when should i put the ballist down on the track bed?
remember i am just geting back into model railroading. should i put down the ballist after i make the river, done carveing the hills/ mountains, and put the scenery on.
When you’re ready.
In real life (aka prototype), man lays track and ballast down over road grade which is carved into landscape that Mother Nature made ages ago. So lay your ballast after everything else is done.
One the other hand, in the prototype, Mother Nature tries hard to reclaim that road grade and everything on it, so there is always some scenery (even rock, sometimes) sneaking back onto the ballast.
As you can see, either approach works, and it really doesn’t affect how realistic your layout looks. About the only thing you can’t do is put ballast down before you put your track down. Personally, I lay track, ballast, and then do scenery. But it doesn’t have to be done in that order.
I ballast my track after I have at least one layer of ground foam down. This makes a better looking scene while you are working on the rest of the scenery.
As stated above, it really dosen’t matter. However, I am going to do it last, except for what scenery grows on sidings, etc. My reason is, that it is easier to correct any trackwork goofs that might show up over time without the ballast. I run my trains to keep checking my trackwork, grade crossings and wiring, so far no problems other than scenic glue on the rails.
I have also seen suggested, that when you are ballasting, do a little at a time. This way, if your ballasting adhesive messes up your electrical work, you don’t have to go far to find the problem. You can work in several areas, doing several feet in each area, not one long ten or fifteen foot section at once.
Good luck,
thanks now i know what to do. time for a trip to ace hobby in a ace hardware store in winona mn
thanks, time for a trip to the hobby shop tomarrow.[swg]