Ballast Removal O Gauge Ross /GarGraves track?

When I want to remove my ballasted track, I do the following:

1. Pour scalding hot water (I have a portable water boiler that I use) onto the track. This loosens up the ballast and allows me to free to track from the table (after removing any track screws of course)

2. For the ballast ballast between the tracks, I let the track and ballast dry and then once it's dry I use a small screwdriver/chisel to carefully free the bits of ballast from between the ties. It's time consuming, but it works.

It should be noted that most of my track is Atlas, which has plastic ties and solid rails, so the hot water has no effect on the track or ties. I  imagine that it'll work with wooden ties and hollow rails as well, but you may want to pay special attention and make sure that the ties don't get too waterlogged. 

-Eric Siegel

I did it that way many, many years ago. Then I decided to just ballast the sides of the cork roadbed and paint the cork to match the ballast as much as possible. Now if I have to take up something I just lose the ballast and cork with no mess between the ties ...............Paul

What about one of those steamers ?  The type used to clean.  

a little denatured alcohol will loosen up the ballast

johnshorse posted:

What a mess...I will never ever use ballast again.  Moving in two weeks and destroying layout. Soaking ballast and then lifting track.  Most comes up intact but a certain percentage breaks.  Now how do I get all the ballast from in between the ties once the curves are up?  The ballast is soft but way too much time to pick between each time.  Is is salvageable or a total loss?  Next time will just screw track on painted roasted....Ballast...john

Johnshorse==you can use ballast,  HOWEVER DO NOT NOT NOT GLUE!

I will NEVER ever ever ever NEVER glue ballast in place.   Jump on naysayers!

I learned long ago to NOT glue.  I'm NOT destroying any more track.

A classic example, I very recently purchased a 4-8-4 MTH Premier Northern and it wrecked on a curve near a switch where nothing has ever derailed before.  There was just enough bend in this curve to effect this particular engine.  The area is COMPLETELY scenic-ed.

I broke out the trusty vacuum, sucked-up the ballast into a clean container, unscrewed/pulled-up the Gargraves' curve--readjusted, replaced the ballast--PERFECT.

I've been ballasting for years with no glue or issues.  I was really mad and upset the first time I glue my ballast in place; only to discover that I needed to move the track.  No more.  Never again!

I always ballast using diluted white glue or matte medium to keep the ballast in place. I use hot water to loosen the track from the roadbed if something needs to be relocated, and I use more hot water and a stick (or anything suitable and available) to remove any ballast still stuck on the track. Works most effectively with plastic ties, and results with wood ties may be different. Have used this method with various scales from Z to G.

I ballasted my Atlas track. Never again, as John C says above.

For my latest layout iteration, I painted the track outline with gray paint and sprinkled my reclaimed ballast over the paint. It's held surprisingly well so far. Then just screw the track down on top of the ballast. Looks good enough for toy trains.

This has just recently paid off big-time.  I discovered that I needed to change one inner curve from 036 to 045 in order to ease mountain construction. No prob - remove track, scrape up ballast with a putty knife (I use 1/2" blue foam sheets btw...), paint new 045 "roadbed", sprinkle with ballast, and install new track. Paint brown over the old gray roadbed area, and I'm ready to go.  REALLY glad I didn't ballast again.

And, to answer your question, ballast & glue was the only thing holding down the old layout.  It gently pulled right up.  I used a small pocket-type pencil screwdriver to pick between each and every stinkin' tie to get that out. Used a series of colanders to sift-out the "good" ballast, and manually crunched the clumps, re-sifting each time.  I used an old sweatsock in the hose of my vacuum to reclaim the ballast from the layout board.

johnshorse posted:

What a mess...I will never ever use ballast again.  Moving in two weeks and destroying layout. Soaking ballast and then lifting track.  Most comes up intact but a certain percentage breaks.  Now how do I get all the ballast from in between the ties once the curves are up?  The ballast is soft but way too much time to pick between each time.  Is is salvageable or a total loss?  Next time will just screw track on painted roasted....Ballast...john

Last time we did it, we took a cookie sheet and put it on a level surface, sat a couple of ballast-encrusted turnouts in it and poured in denatured alcohol (which we poured on the track to loosen the ballast in the first place and pried up the track with putty knives). Eventually, it loosens the ballast enough so you can pick off most of it. Since you're going to re-ballast the track anyway, it's not much of a problem. The alcohol doesn't seem to affect Ross turnout ties.