody "owns" a cat). This thread is going to convince me even more to only ballast 3 feet of track and only for photo opps.
Being happy with Unitrack ballasting FTW.... Having a Track Cleaning Carrage : FTW Having a Wire Wheel cleaner : FTW.. So really the only real chore of the Hobby I hate the most is diverting funding to the actual hobby...
Its not the ballasting. Its the cleaning up afterwards. Removing stray ballast from the tops of ties and the pieces that stick to the sides of the rail. Also, is it just me or does the standard cut of cork seem a bit too wide?
First off, your ballasting does look VERY good from the photos you posted. I am actually in the camp that loves to ballast track. I don't have any idea why I enjoy it, but I can usually get it done rather quickly and get good results. Plus, it REALLY transforms a scene and takes it out of "under construction" mode. My least desirable activities are: Adding surface mount resistors to metal wheelsets. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! And I have dozens and dozens to do. Installing working crossing gates. Looks & works great, but sooooooooooo tedious and frustrating getting the mechanisms to function. Hooking up signals that use magnet wires. Super fragile. I would be worried about the Jack Daniels discoloring my light gray ballast. Oh wait...you mean something else... Jamie
