Fas Track Ballast

In my roundhouse area, I just applied it to the edges in order to leave the ties exposed. I laid the ballast on and then poured the glue on using a mixture of 1/2 Woodland Scenics "Scenic Glue" and 1/2 warm water shaken together well in a plastic bottle with a cap and angled nozzle which worked out well as a glue. I believe the bottles are known as "hairdresser's bottles" and are available inexpensively on Amazon.

You need to be careful about the glue you use because if it doesn't contain a "wetting agent" the mixture can just run off the surface of the ballast and not sink down and glue everything together. Scenic Glue contains a "wetting agent". 

@John Patrick posted:

I am ready to add ballast to my Fas Track. Questions do you apply ballast over the entire  Fast Track or do you just apply it to the edges of the Fast Track. Also am going to put some pebble rocks along one section of the track. What is the best adhesive to use? I bought a bag of small rocks from Lowes to apply to the edges of the track and will apply them to foam that I have bordering the track. Thank You.

In my opinion, the best adhesive for scenery work, is MattMedium, as it can be thinned easily with warm water (to about the consistency of whole milk). It can also be dissolved with cheap 70% alcohol. The best method is to apply your ballast, etc., then moisten it with 70% alcohol, then apply the MattMedium with a pipet. The MattMedium will thus "follow" the alcohol throughout the ballast.

Michael's carries "Modge Podge" which is MattMedium, already thinned & ready to use.

here are some pictures from a winter layout I’m building. I use white glue to adhere the ballast to the sides and tops of the fastrack, then lock it in with scenic cement. Makes it strong and makes the track nearly silent.

@John Patrick posted:

I am ready to add ballast to my Fas Track. Questions do you apply ballast over the entire  Fast Track or do you just apply it to the edges of the Fast Track. Also am going to put some pebble rocks along one section of the track. What is the best adhesive to use? I bought a bag of small rocks from Lowes to apply to the edges of the track and will apply them to foam that I have bordering the track. Thank You.

Here's how I do it.  Only the sides are ballasted.

https://youtu.be/KvScjVC5RCQ

@ToledoEd posted:

Here's how I do it.  Only the sides are ballasted.

https://youtu.be/KvScjVC5RCQ

Great video Ed'... That is pretty much how I do it too.  I do add some ballast in between the rails also on certain spots...

I only did the sides using Brennan's Better Ballast, but that full ballasting looks really nice.

Simllar method to those posted above. I brush on full strength Elmers white glue. Then sprinkle an even layer of ballast on with a teaspoon.

( Hats off to Keith, no way I'd ever find the patience to do inbetween the ties.)

I do plan to eventually weather between the rails/ties to tone down the plastic roadbed.

The next day I go back and wet the area with the 70% alcohol as Hotwater mentioned . Then I dribble on a 50/50 mix of water and white glue using and empty Elmers gue bottle which makes a great applicator.

I also painted my rails with a Woodland Scenics track painter pen "steel rail" TT4580.

Thanks, Ted. I don’t have the patience to spread a fine layer between ties. It does look good though.

Matt, I also use Brennan’s Better Ballast. Good stuff.

thanks Rick, I use the gluing in between the ties as a way to decompress from work. It’s mindless but time consuming. Thanks to working from home it’s easy to find 15 minutes here and there to do 10-20inches.

I’ll try that recommendation from Hot Water, sounds like it’ll save a few bucks on scenic cement. Few more pics just because.

Keith:

I really like your ballast color & treatment between the ties.

What brand, color, & size of ballast did you use ?

@CBQ_Bill posted:

What brand, color, & size of ballast did you use ?

Thank you Bill,

I use the coarse gray blend from woodland scenics for the sides and then fine gray blend for the top/in between the ties. I did add some extra gray coarse on the bottom of the sides to make it look like new ballast was added over older ballast. On the track around what will be the North Pole, I used regular gray color for everything.

https://woodlandscenics.woodla...com/show/item/BAL-GB

@Hot Water posted:

"In my opinion, the best adhesive for scenery work, is MattMedium..."

I'll second that. This method worked great for my HO & N layouts (cork roadbed) although, I cannot vouch how well it works on plastic Fastrack. It would be good to hear from some folks that tried it this way.

Keith:

Thanks for the response.  

Like RickO, I have used the WS track pens for Steel Rail on both sides of both outer rails.  I leave the center rail unpainted because it blends in nicely due to its reflective sides.  I also use the WS Weathered Tie for the ties & Rusty Rail along the base of the inner & outer rails.  

So far, my FasTrack is not yet mounted on my benchwork.  After my modules are stained & sealed (probably next spring & early summer), I will fill the voids under the base with ConTact brand black foam shelf liner (with Scotch double stick tape).  These track sections will then be mounted with a layer of the ConTact liner between the track & plywood.  Small gray cable ties will serve to fasten the FasTrack to the plywood/ConTact liner.

At this point, I will add the ballast.  

In addition the your ballast, what other measures did you employ for sound abatement with your FasTrack ?

Thanks in advance !!!

We just did the outsides on our modular group layout....

Peter

The ties are heavily buried/concealed in the former NKP lines that run through my area.  I ballasted my Fastrack in a similar manner. I also sprinkled green foliage on it to represent vegetation on the tracks.  

I’ve now converted my layout to Atlas track, but haven’t yet ballasted it. I’m still planning on how to do so. I like the ballast spreaders, but they make everything come out “too neat” to my eye since the whole top surface and much of the ends of each tie are exposed. The tracks in my area don’t appear that way with, again, the ties being largely buried.

I’ll keep searching the forum photo galleries for ideas.

@BNSF-Matt posted:

I only did the sides using Brennan's Better Ballast, but that full ballasting looks really nice.

Agreed, saw it first on Sean's trains on Youtube in his earlier videos. He also shows how to replace a section of track and retaliating

Joe Gozzo

I put sill plate foam under the track I cut it out to fit the cavity. I then used a black wash on the track.  Then woodland scenic  medium gray ballast with some black cinders mixed in. Paint glue on the sides and sprinkle. Then when happy use squeeze bottle of half glue & water with a couple drops of dawn.  I spray with denatured alcohol and drip the glue on.  It quoted the track tremendously. The I removed any screws that were used to hold.  I love the ballast in between the rails but I too didn’t have the patience.  Tried the paint pins on the rail but I did not have much luck with them.

@RickO posted:

Simllar method to those posted above. I brush on full strength Elmers white glue. Then sprinkle an even layer of ballast on with a teaspoon.

( Hats off to Keith, no way I'd ever find the patience to do inbetween the ties.)

I do plan to eventually weather between the rails/ties to tone down the plastic roadbed.

The next day I go back and wet the area with the 70% alcohol as Hotwater mentioned . Then I dribble on a 50/50 mix of water and white glue using and empty Elmers gue bottle which makes a great applicator.

I also painted my rails with a Woodland Scenics track painter pen "steel rail" TT4580.

Every time I see pics of your layout Rick, I’m completely in awe that’s fastrack!....that’s amazing work!...

Pat

I used crushed stone from a pile I have for the driveway, sifted with different screens.

@harmonyards posted:

Every time I see pics of your layout Rick, I’m completely in awe that’s fastrack!....that’s amazing work!...

Pat

Thanks Pat! I'll take whatever compliments I can get, and coming from an expert modeller such as yourself. Its very flattering.

In reality, its probably more luck than sense on my part, and throw in my 15 year old Panasonic Lumix digital camera that still takes a decent photo and thats what you get.

My scenery will never be as good as many others I've seen, and thats O.K. I enjoy what I've done, and I enjoy viewing other peoples work just as much.

BTW, Wheres Larrys Hudson???

I painted the sides with white glue and sprinkled the ballast. After the first coat dried I went back with glue/ wetting agent and filled in the thin spots.