I do not know how many of you watch Cody’s office every week, but I do and I enjoy it throughly. This past Thursday, Cody had a wonderful and informative video about how to ballast turnouts. If you have not had time to watch it, I would encourage you to do so. It is well worth your time.
In addition to Cody’s wonderful video on ballasting turnouts, one additional idea that I learned on how to ballast your turnouts was not to use any glue at all. In an Model Railroader article based on the Burlington Northern in N Scale back in the late 1990’s, a suggestion was given to attach black electrical tape to the back of the turnouts. Trim, as necessary. Then place in a small tin foil container enough ballast to cover the turnout. After attaching the electrical tape, place the turnout in the container with the ballast. Make sure enough ballast covers the turnout, then simply shake off the excess back in the container for the next turnout and you have a ballasted turnout.
What is the advantge of this method? If something every breaks on the turnout or you have to replace the turnout, you just simply remove the damaged turnout and repeat the process with the electrical tape and ballast and you are off model railroading once again. The key to this is that there is no glue to have to remove or the potential for glue removal to damage your roadbed underneath.
I know that some may say that the black electrical tape will only hold for a certain period of time, but I have had no problems with my Peco turnouts and this process for a number of years. You might want to find an electrical tape other than a black color such as gray to match the color of the ballast that you are using. Matching electrical tape to your color of ballast is a more difficult job. At least if you use black electrical tape, that could model black cinders on the roadbed which would be logical, anyway.
Ju
I have used this method and it works great. After applying the tape, use a hobby knife to remove the tape between the two ties and headblock. Then spinkle on a thin layer of ballast and tamp it down with a stiff bristle paint brush. Tip it over to remove any excess loose ballast.
Of course I solder jumpers and paint the turnout first.
I have reused many turnouts this way as my layout expanded and changed. Most of the time I left the tape and ballast on and reinstalled the turnout.
Chris
I’ve used this method numerous times since reading the N scale BN article, though I applied to the several small HO layouts I had built since then.
Now that I’m modeling in N scale I’m planning on using this method again on the turnouts of my 8x8 layout. Wonderful method, incredibly simple, and no worries about sticking points.
For a ballasting clinic I gave a few years ago for my NMRA divisional meet I had a turnout ballasted this way, on a mounted sample that I could pass around the room. Years later it still looks good and the tape shows no signs of getting loose. In a layout situation there is nothing tugging at it so it should hold for a good long time. I apply plenty of ballast to the tape and tamp it down with scraps of cork roadbed whereever I can. Then the excess is brushed away for re-use (and a vacuum picks up the remainder). If done right it stands up to even rather close scrutiny.
Dave Nelson
I guess if you can use electrical tape then duct tape would be even better. The color on the sticky side is better and the adhesive is stronger.
Thats a very interesting way of doing it but obviously it has to be done prior to the turnout being set in place. Does the ballast make things like threading the wire for under table switch machines more difficult.
I did like Cody’s method of going in with the glue from the sides of the ties rather then from down the center. I always paint and weather my track/rails before ballasting so how he does it and gets such a nice looking job is as well very interesting.
Hey the guys got lots of talent
FYI: The article on the MR BN project railroad to which you are referring appeared in the May, 1990 Model Railroader on pages 94-101. The specific reference to the ballasting method appeared on page 98. I’d also like to point out that I think this was one of the first groups to started installing shims made from .010" x .080" Evergreen styrene strips in the guard-rail flange way to prevent the wheels from picking the points on the N-scale Peco turnouts.
Bob