Wondering if it’s best to apply the ballast first and then the ground foam up to the ballast? Or apply the ground foam up to the edge of the cork roadbed first and then ballast? Any preferences? Thanks.
I do mine as close to the way it is done in nature as I can. I paint the ground areas right up to the roadbed with a basic brown or earth color latex paint. While it is wet I sprinkle on ground foam that is a dirt color of my choice. When that is dry, usually the next day, I apply the ballast to the track and glue it down. After that or whenever I am ready to continue, I apply the green ground foam using whatever wetting and gluing techniques are right for me and the area that I am doing. Use whatever you are comfortable with. I start with the fine material and work up to the coarse material last, then the trees. If some grass material gets on the ballast, it’s no big deal. If the dirt gets on the ballast, it looks un-natural.
Hope this helps,
Elmer.
I find that placing the ground foam first helps create and edge for the ballast to run to. But different locations sometimes have different requirements.
Lee
Ground foam then ballast. Save the biggest PITA for last.
I do my ballasting last, after all the ground scenery in that particular section has been laid. I’ve seen some MR’s where the ballasting is done before the ground scenery and it looks just as good, so I suppose it’s an individual thing. I just like the idea that the mountains were there first and the railroad came after, LOL!
Tom [:P]
It all depends on if you want ballast in your ground foam or ground foam in your ballast? If you have hands like a surgeon that dont drop or spill anything than do the ballast last. I think its easier to vacume up spilled foam than ballast. Drop some ballast on your foam and its there forerver drop some foam on your glue dried ballast and its there till the shop vac sucks it up.
My [2c]
Pete
That’s always been my view on it. I prefer to ballast, let the glue dry, and then worry about the rest of the scenery around the tracks. On my last layout, I redid my track after doing my scenery. After I was done ballasting and the glue had dried, I vacuumed with a shop vac, but there was always a piece or two of ballast here and there sitting on top of the ground foam.
Kevin
I’m with Elmer (gandydancer19).
I’ve tried doing it 8 ways to Sunday and found that doing it the “natural” way has always worked best.
For me, ballasting is part of the trackwork, not scenery, so I ballast first to finalize the trackwork before I do scenery. Some use of masking tape will keep groundfoam off nearby ballasted areas when doing scenery work.
I like to weather my rails & ties…then ballast the sides of the road bed by glueing some ballast on…then when the sides are dry I spread some ballast down the center of the track to just below the ties…then hit it with some “wet water & glue” mix. On the main line the ballast is more manicured than on passing tracks, spurs, sidings ect. After I have the track the way I want it I work in the surrounding scenery with ground foam ect.
On the main line
On some sidings
The order in which I do it: Ground foam/ground cover followed by ballast.
Ok, I’ll bite…
I had a hard time making a natural looking uniform strip of ballast on the outsides of the rails. I have track directly on homosote, no cork roadbed or ditches. The best I’ve found is to put some wide painters tape over the track, extending to cover a strip about 1/4 inch wide beside the ties. Brush on some 50/50 white glue and layer on sifted dirt and ground foam in several different shades and textures. Then drop 70% or 90% alchahol on the foam VERY CAREFULLY. It can be sprayed if you have an agreeable spray bottle. Then drop on Scenic Cement, which can also be sprayed carefully. Lift the tape and let the ground cover dry. Once it’s dry, ballast the track. Let the ballast “flow” up against the edge of the ground cover. You’ll get a nice even strip. If you want it to look like the ballast is over the ground cover, let it flow a bit farther. Worked great for me. I didn’t like green foam stuck to my nice clean ballast job when I did the ballast first.
Jim
edit: Tomcat’s photos are awesome. I can see how his approach looks a bit more natural. I may have something to learn…