Here is a little tip that has been working for me very well and may be worth a try for you.
Ballasting, everyones favourite task, I came up with this method last week.
My new weapons of choice an electric razor and the stiff brush it came with for cleaning.
Spread the ballast as usual down the middle of the rails, (its best to use too little until you are able to guage how much is required). Level it off with a finger, two or three swipes with the razor cleaning brush should clear 95% of ballast from the ties… now the fun part.
Hold the razor on edge, turn it on and place it on one of the rails… its a beautiful sight to see that ballast “dancing” off the ties and leveling off perfectly (yes I know proto ballast isnt always perfect). With a little practice you will find how to apply pressure in different directions making the ballast go where you want it, push it away from the vibrating rail, pull it towards you, shift it sideways…
Hope this helps someone, quick and easy, I did 6’ of track in around 20mins.
Very clever idea, Karl! The problem is trying to justify buying an electric razor. My wife things I’m daffy enough buying toy trains. [:)]
I can hear the conversation now
Me: “Honey, I need an electric razor.”
Her: “Why? You’ve used a razor for 45 years. Why change now?”
Me: “Well, it’s not exactly for my face.”
Her: “I’m not sure I want to hear the rest of this.”
Me: “You see, this guy came up with a really cool idea for spreading ballast on the tracks…”
Her: “What’s ballast?”
Me: “You know, those rocks around the railroad tracks.”
Her: " Where are you getting them from, your head?"
Me: “No. I buy packages of them at the hobby shop.”
Her: “You spend good money on little packages of rocks…”
Me: “We’re getting of the topic here. I need the electric razor to spread them out easier.”
Her: An ice gold glare and absolute silence in the room.
End of conversation.
Seriously though, Karl, it is a cool idea. I have often tapped the rails go get some of the ballast to settle and tried to figure a way to get it to settle better. Thanks.
Have you got a Dremel? One with a power cord would probably provide as much vibration as an electric razor. I’ve never tried it, but will the next time I do some ballasting.
Mark’s mind is…on the Bullet Train? [:-^] I think I may be getting the thread muddled up a bit. You can get those things Mark’s talking about in Walmart’s? [;)]
Getting back on track. I’ve got a few areas that still need ballasting and your ingenious technique will be given a try. Less time spent bending over the rails ballasting the better for the back.
Yes as aftershave is alcohol based then I would think you could use it as an effective but expensive wetting agent before the glue…personally I just use the 91% cheap Isop Alch (for the track not aftershave[;)])
You guys are not going to believe this! For years, I have spread ballast by vibrating the top of the rails with the handle of the brush I use to spread it with. Well, after reading the lead post from this thread to my fiancee, she says to me “Honey, I have an electric razor you can use!”
Can you believe this woman??
Nooooooooo! She does not have any sisters,sorry![swg]
No need to buy an electric razor. Stop by the Spencer’s Gifts at the local mall and get a teen’s beginners bullet vibrator. About $5, adjustable rate of vibration, can be floated on both rails simultaneously and only needs AA batteries - no cords or wires to mess with. Just keep it away from the teens in the household…
