I just bought the “How to Build Realistic Layouts” special issue for something to read on a trip I recently took. When I started reading it I saw the first article was “How to ballast and weather track.” I immediately became somewhat disappointed and said the same things many people say when looking at a table of contents “How many times are we going to see that topic??? I’ve been ballasting track since 1980.” However, upon noticing that the article was written by our own Joe Fugate, I figured I’d scan it - I knew the pictures and the modeling would be top notch.
Well, I did learn something after reading this “old” topic. Joe’s ideas for using tempera paint powder to weather the track was something I never heard of before. I then spent quite a bit of time studying all the pictures in this article on a topic that I was (or at least thought I was) “an old pro” at. As expected the photographs were outstanding and the track did indeed look vastly superior to many that I have seen before. What was most helpful was that Joe included some mixing formulas to start with. Much better than the “mix up a weathered track color” help that sometimes is found. I think I spent more time on this article than the other “more interesting” ones.
I’m now wondering how many other new “tricks” to do an old task I’ve missed because I didn’t at least skim through an article about something “I know about.” Lesson learned!
Thanks Joe for sharing with me a technique that will help me improve my modeling efforts!!
Hey Dave, you’re very welcome. Have you checked out the free video PDF yet?
There’s something about watching a technique being demonstrated that gives you subtle insights you can’t get just by reading words and looking at still pictures. I tried, of course, to make sure the article and still photos were as informative as possible, but video takes the whole learning process to a new level, I think.
That’s why I’m such a fan of using video to do modeling how-to’s, as if you couldn’t have guessed. [swg]
Do vary the between-the-rails color so that it’s more pronounced in some places and more subtle in others. I often really let the tempera mix have it with the water, causing it to soak into the ballast more like real grime does under the influence of lots of rain.
If you’re modeling a high desert railroad (like in the US southwest, for instance), use a lighter hand on the tempera powder (put it on less thick), and only mist it lightly with the water, since it doesn’t see rain very often in this climate – more often a good desert windstorm will just blow some of the crud away. [swg]
Great timeing as Im very close to doing this. I will get the article and train up some little folks (9 to 14 years old) to help me. And that may be the most fun of this mans layout.
Thanks again Joe, If I can get this layout within 50% of your layouts appearence, I will be very happy…John
Everytime I hear myself thinking “Oh no, not that again”, I make a point to read the article carefully. Some things are kind of old hat, but I’d say about half the time I see something new. It might be small, but it’s something I didn’t think of.
I also have appreciated the above mentioned article. I do have a question though. When “wetting” the ballast with the 70% alcohol, I take it that you are wetting ALL of the ballast and not just the ballast around and underneath the tracks? Does that also hold true when cementing the ballast to the track with the 1:3 solution of white glue and water? Thanks.
You need to use the access code printed on page 15 of the Realistic Layouts special issue to download it.
I think the video helps answer people’s questions, like Tom’s question about how I wet the ballast with the alcohol. [swg]
I wet all the newly added ballast with the alcohol since I need to soak all the ballast with glue as well to make it stay put. I hope that makes sense … the video does really make explaining this sort of detail a lot easier!
Thanks Joe. I downloaded the video. These PDF videos are a great thing. Having the mix of short multimedia clips with the written “how to” is really neat. Some people learn better by the “show me method” and others can pick it up by reading. Keep them coming.
I agree with your comment about variation. I have lot’s more track to ballast and I am sure with your excellent tutilage I’ll get better.
I wonder if this article and video would help me add ballast to Atlas True Track? I know that I took an unrealistic shortcut in using True Track but I started my layout very late in life and wanted to get my trains up and running quickly. This I’ve done and am having a great time running my HO DCC layout.
But now, as I have time, I’m going to add scenery and structures to small sections a little at a time. Right now the True Track is loose laid on 2" blue styrofoam. My options seem to be:
Tediously add ballast and paint track by brushing glue on the plastic roadbed, carefully working the glue between the ties, sprinkling with ballast and then vacuuming up the loose material, and brush painting the track. A very slow process for approx. 130 lin. ft. of track!
Remove the True Track from small sections of the layout, snap the code 83 track out of the plastic roadbed, install cork roadbed and ballast, paint the track, and then install on the ballasted road bed.
Same as Item 2 except use new flex-track. This would be more expensive but better looking.
I’m leaning towards Option 1 as I can do as little or as much as I care to and can keep on operating my layout, which is what I enjoy the most.
So, what is the best way to get the ballast to stick well to the plastic roadbed?
Joe, I’ll add my thanks for the article to the bunch. Like Dave I was planning on just skimming the article and moving on when I first saw it, but when I saw you had written it I kept reading. It’s really quite valuble information.
I built an HO scale Module as part of a club layout, and due to our first show being only a few days away I had skipped painting the track in favor of just having the ballast down in time. I didn’t think there was a good way to do the painting after the ballast was down and was just going to not do it at all on the module, but with the tips you gave in the article I can actually do it. Now my problem is finding tempra paints around here, none of the nearby chain stores seem to have it. I’ll have to go to a specialty store in Madison the next time I’m down there, I’m pretty sure they’ll have it.
Thanks again for taking the time to write the article,
I’ve never dealt with Atlas True Track before, so I’m not sure what the simplest method would be for adding additional ballast to the track.
I’d first try just sprinkling on some more ballast of the same color (Woodland Scenics gray?), soaking it with alcohol, and then applying the glue. If that didn’t work, you could certainly brush on some glue first on the shoulders, sprinkle on some ballast all over, then leave it set for a few hours while the glue on the shoulders sets up. Then I’d come back in and soak the same ballast with alcohol, then apply the watered down glue and let it set up. At least this way, the fresh ballast on the shoulders should stay put.
Shipping could make one place more economical than the other, so you will want to also consider that.
When googling for tempera, use “powdered paint” not “tempera” because a lot of tempera paint these days comes already mixed into liquid form.
Gotta love our “microwave” society – it used to be shipping powder around was smarter because it’s cheaper and you can mix it yourself. Nowdays, people can’t even add a little water to something, we’ve got to ship the water too – and make you pay a premium to save a few moments work. Sheesh. [xx(]
My wife was able to find the yellow and black, but not brown powdered paint. Can I potentially use brown and rust-colored pastel chalk powder in a similar fashion? I’m doing a small N scale layout and I don’t need barrels of the stuff. I’m wondering if the plaster will bind the chalk powder enough to hold it in place.
Anyway, great timing on the article as I have a well-groomed roadbed looking just a bit too clean! Thanks for the great how-to video.
I watched a few of the clips and - you’re right - they did fill in some information for me. I actually tried my hand at it last night on a small piece of sectional track tacked to a 1 x 3 board. Is there any reason to use white glue over yellow or carpenter’s glue in gluing down the ballast, or does it matter? All I had in the house was yellow glue so I diluted that 3:1 with water.
Yellow carpenters glue will add a slight yellow tint to the final ballast color. I prefer to not tempt fate and go with white glue, which dries clear. If I want the ballast to be more yellow, I’ll use yellower rock.
I’m a real fanatic when it comes to proper color, and even subtle color changes like that imparted by the yellow glue would bother me. Some modelers may not care, however.
If you are a stickler for scenery realism, then you may want to go invest in some white glue for the real project.
