Ballast question

[mike33469]

I’m planning on hand laying track (wood ties, pre-weathered) and I just read something about ballasting before laying rail. Sounds good, is that the way its done?

[selector]

Seems when you ask some will say it is THE way to go, but it can be done before or after. I guess the bottom line is that you’d like each way to look as good as possible and to be as easy as possible.

Spacemouse asked this very question in a thread not 10 days ago. If you find his name on a post and then click on it, you’ll find a link to other posts by him. It will be within a page or two of the most recent.

[joe-daddy]

In a recent Dream Plan Build DVD, Tony Koester demonstrated the before method.

If you have ballasted a few feet of flextrack or even one turnout, you’d quickly understand that one of the only reasons why I think hand laying could be worth the effort is because of the ability to ballast before the track goes down.

Joe Daddy

[gandydancer19]

The big advantage of ballasting before, is that the ballast will help keep the ties from splitting when you spike the track down. That was the primary reason for ballasting first.

[markpierce]

The big advantage of ballasting before, is that the ballast will help keep the ties from splitting when you spike the track down. That was the primary reason for ballasting first.

Your source of ties must be from crummy wood or your spikes much too large. I rarely experienced tie-splitting while handlaying over the decades. And unless your ballast has the consistency of cement, I doubt that ballast would have a material effect.

Mark

[doctorwayne]

I’ve seen it done both ways, and both looked good. However, I think that painting the rail is more easily done before ballasting. Another thing to consider is the trackage - it’s pretty difficult to do a siding or secondary line where the ties are buried in dirt or weeds, as often the rail is partially buried, too: in that case, the rail should be in place before the ballast. However, if you’re doing a neatly ballasted main line, before or after shouldn’t make much difference. [swg]

Wayne

[gandydancer19]

The big advantage of ballasting before, is that the ballast will help keep the ties from splitting when you spike the track down. That was the primary reason for ballasting first.

Your source of ties must be from crummy wood or your spikes much too large. I rarely experienced tie-splitting while handlaying over the decades. And unless your ballast has the consistency of cement, I doubt that ballast would have a material effect.

Mark

I started handlaying HO in the mid 1960’s, so which one do you think it was?[:-^]

[jackn2mpu]

I’ve seen it done both ways, and both looked good. However, I think that painting the rail is more easily done before ballasting. Another thing to consider is the trackage - it’s pretty difficult to do a siding or secondary line where the ties are buried in dirt or weeds, as often the rail is partially buried, too: in that case, the rail should be in place before the ballast. However, if you’re doing a neatly ballasted main line, before or after shouldn’t make much difference. [swg]

Wayne

Solution: paint the rail before you lay it. If you’re soldering to pc board ties, a little touch up with a brush will cover whatever you have to scrape away to get a good solder connection.

[Midnight_Railroader]

I’m planning on hand laying track (wood ties, pre-weathered) and I just read something about ballasting before laying rail. Sounds good, is that the way its done?

I ballast last, and I don’t have any trouble with splitting ties.