Has anyone used the “clumping” type of cat litter for ballast. I’m considering it because I’ve seen some that looks like a close match for ballast. What I’m afraid of is when I spray it with the water/detergent mixture (not to mention the glue & water mix) that it will clump on me.
Anyone else ever try this type of cat litter for ballast and if so, what were your results?
Thanks,
Brian
Well, to shoot straight about it, as cheap as commercial ballast is that’s the way I’d go. The sizes & colors available are well worth the small price.
Kitty litter has little blue flecks in it. This is highly unprototypical. I would use the commercial model railroad ballast.
Kitty litter is a special clay mineral designed to absorb and retain water. Not what you want layout ballast to do.
Kitty litter also often contains additives that attract cats. Cats and model layouts don’t mix.
Using kitty litter or sand, or fine gravel all can be problematic. Many natural minerals you find outside for free are magnetic, which is also bad around model loco motors.
For the money, you will be far happier if you go with the stuff designed to be used for model train track ballast.
My cat has knocked things off of my layout before, and I’m not using kitty litter for ballast either.
I think model railroads are cat magnets.
uspscsx
There’s only one brand of cat litter than can be used for ballast, and that is Cat’s Pride, made by Oil-Dri Corporation. The clumping type of litter is the last thing you would want to use, because it swells up when wet and leaves a horrible mess to clean up.
I wouldn’t recommend Kitty Litter. Speaking from a previous experience, it tends to draw cats, and makes them tend to do what they do in kitty litter. For the added cost regular ballast is the way to go!
John
p.s. Cat urine + K.D. couplers = Doesn’t work
Kitty litter attracting cats is a fact, not an opinion. I used to purchase 50 pound bags of kitty litter and storage in a plastic 30 gallon trash can. The cats had two convenient litter boxes on the floor, but if I forgot to close the trash can, it also became a litter box.
There is another issue to consider: I have yet to find any kind of litter that is 100% dust free. Even the 99% dust free litter creates a dust cloud when poured. Do you want this settling on your layout and engine mechanisms?
Use commercial ballast, get rid of the cats and buy a dog.[:D][:D][:D]
Kitty Litter works Great for ballast…in LARGE SCALE.
In any other scale it literally looks like you ballasted with boulders. I’m doing large scale (1/20 scale indoors) and am using Johnny-Cat rip-off El-Cheepo brand litter (no blue crystals) and I’m going to stain it with a light brown ink was to match my decrepit short lines meager ballasting options (Namely dirt) Litter works nice for this scale but any Other scale I would avoid like the plague, for HO stick to the commercial stuff, or switch or the Big Trains[:D]
doesnt kitty litter smell sort of like KITTY LITTTER?
I’m with Vic on this one. Being in 3 rail O and having a large layout with no cats, I can easily get away with it. I was going to do some experiments with coloration, and screens for sizing. HO and smaller, forget kitty litter.
As for smell, it should smell earthy when fresh (it’s clay), unless it has those odor crystals. Brands with colored flecks should be avoided, beside, they are more expensive.
Comercial ballast is not that cheap when working in larger scales. The tie depth takes a lot more material to fill. Once glued dust and magnetism problems are rendered moot.
I like ot use a mixture of black sandblasting sand, and frac sand, it works great in HO scale!
Guys -
Thanks for the advice. The good thing is that my layout is setup in an area our club leases so no cats - and my fellow club members are potty trianed! [:D][:D]
Anyhow, based on the feedback, I think I’ll just stick to commercial ballast made for model railroading. Thanks again for the advice and feedback.
Brian
That’s why they invented doors! [:o)]
Ahah! Yet ANOTHER thread on cats and model railroading. As a model railroader who is owned by three cats, I will say definitely, that kitty litter is for kitty litter boxes and kitty litter boxes ONLY! I wouldn’t consider using kitty litter for ballast, even on an outdoor garden railroad. Not unless you have a snowplow attached to the head of every train you run (phew!). I don’t mind Spooky, my Maine Coon, stealing my cabeese every now and then, but I don’t even want to THINK about the consequences if I ballasted my main yard with Johnny Cat, LOL!
Tom [xx(]
[:(!]NO!!![:(!] Don’t use kitty litter for ballast. Get the real stuff. Just a thought.[:D]
ICMR
bbrant:
In a previous discussion about ballasting I have actually discussed the use of Kitty Litter. There are some that are pure grey and dull white. I have used crushed kitty litter, crush it with a rolling pin; and some right out of the bag. It certainly is not to scale for HO, but crushed, it actually works very well and you can’t beat the cost for the cheap grade.
I use Woodland Scenics ballast mised with other products including kitty litter.
I use it dry, no glue; I even use it on AMI road bed crushed and it sticks right to the AMI road bed, again no glue.
I also use crushed materials found on streets and driveways and roads. It is excellent and I gather it by the coffee can. Make sure you run a magnet through it, but it works great and looks very realistic.
All of the suggestions are very inexpensive. I build large layouts 30’X30’ and greater so I have to use materials that I can get in quantity or bulk. I have seen some of the leading modlers who write the articles use these materials quite successfully.
Dean Freyteg uses sand box sand for example, and the Pasadena Model Railroad uses crushed Walnut shells.
Experiment first, try different things, that’s the beauty of this hobby. It wasn’t long ago the some of the leading hobbyist didn’t believe in foam as a base, and that DCC wasn’t the way to go.
Robert
WTRR
Hub City Division
I think if you use kitty litter your dumb. i would just buy the real stuff.
[2c] my 2 cents
Well, with as much trouble as I’ve had experimenting with ballast, you’re better off just to use the regular ballast and use some kind of Scenic Cement and the right tools to apply it with. You could experiment with the kitty litter and see if it works, but if I was you I’d just buy the regular ballast.