Getting ready for "landscaping". Do people put down the grass areas near the tracks first of wait until after the ballast is applied. Just my thinking but, it would seem if you put down an "edge" of grass a couple of inches wide first and then the ballast it would be better so as not to get too much of the loose grass in the ballasted tracks and then have a hard time trying to vacuum it out. Tough decisions on the first layout.
I like to add the ballast later, after the landscaping.....just like in the 'real' world... I, generally, do the major scenery...then work on the scrub-brush-rock in the immediate vicinity of the trackage....then a 'sub roadbed' type of rock-dirt... the ballast, and it's weathering, is usually the very last thing i do Sincerely, Bruce
If I was modeling modern, after WII, then I would ballast last. I model about 1931 so I ballast first and ground cover second. I don't want that manicured "pretty look." Jim
I do both! On my main lines I do ground cover first then add ballast, then I drop a little fine foam at the edge of the ballast to make the ballast look newer but not too fresh. On my sidings I ballast first then add ground cover to make it look a little overgrown.
Thanks all for the info. Getting ready to landscape some of the areas but also got some ballast at the train show in Louisville last weekend, Scenic Express #50 stone ballast. A bit bigger than I was going to use for N scale but I think it will look OK. Did a sample section on the workbench and it looked so-so. All the local shops only have Woodland Scenics stuff so unless I do mail order, nothing else is around to even look at, much less buy. Just took a chance on this stuff and will need to order more if it works out OK.