Thomas,
Eric in his videos is a little braver than I am about putting ballast and dilute glue near the moving switch parts.
Before installing the switch, I paint the roadbed to match the color of the ballast. That way, any spots without ballast are less obvious.
I too ballast up to the moving points area as with any other track as Eric does, but I make sure I don't spray the wetting agent onto the moving rails or machine housing. When I get close to them, I use the eyedropper for both the wetting agent and the dilute glue.
For the area under the moving points, I first apply a small amount of full strength white glue between the ties with a small squirt bottle with a fine tip. Then I tamp a very small amount of ballast into the glue with my fingertips, being careful not to smear the glue up onto the tie surface. I don't use any wetting agent or dilute glue near the moving points.
If you look at prototype switches, you will see that the ballast is kept well below the tops of the ties in the area of the moving points.
Some examples:
So, I don't worry if my ballast is well below tie level in these areas.
Another trick is to apply some oil to the throw bar and points area before ballasting. That will prevent any stray glue from sticking and interfering with the motion.
You'll also find that ballast is easier to control around switches (and the whole layout, for that matter), if you use a heavy "real rock" product such as Brennan's ballast, rather than some of the lighter ballast products on the market. These lighter ballasts tend to float around when wetted and get into places they shouldn't, such as the tops of ties, sides of rails, etc.
After ballasting, I wipe the rail tops immediately with a bit of cloth wrapped around my fingertip, and then follow up with a lightly abrasive track cleaning pad after the glue has dried.
Jim
