I’m about to start ballasting. Does anyone have any good links with hints on how to do the job? My scale is HO, and I’ve used flex-track
Having worked in HO and N scales, I’ve found (as you’d expect) HO track is easier to ballast. Here’s a shot of ballasting my current N scale layout:
I run a bead of glue along the roadbed edge before I apply the ballast.
I use a stiff model brush to distribute the ballast, making sure not to cover the ties.
I pre-soak my ballast with straight 70% isoporopyl alcohol. I bond it with 50/50% diluted white glue “wetted” with a drop of detergent.
More pictures and description can be found by clicking on my layout website hyperlink in my signature block. Follow the link for “Construction 2006.”
Good luck! This is one of those tasks where you need to do a little at a time and be extra careful.
This is on Ballesting turnouts: http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1108353/ShowPost.aspx
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http://www.trains.com/mrr/objects/pdf/ballasting_and_weathering_track_pg2_only.pdf