I have an N scale layout project and I need to know how to make a gravel lot and how to ballast Kato Unitrack.
[#welcome] to the Model Railroader Forums CNW Sall Lake Spur!
Your first few posts will be moderated, so perhaps a bit of delay for your replies.
I model in HO, so I’m not at all familiar with Kato Unitrack, although it appears to have pre-attached roadbed. It’s difficult to tell, from the photos I’ve found, if there’s enough depth for ballast between the ties, but if there’s room for even a thin layer of ballast, the procedure is pretty-much the same as it would be in any scale, with almost any type of track.
Because your question on ballasting comes up rather regularly, I’ll simply “paste-in” my written procedure for ballasting. This method is not the only way to do it, but has worked well for me.
I keep seeing comments about people dreading having to ballast their tracks, or, from people who’ve tried and not had success, and about what a crummy task it is. What follows is my procedure for ballasting - there are other methods that work as well, but this one uses readily-available and cheap tools and materials. And it works!
The choice of ballast is up to you - I use both Woodland Scenics Fine Ballast , and real rock ballast, too, on my HO scale layout, but there are many other brands and sizes available, and plenty of colours. If you use natural materials, like sand, dirt, or decomposed rock, it’s best to use a magnet to remove any magnetic inclusions that might possibly damage the motors in your locos.
To ballast your track, I find that a small paper cup (such as those kitchen or bathroom Dixie cups) gives you great control over where the ballast goes. I usually move the cup along the centre of the track, tapping it as I go, to keep the ballast flowing. Less than you need is better than too much, although a soft 1/2" brush is useful for pushing around the excess or levelling what’s in place. Don’t use the brush to brush the ballast around, especially the WS ballast, as it’s ve
[#welcome]
Kato Unitrack has the ballast already there. Adding some gray ballast along the edges helps a bit. Kato sells a matching colour of ballast for this.
Did you mix another brand of track with the Kato track and want to ballast it to match? If so, following Wayne’s advice with the Kato matching ballast should work well.
-Kevin
Good catch Kevin.
Mr. Wayne did a wall of text and many pictures for a scenario using non-Kato track.
Kato Uni-track has ballast molded into the base. One could ether paint the base so look a little better or paint it and add a think layer of ballast if there is room for it between the ties.
I second the idea of ‘painting first’ – use a wash of thin darker color to bring up the rock detail, and some kind of dulling agent (like the amorphous silica in flat paint finishes) to kill any plastic sheen.
I personally often notice the gaps between sections in this kind of track system if they are left ‘unpatched’ – the problem being they are even more noticeable if you try to ‘dutch over’ the joints. When I built with this [type of system – EDIT in O scale, which probably makes a difference] I slightly cut back the joint area to get a little of the matching ballast in (using a cruder version of Wayne’s methods … use his.)
The fun comes when he wants to mix some manner of flexible track in with the Unitrack [or similar sectional]. Then, having the ‘compatible’ ballast on hand, and tools to cut roadbed or sub grade to match the profile of the molded Unitrack, may be a good idea.
Just as a thought: I believe the Kato tie strip comes out of the Unitrack base, so at least theoretically – if Kato flex has comparable tie-strip dimensioning – you could cut the base into short sections, file the cut edges, and get an approximate subgrade matching up with Unitrack at the ends for a custom-fit section. You would then have to relieve the edges and add ballast as above to get a smooth look…
Please share some photographs of this process.
I have used HO scale Kato Unitrack for ages, and I can not picture the improvement you describe. Some photos would help.
No it does not, at least not on HO scale Unitrack.
-Kevin
I don’t have any ‘handy’ out of storage, but I think I can get a couple of pieces and some supplies and 'gin something up that shows it. Key will be assuring the ‘matching ballast’.
There’s really no single “best” method for ballasting. I use a couple of alternatives, both involving the “wet water.” I don’t use a sprayer. I usually ballast as the last scenery step, so spraying would possibly mess up other scenery. Instead, I use a pipette, basically a hobby version of an eyedropper. This lets me control application much better.
I have tried dish soap and dilute alcohol, but since isopropyl alcohol is very cheap anyway, I’ve moved over to just using it straight from the bottle. I found that this has the added advantage of drying much faster. It’s usually dry overnight instead of waiting several days to a week.
Agreed that there’s no perfect way to ballast. DOing it is enjoyable for some and not for others. I personally enjoy the work b/c the layout looks more realistic (IMHO).
Thanks Dr. Wayne for the pics and thorough explanation.
OK, but I do not see anything very offensive in the regular Unitrack joints. I cannot imagine building a joint that looks better.
-Kevin
Actually I don’t see anything wrong with that joint either. If I wanted to pay the price for that foolproof stuff I may have thought of using it. But I like Flex track and making my own curves
After seeing Kevin’s pictures the only thing I would like to see is a good enough matching ballast as I’ve heard they do have. The edges would look better a little more curvy and swervy spreading down steeper inclines to make it a little more realistic.
Other than that I heard you get what you pay for with that stuff, if you want to spend the money.
As far as seeing that minoot crack in the joint, I do believe I would have to grab my reading glasses and stick my head into the picture. At that point I might as well check out the road numbers of the cars while I’m in there
TF
Yes, and in a scene, the track joints are nearly invisible. Kato really makes an excellent product.
This is something I cannot see very much room for improvement with. I am interested in the pictures of what Overmod does to improve it, or even better, why bother, what does he see so wrong with this product.
I cannot see the extra effort being worth it.
-Kevin
Don’t you go making me out to be a track expert worthy of judging anything ‘wrong with this product’! I don’t think there is anything ‘wrong’ with it enough to do that. In addition, I don’t want to start down the road certain others love to walk and say ‘you have to patch joints in every system’ – if you weather the ballast to bring up the contrast, you may well not see the joints (and most probably won’t if you cement the matching faces to prevent wicking into the straight line, or do the coloring before joining the segments).
I did presume a little, in that the OP said he wanted to know how to ‘ballast’ the Unitrack. That suggested to me that he found the ‘stock’ appearance somehow less suitable to his taste. Perhaps he will comment specifically on why he asked the question the way he did.