I stumbled across this the other day. While installing a submersible pump in a well I got to thinking that the granular ledge that the well driller pulls out of the well during the drilling process would make perfect ballast. Wa***he stuff, sift to your desired size and you have all the rock ballast you would ever need. It is grey in color and I think it would be ideal for you do it yourselfers. A friend has the same kind of ballast on his layout and it looks sharp. He got his at a rock crusher and sifted it down to ho scale. Same process, very obtainable in the country where people are on their own wells.
All of my ballast is done with real granet that I picked up at a rock crusher a sifted like what you are talking about. I get several different grades, make the ground cover on the mountains, make roads and all sorts of uses. I have read some in these threads that it will make your train loud. My HO layout is mounted on 1/2’’ plywood with cork roadbed, I am very satisified with the quietness. Mike
If one chooses to use real rock, sand, dirt etc. on a layout it should also be sifted over a magnet to remove any iron particulates. If not, this stuff eventually works loose and finds its way onto the magnets of motors of the locomotives. This is probably not as big a deal as it was back when all motors were open frame.
Remember real rocks are heavy. I had just made a foam core modular unit. It was so light compared to the other older units I was very pleased. Then I started doing the scenery. I grabbed a can of “demagnetized” sand (1 lb coffee type) and suddenly realized that it weighed more than the module. Had I used it I would have more than doubled the weight. Needless to say I went and purchased the lightweight woodland scenics stuff.
Sure you can use real stone, Az rock and Scenic Xpress have some good ones to choose from. You will need to test glue a sample, though, many of the various stones will set much darker once glued. The color/ shade doesn’t change w/ WS walnut shell ballast.
Bob K.
I use the decomposed granete for my ballest and it works great.
The one on the left is woodland senics ballast. The one on the right is decomposed granete. I do run a magnet through for metel particles.
This is what it looks like after installation. I can buy 50# of the granete for less than the cost of one jar of woodland senics ballast. And with no increased noise that I can tell.
