Hi All. I have a problem, I’ve laid my ballast, wet water, and glued all looked well, until I ran a train over the track, note: (I let it dry for 24 hrs before I ran my trains) but it was a rough run with some of the cars derailing. How can I get the balast out of the middle of the track, what tool can I use for this job. Thanks
Usually you use a brush to remove the ballast from the inside rail before you set the glue, but since you set the glue an let it dry first, try using the edge of a small flat blade screwdriver.
I agree – take a small, flat bladed jeweller’s screwdriver and run it along the inside edge of your rails. If you have mounds of ballast in between the ties that are snagging your couplers, soak it with diluted rubbing alcohol (1:1), then use a thin putty knife to level it out with the tops of the ties. Use a small vacuum cleaner to remove the ballast you scrape off.
To eliminate much of this problem on future ballasting, do make sure that the ballast is placed properly. I find that the brush used and the amount of ballast placed is the first step in developing your technique. Sometimes, after “sweeping” the ballast to suit, I will tap the railhead w/ the handle of a screwdriver. This will allow quite a bit of ballast to settle. Various ballast will react differently. WS very lightweight can be quite a pain and when wetting sometimes will almost “float” rearrange it’s position. The “real” rock ( AZ rock and Scenic Xpress will lay better.
You may also want to get an optivisor or go to a pharmacy and get a pair of magnifying eye glasses. Be a lot easier to find the trouble makers.
Bob
One other thing you can do to “settle” your ballast is to run an electric razor, or any other oscillating motor, over the tops of the rails. The vibrations will make the ballast slide off the rails and ties.
I am SO biting my tongue on this one …
Mark.
I use a palm sander for the, uh, vibrations that help the ballast settle down.
Dave Nelson
If you have ballast above the tops of the ties, you’re probably using too much ballast. It’s one of those things that comes with experience. I’d agree that a small flat screwdriver is probably the right tool.
24 hours may not be enough time for the glue to set completely, depending on humdity, what you use for “wet water” and what your glue mixture is. I’ve found that using isopropyl alcohol straight from the bottle as my “wet water” works best, and it also dries much faster than using a thin dish soap mixture.
After you’ve chipped off the stray ballast and the glue is completely dry, give the track a once-over with a vacuum cleaner nozzle. This will pick up loose ballast so it doesn’t get into your locomotive gears.
I use a piece of cork as an eraser. David B
If the screw driver doesn’t work at removing the excess ballast, try a small, or rather narrow flat chisel. The chisel has a “bite” to the end that the blunt screwdriver doesn’t…but it must be a very narrow flat chisel. Woodworking chisel should do just fine.
Then when you continue using the ballast, try using just a teaspoon to “shake the ballast” or distribute it in the section you are doing. Using a smaller amount of ballast at a time is tedious, but it gives you GREATER control over the ballast.
then as others suggested, somehow {open to interpretation} vibrate or shake the tracks and ballast to settle it.
One other point: DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT Ballast your turnouts {switches}!! THAT can give you nightmares of their own right if you do! Just paint the turnout’s ties to RESEMBLE being ballasted. Free operation of the turnout-switches is VITAL to their operation! GLUE or Ballast can interfere with that, So many do not ballast at all there. I Highly recommend it to you.
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This photo shows a couple turnouts on my layout, both of which are ballasted except for directly beneath the throwbars. Note also that the ballast level is reduced through the points. With appropriate care to keep ballast and glue out of the working parts of a turnout, performance should be just as good after ballasting as before.
I agree with Rob. All of my turnouts are ballasted and I have had no fouling problems with them. As Rob said you just have to take a little care and place the ballast and glue carefully in the area of the points. I went to the trouble to screen some ballast to remove the larger pieces and use the "fines for ballasting the points area. The glue is added carefully with an eye dropper after wetting the ballast with isopropyl alcohol. I move the points occasionally as the glue dries.
Joe
Jo and Rob:
If the OP had no trouble with ballasting, i’d advise to cautiously ballast around turnouts, but since he has had some trouble in the ballasting area of over ballasting, I advised him to not ballast the turnouts.
Might save him some trouble later on.
Once he gets the hang of ballasting, then he can moderately ballast his turnouts.
I, myself, still don’t trust my self in ballasting too close to moving parts in turnouts, as they are supposed to move! And I am by no means a ballasting expert.
It was just a word of caution to the wise{r}.
He may ballast to his heart’s content. But if he has problems, he may be back here asking for help again…
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Galaxy
I understand your point. I just wanted for him to not get the idea that not ballasting turnouts was the norm. I agree the he needs to work on his ballasting technique. He can do a turnout or two when he has developed some confidence in his method.
Joe
I’m with Joe on this point too - I was thinking the advice on not ballasting turnouts was suggesting that was somehow the norm. If it’s directed specifically at a particular modeler who’s having trouble with ballast, maybe it’s acceptable advice to start, provided it’s clear that’s what was meant. Dealing with balky turnouts that are fouled with ballast certainly isn’t fun.