well, i figured i’d put the HW aside and finally post some pictures of my recent work. Mostly i have just been ballasting my N scale track. Please comment on the ballast, too much, too little…stuff like that. Thanks
All right. Looks OK. On a main line, the edges will be more even. On a branch line. there will be far less ballast. You are off to a good start, and its time for refinement.
In my opinion there is too much ballast on the edges.
[2c]
Yes, I agree. Other than that though good job.
Great work. I like the ballast. I think it looks cool when its all fat and wide. Nice job on the turf.
You are doing a excellent job so far, but i am soory to szay you will never be done, there will always be thing to add…like weeds, no matter how prim and prper the mainline is those weeds always get in there somewhere, and you might want to darken the center of the tracks were the engines drip oil and other “stuff” , steam or diesel, there was that extra “track” of stuff down the centre. Keep up the good grooming, like to see more. 
Is that ballast around those turnouts, or matching paint? Hard to tell from the pics, but ballast and turnouts can cause a lot of problems later on. Otherwise it looks good for a mainline. I’m thinking about using an index card blocking mask when spreading ballast, to avoid overspill and excess fallout, no idea how it will work, but I’ll let you know.
I think the ballast is a little to white. Mabey a airbrush coat of grey could do the job??
Other than that, good job!!
You know, ballasting around turnouts doesn’t have to be a nightmare. I always tape off the two ties either side of the throw bar and the throwbar, put a litlle clipper oil on the hinges and then do all the regular ballasting. Then I come back and add a bit of clipper oil with a q-tip to the movable parts, carefully fill in with ballast around the throwbar and with an eyedropper and smalls drops of glue, secure the ballast. I’ve never had any real probs with points or anything locking up by being patient and carefull.
If you ballast by the switches I’ve heard a drinking straw works very well for getting out unwanted ballast.
Good advice on about switches. I am ballasting here sometime in the next couple weeks and I have a bunch of turnouts.
As a fellow n scaler who knows what it’s like to do the ballast, I can say it isn’t easy and your job looks pretty good. I do agree you have to clean the edges up, I have had to do it many times. Be patient and you learn a few shortcuts, such as using an index card to hold the edges in place when you wet it down. At least this works for me.
Ballast color varies a great deal from region to region. The CSX and NS mainlines in my area have very white ballast. It wouldn’t hurt to darken it a little between the rails but other than that it’s fine.
On my layout, I us WS light gray on my mainline and regular gray on secondary tracks. Some industrial spurs have little or no ballast.
I usually mix two different shades so the mainline doesn’t look too perfect, but keep those tracks lighter. The secondary and yard tracks are darker shades of ballast. The difference there is I have no sub roadbed on these lines so they are flatter on the ground and look like they are less important than the mainline. Its a little more tricky ballasting these.
I agree. Tidy up the edges and it’ll be Ok.
Woody : It looks good. I noticed that you painted the rail too. Some thing you might try if you have an airbrush is to run a light shot of black or very dark gray down the middle of the track. The UP track that runs through our ranch has a dark streak of oil, and other stuff right down the middle.
Woody, I like that MTH Real Trax you’re using.[tup][;)]
I hate to say it, but I think you’re pushing it a little too much if you’re going for some forced perspective. O scale to N scale is too big of a jump, especially that close.
Just kidding. Looks nice. I’ve thought about running some N scale on my HO layout. I need to find the time/money/patience to really get my HO layout started first.
Looks good.
Kevin
Nice!
woodyjp,
Great job!,(your way ahead of me) everything looks pretty nice.
The only thing that I noticed that others have not commented on is a few missing rail ties.
Did you leave these out for a reason? or is the ballast covering some of them?
ennout