i think i remember something from an old MRR mag (circa 1990s) with this ad for various track ballasting equipment. you name it! track cleaners, other stuff, and an actual ballast laying can. it looked something like a cylinder with a cloth on the bottom as a filter. probably used for fine grain ballast.
i’ll try to find the article as soon as i have time too.
My current layout is using mostly (using up a small bit of leftover flex) Unitrack for exactly the reason that I too hate ballasting.
Previously, I did the ballast dance. No problem with it looking nice, etc. It’s just a pita, no matter what anyone says :), and for me, it’s a “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt” type of item.
Working six days a week, with a family, I chose my hobby to be relaxing and fun, and ballasting isn’t even on the radar for that 
Regarding pros/cons, I think (I’m in N scale) Unitrack is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I don’t ballast it; I’d use flex still if I wanted to do that
But I do give the roadbed sides a wash of india ink (any black paint will do too), weather the rails, and also black wash between the rails in places, and also add very fine ground cover where the bed edge meets the ground, where needed.
[#ditto] I hate ballasting too, I remembered the bore and chore of it from years ago. So I actively sought out options which preballasted track. None of the preballasted track will ever match hand ballasted track for ultimate realism, so if you’re looking for your layout to get published, it’s not they to go. But if you want to quite speed up your building time (save several tedious steps), avoid bore coupled with chore and have highly dependable electrical connections, Unitrack far and away seemed the best to me, a little more expensive, but if your precious time is worth a little money, it’s the way to go.
As stated in previous post, if you wash the track with diluted India ink, and put a bit of like-colored ballast at the edge of the plastic (Kato sells some, which you can “weather” by mixing with similar color ballast and a brush of the india ink)…it’s a pretty good facsimile, looks good.
Not for everyone, I admit, but we each have our own thing we like to focus on, and it’s nice to have choices. I know some will fulminate about how wanting to save time and speed overall results is lazy and sign of the coming Apocalypse, but to each their own…
I think Unitrack looks a lot better than EZ track, which unless you ballast it thoroughly, looks much more wanting. I didn’t think I could live with that longer-term. I think in this case you get what you pay for. And I understand from most of the discussions I’ve seen, that Unitrack’s great virtue vis-a-vis EZ track and others is its electrical reliability, among the best out there. That’s a keen selling point.
Downside of Unitrack…expense, lack of turnout options, not many LHS carry it. Kato as a company is a bit thick
I used to use Jeffrey-Wimberly’s method (old Elmer’s glue bottle) for applying diluted glue when ballasting. I found that those squirt bottles that you find in old time diners for mustard and ketchup give me even more control. Plus, you can see how much is in the bottle. I found them at Wally World (Wal-Mart) for 88 cents apiece.
You can get even more control with an eyedropper, which is what I use.
I’ve got some old ink jet cartridge refill bottles that I use. They have a small 1" metal “needle” on the end. They’re great for pinpoint work.
I happen to like ballasting. It makes the track come alive.
For all of those contemplating EZ-type track. The switch machine is built in to the roadbed of the turnout. When they break down, they are easy to fix, you just have to rip out the turnout. Because the roadbeds have the plastic tabs that hold them snug, at least the three sections of track that connect to them have to come out. If they are in a yard, fixing a jammed or lose spring can be a major overhaul.
The flip side of that for Unitrack is that switch machines are already hidden, and the flexibility of sectional track makes changes much easier. One other thing with Unitrack, once put together, it has pretty consistent rigidity…you just need a dab of caulk and it ain’t moving. Removing sections of track is a breeze. Taking up whole lines and making changes to the layout is quite a bit simpler…allows for more modularity. Esp. important if your inclination is to improvise a bit on the track plan as you go.
Of course, Spacemouse, you’re right…for the superdetailing effect, you can’t beat laying down cork and then track and then hand laid ballast.
I guess it’s just a choice. I always stand in awe of the guys who do an amazing job with the track ballast.
Spray first, then lay track. Looks pretty good on homosote or other base board roadbed too. I sprayed mine flat black first and then went over with stone paint. It’s the nuts where you don’t want ballast fouling turnouts etc. I found the el cheapo wally world version was better than Krylon…smaller grains, better color. Had trouble with the stone flecks fouling the Krylon spray nozzle. Whatever you do, do not look at the nozzle if you’re trying to clear it. About that time the residule pressure will pop the clog out and you’ll paint (ballast) yourself. (ask me how I know)
Good thing about this method is that it gets a ballast look fast, and you can go back and do it the tradtional way when you feel like it.
In the old days we had Tru-Scale ballast paint. This was a gray paint with texture. It’s what Tru-Scale ballasted the ready track with, and they sold it separately. You could make some up your self and experiment. Another basic approach which better ballast could be glued over later.
JBB
No matter what your choice, isn’t it great that there are options ?
Options are a good thing in anything
Can you please explain the procedure you used to weather the Unitrack rails?
Very simple and quick.
Apply masking tape to the roadbed sides and between the rails (this part doesn’t need to be rail edge to rail edge, just a thin strip).
This is just to make sure the vast majority of the paint goes on the rails. Doesn’t have to be perfect.
Spray with any cheap spray paint of the color you like. I just use rust colored primer. Works great, doesn’t affect the unijoiners at all.
Wipe of rail top while paint is still wet.
Done
I’d give you a pic, but don’t have a digital camera.
There’s lots of other methods out there too.
Thanks. I’ll give it a try.
Do what I do. Cut the plastic tabs off of the turnouts and the sections that connect to them when you’re laying the track, then it’s much easier to replace in the future. If the track is going to be permanantly mounted, you don’t need the locking tabs, just the rail joiners.
In my opinion, you can’t beat granite chippings glued down with diluted carpenters glue, applied with an eyedropper.
The effort is worth the results.
Jon
alcofanschdy, this was an undecorated “economy” corner module, so i haven’t ballasted it yet. It still looks OK, I’ll try and get a photo this weekend. If the color is similar to the ballast, it will probably let you use less.
I’m late to this thread, but…ballasting isn’t my favourite part of the hobby, by quite a long shot. Still, you can get quick at it with some determination, persistence, and practise. Don’t ever spend more than about 30 minutes on it at any one time. For some of us, 15 minutes is a bit much. However, if you persist, and don’t have 200’ to do out in the open, it gets done…like everything else. Also, don’t overlook an important step for “Holy Cow!” track…see Joe Fugate’s excellent advice on weathering the track and ballast. It is fast, really, and improves the looks immensely. Also, who said it had to be done today? Like so much about layouts, you can leave it for another month. In fact, I prefer to ballast and to weather as the last two steps before I call the whole shebang pretty much concluded. Minus some small additions, changes, a new structure, the usual.
Granite chippings. Huh I have never heard of that before. Where do you get granite chippings?
-Smoke
Here’s how the real railroads glue their ballast down. You can still see the wet Elmers on the ties.[:D][;)]
http://www.alabamarailfan.com/cgi-bin/download.php?file=rg_17a.jpg&catid=image
I got mine in the UK.
Woodland Scenics sell them (or similar stone chippings), although they dont advertise as such. Look out for their tubs of ballast. The heavier ones are the stone chippings. The lighter ones are shredded cork or other light material - they are awful to ballast as the chips rise on the meniscus of the glue and make a mess.
One useful tip - Although I model HO, I used N scale chippings - looks far more realistic for some reason.
Jon