Hi. I’m working on a new layout, and am looking for tips on how to ballast around turnouts (specifically around the points and frog). I’m using Walthers DCC-ready turnouts. I’m hoping there’s a fairly easy way to ballast without ruining the turnouts, since I have 32 of them in the layout. Tips, do’s and dont’s will be greatly appreciated.
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Welcome on board, michael6ochs.
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Welcome to the forum, michael6ochs!
I don’t think there’s any single answer to this. I have ballasted turnouts, but they took a long time, and I was very careful. Before I put any glue down on the ballast, I made sure to get every single piece of ballast out of the way of the workings. I also made sure that no glue ever got on any of the moving parts.
Again, I don’t believe you can hurry through this.
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Carefully, very carefully.
I ballast the turnouts, and I glue the ballast down.
However, I do not glue down the ballast inside the rails on the turnouts. And, I am careful to not glue the ballast around the throwbar.
Rich
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Hi there. Before I install the turnout, I paint the roadbed the same color as the ballast. That way, I can apply a very thin layer of ballast near the working parts, without showing the roadbed.
Simon
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My wife is a Veterinarian and we have a good supply of syringes on hand. What I do is take a syringe with needle on and put a little glue in between the ties and sprinkle a little ballast in, maybe two stones deep and put some more glue on, again with the needle. The next day I vacuum up the ballast on the turnouts and what is left stays. It generally is not as deep as the rest of the track but looks just fine on the turnout.
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Hmm, not a bad idea.
Rich
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Another good idea. 
Rich
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Note that this works with thinned glue, probably even better for the ‘final’ application. And it will work with matte medium, too.
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4:1, water to matte medium with a few drops of liquid dish detergent mixed in.
Rich
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Thank you, snjroy! Great idea
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Simon’s suggestion is a good one, and I might add that when it comes to turnouts, especially between the rails and around the throw bar, a little less ballast goes a long way.
Rich
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Like Rich said; Very carefully. Spike my turnouts down and cautiously brush paint road bed around head-block/throw-bar. Then, generously dry lube throw-bar and all movable rail/tie contact areas, before taping over throw-bar and head-block. Ballast added and groomed below the tops of the ties. Working two, or maybe three ties at a time used two dental oral syringes to very sparingly apply 70% Isopropyl alcohol as the wetting agent and then water thinned PVA (with a few drops of dish-soap,) keeping it off the tops of the tie.
Later on most of the painted roadbed areas near the throw-bar/head-blocks were ever so carefully brushed with a thin layer of full strength PVA, then some ballast and rock-powder judiciously applied. Doing 31 turnouts in this manner was tedious, not sure how much luck involved, but no stuck throw-bars. Takes some practice, but I like the control of using the dental oral syringes to apply glue mixtures for ballasting and scenery, helps keep the glue where you want it while avoiding those dreaded craters. Regards, Peter
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Delicate work takes the right equipment, a steady hand and patience.
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And, it really helps to prepare the ballast for the glue mixture by wetting the ballast first with isopropyl alcohol.
Rich
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Hi from Oregon. Like others, I paint the roadbed before putting down the ballast. Dark gray or black, either one works fine. I cut blue painter’s masking tape to size and mask off the areas around the throwbar and the points. spread the ballast, and remove all the stray bit trom the tops of the ties. Spray the ballasted turnout with wet water (50% water, 50% isopropyl alcohol) and use an oral syringe like the one above to apply thinned matte medium (4 parts water, 1 part MM). Let everything dry for 24 hours, removed the masking tape, and use a dental hygenist’s tool to remove any stray bits. If the turnout sticks, apply 90% alcohol to the moving parts, let it soak in a bit, then use a cotton swap to clean the area. I also use a swab and alcohol to remove any remaining matte medium from the inside of the rails, then polish everything down with a Woodland Scenics Rail Pal track cleaning pad. The turnouts come out clean as a whistle.
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Outstanding idea SNJROY
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