ive heard some people talking about ballasting. what is it? ive heard its really cool but im not even sure wat it is so if you have any info please help me
its the rocks that the tracks are on in real life. If you give it a search there are many posts about ballasting
Go to this link:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=4&TOPIC_ID=32122
John
Austin, Texas
bal·last ( P ) Pronunciation Key (blst)
n.
Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship or the gondola of a balloon to enhance stability.
Coarse gravel or crushed rock laid to form a bed for roads or railroads.
The gravel ingredient of concrete.
Something that gives stability, especially in character.
tr.v. bal·last·ed, bal·last·ing, bal·lasts
To stabilize or provide with ballast.
To fill (a railroad bed) with or as if with ballast.
The real railroads lay their track and ties on top of the ballast because it (rail and ties) is heavy enough not to move around. In modeling, we nail or glue our track to a roadbed (cork, woodland scenics, ‘Instant Roadbed,’ homabed, etc) to keep it in place. Then we spread ‘ballast’ around the ties and down the sides of the roadbed to make it look like the real thing. Key to ballasting is to keep the small pieces out of the way of the switch points and wheels. When you have the ballast where you want, wet it with a little alcohol (the rubbing kind, not the drinking kind) then glue it down with a 50/50 mix of white glue(elmers) and water.
thankyou kleimeyer that helped alot!!! but where do u buy ballast?
you can buy it at a hobby store, or any on-line hobby dealer.