I am going to begin ballasting the track on my new layout. For the most part, it will be done on my double mainline. The straight sections of double mainline track are 2 inches on center. So in keeping with prototype photos, it appears that the ballast covers the open area between the two tracks without any appearance of weeds or grasses.
But I also have some areas of track where there is a third track that services yards and spur tracks. On one curve in particular, the three tracks are spaced 3 to 4 inches apart. Would you cover the entire area between the tracks with ballast or would you intersperse ballast with weeds and grasses in that area?
I also have 2” spacing on my mainline and I spot sprinkled grass and weeds between the tracks. I’m just getting into static grass and when I figure out how to apply it I’m going to try a little bit between the tracks too.
That seems excessively clean. Maybe brand new? You’ll at least find random junk like tie plates and spikes strewn on the ballast, even if the weeds are kept down.
And that’s on standard spacing. In areas where there are more than one track and they have space between them, it would be very odd for there not to be weeds and such growing in the space. Depending on the frequency of maintenence, they might even get pretty high before being knocked back, if they get knocked back. If there are no hand operated switches with the switch stands in the space between tracks - I don’t think they’d bother much with taking down the weeds. Even if regularly sprayed, there will be low stuff growing.
A 2011 view of UP double track mainline on the shore of the Carquinez Strait near Crockett, Ca., on the right is part of C&H sugar refinery service trackage.
If ballast and subroadbed do their jobs right, and if well maintained , well drained, and regularly cleaned, track should be free of vegetation. But it is pretty common for track NOT to be well maintained or the ballast cleaned. As ballast ages (pounded by trains) it grinds against itself, becomes more rounded. Crossings in particular are so expensive to maintain that it is at crossings that you often see mud mixed with the ballast from the pumping action of the track (loose spikes, ties not setting in their cribs). That pumping action, that mud, and the looseness of the ballast - holds moisture, allows dirt to settle and gives a place for vegetation to take hold. Environmental concerns have made vegetation control ore difficult too. It is almost shocking to look at photos of railroad right of way 30 and 40 years ago and see how few trees and shrubs were trackside. Now there are more trees. Some classic photography spots, such as the famous curve at Naperville on the CB&Q/BN look different now for example.
So I think the real question is how well is your prototype railroad able to deal with all of this? If you model the Rock Island, or the Milwaukee Road in the 1970s-80s, or the Penn Central, you’ll see some vegetation.
Above is BNSF trackage in Lamar, CO. The secondary tracks are lower than the main, have different ballast, and reflect less intensive maintenance. Between the main and other tracks is mostly a mixture of dirt and gravel.
Thanks, Randy. That is what I am hoping to read. The last thing that I want is some huge expanse of uninterrupted ballast, so I will add some vegetation, weeds, grasses, whatever.
Thanks, Rob, for those photos. Since I am already ballasting my track based upon my admiration for your layout, I will go with your vegetation-look as well. [Y]
If you can imagine it, it must surely exist somewhere.
The CP tracks through the Rockies are full of growth, and that’s because the grain hopper closure mechanisms don’t make perfect seals. Grains of wheat, barley, canola,…you name it…fall through the proverbial cracks and germinate some time in April or May, depending on the weather and last day of frost.
However, the ballast is meant to be relatively clean. Some roads use steam blasters to kill vegatation, or they spray, stuff that gets into the lower reaches of the ballast outboard of the ties. And, we all know that ballast, itself, gets cleaned or replaced as needed, so you could almost have it both ways along your main. I switched batches of clean sand partway through ballasting my twin mains a couple of years ago precisely because I wanted that look, but also to have variations when I finally (?) begin to take photos.
When I am ballasting I first apply a layer that represents the surface of the roadbed, usually a different colour of rock, sometimes a different texture, then ballast as normal. In the OP’s case this would leave a surface finished surface between the widely spaced tracks. I would then apply some randon weeds, or a little static grass, not much, as it is growing in a fairly hostile environment.
My usual go-to source for vegetation is Woodland Scenics, but I have recently been considering Scenic Express. The same has been true for ballast where I recently made the switch from Woodland Scenics to Scenic Express.
Any thoughts on the use of Scenic Express vegetation?
What specific types of Scenic Express vegetation would look good and prototypical in ballasted areas?
Ground foam works pretty much the same as with other brands. Much of what’s useful from Scenic Express isn’t from their brand name, including things like static grass or tufts (if you have a static applicator, tufts are easy to make and cost less than the ones you buy).
I use a lot of static material and grass tufts around secondary tracks, along with some fine foam here and there. Note the prototype will try to avoid anything that would constitute a tripping hazard, so vegetation more substantial than large weeds would typically be absent from an area where crews have to walk.
Rob, I was looking at the Scenic Express web site. Which brand and type of grass tufts did you use in that photo? The grass tufts come in various sizes, measured in milimeters. Any recommendations for the size in milimeters for an HO scale layout?
