Hello All. Well all the track is all down and wired. Now comes the fun part, running trains (the grandson LOVE 'em) and doing the landscaping. So my first quandary is which ballast to use. Woodland Scenics medium or fine ballast? There seems to be a great deal of discussion as to which one looks better or is a more accurate size for an HO layout. I have experimented with some Medium (nothing is glued yet) and it looks pretty good but I am wondering at this point what most of you out there use. Also during my experimentation I have come up with another question that I yet to find addressed in any how to book or video. Is there an easy way of clearing the ballast off the top of the ties. I have tried a bristle paint brush and a foam brush. Every time I wipe them it seems the ballast pulls up from between the ties and get spread on top. I ended up cleaning each and every tie off with a small screw driver. Very frustrating. I figure there has to be an easier way, any suggestions?
I would use N scale ballast on H0 scale track. I think it looks much better. Also, IMHO, use a real rock ballast. I use Arizona Rock and Mineral or Hiball Ballast. The way I have been shown, you need a high-class 25 - 40 US$ square very soft bristle brush to clear the ties. Brush over them softly, softly, ever so softly. Go slowly. It is a tedious process. I add the glue last. Art Houston had a video on You Tube for just this process. I'll look. Here is the You Tube link. About 25 minutes. As he says, this is one way, and only one way, to do this. There are many others and you should choose what suits you. [video=youtube;nnS_Ws3LXYE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnS_Ws3LXYE[/video]
I use mostly WS fine with a bit of medium used on the main line. The WS ballast is very frustrating stuff to work with, as you've found out. I won't be buying any more. If I were you I'd follow Flash's suggestion of using real rock, which is what I used on my UK layout. Ballasting was a breeze by comparison. The heavier material stays put, and a long, gentle lengthwise sweep of a brush would see almost all of it settle nicely between the ties. Mike Mike
WS Fine Dark and Fine Gray. Looking to switch to Arizona R&M if I can find a suitable East-coast limestone color.
In many cases where imagery reveals it, the ground throws, spike head details, and the ballast grain sizes are too large IMO. I don't know IF there are N scale ground throws, but were I to discover some, I'd seriously take a look at using them. The HO scale Caboose ground throws are monstrous. Very nice...no argument...and functional...but grossly oversized. I won't say more about the spike heads, but I find that the ballast grains for HO are about the size, in scale, of pomegranates. My local beach sand, a salt and pepper mix, is actually somewhat too large. So, I would give 'fine' a shot, take photos, compare with your prototype or a local one, and then try N scale. This is the beach sand:
Caboose Industries does indeed make N scale ground throws- I had 'em on my N scale HCD layout. Check out the Internet Trains website (one of our own advertisers, BTW). Under the Search, select N scale, then Track, then Caboose Hobbies, then press "Search". You'll find several CI models listed. Hope this helps. As for ballast, yes, the finer grain the better. Any "medium" size of ballast would be oversized for HO scale. If Woodland Scenics is the only option, then go with the fine size. I've used an old toothbrush gently to move the ballast off of ties. I've yet to try Arizona Rock, but from what I've seen in the hobby shops, I like the looks of it. Currently I'm pondering on how to come up with ballast that best represents chat (ore tailings from lead & zinc mines) that was largely used by such roads as Frisco.
Thanks all, I experimented with some WS fine Grey blend and it looks a 100% better than the medium. as always everyone here is a wealth of information and I thank you all
If you were modelling the modern era i would consider fine for sidings, industries or branchline with a slightly larger ballast for mainline. For my industrial layout it will be all fine ballast
I always use fine ballast (intended for N scale, I think). Our eyes are 1:1, but the model is 1:87, so the ballast should look very fine at most distances, instead of seeing individual grains.
Here's some "ballast" on the LAJ. Almost an afterthought i.e. some employee getting rid of some unused landscape pebbles. Will only need the ballast on hand & a whole lot of VERY fine dirt. LOL
