KITTY LITTER AS BALLAST??

I would stay away from kitty litter as ballast. It's extremely dusty and absorbs ambient moisture.

Consider using loose shingle roofing granules. A variety of colors exist and they're relatively inexpensive for a 50 pound bucket.

Fred

Why not just by O-Scale ballast from Scenic Express? What's that, you say "It's too expensive!"? Then purchase a 50lb bag of cheap sand box sand from Home Depot, and spread that down first. Then put a very thin layor of the "expensive ballast" to cover all that cheap sand! You would be surprised how far one of those big plastic shakers of "expensive" ballast will go THEN.

Another excellent product is 'chick starter' found at a feed store for baby chickens. It appears to be crushed rock with nice sharp edges and good definition. There are several slightly different sizes for growing chicks so take a look and pick what you like!
Very inexpensive too....


Its very light in color, almost white and we put a couple of pounds into a box and use rattle can black paint t darken it. This gives you a good mix and variety of color.

Many are happy with some brands of kitty litter as ballast... as I am sure you will soon hear.

But, remember that the main function of kitty litter is to absorb moisture, no matter what the brand. Considering that I would really rather not have moisture near my track and considering that many basement layouts are continually fighting moisture, I think there are better choices for ballast.

Jim

Meow. I have used kitty litter rather successfully for decades. The fact that it is very absorbent is a benefit when it comes time to fix it in place. The "wet" water and diluted white glue solution really soaks in thoroughly.
My layout room never gets above 40% RH so I'm not having the problem that Jim mentioned is possible in other situations.
I will admit that kitty litter is a little too large or coarse so I know there are a lot of better looking products, as mentioned above, but I did my 730 square foot layout for about $15.00.
Either way, have fun!

Just don't use it if you have a cat. It has an attractant, your cat will use your layout as a bathroom and cat urine is very acidic.

I use Hartz Mountain Kitty Litter.

I am using Hartz Mountain cat litter that comes in the 10 lb. orange bag in the supermarket. It is white clay. I do treat it so it no longer absorbs moisture and becomes the color I want. All in all very cheap, simple, and effective.
First I sift it in a large standard kitchen strainer which leaves mostly O gauge size pieces. Then I take a clean quart size spagetti sauce jar and add about 4 oz of very watery latex paint of whatever color I want to make the ballast. Fill the jar half way with the sifted litter and tumble / shake it until all the litter is coated. If it's too dry I open the jar and add more diluted paint. If it's too wet, I add more litter. The process per batch takes about 5 minutes. I spill the newly dyed litter into a flat box and let it air dry for 12 hours. Every so often while it is drying I give it a shake to make sure it doesn't stick together. So far it has never stuck together. The watery paint is so thin that it is absorbed into the clay pieces and drys quickly without being sticky. I made separate batches of gray, black, and brown. When I am ready I will mix them together into the color blend I need. So far I have made 10 pounds worth and have had the gray out in a few test areas on the layout for over a year. It has not rusted the track, clumped, faded, or developed an odor. This is so much cheaper than buying ballast and making special trips to stone places etc.
If it needs to be cleaned - just vacumn it up and put down fresh.

Chris:

I used kitty litter as ballast on the original portion of my layout when I built it nearly 22 years ago and I've continued to use it on all of my layout expansions.

From a price perspective, I doubt you could find anything cheaper. From an application perspective, as a previous poster has noted, it is dusty but not to the point that I would be any more concerned about that dust than the smoke coming from the stack of a locomotive. If you do opt to use kitty litter, the only cautionary advice I would offer is to make certain that what you buy does not have the little deodorant crystals mixed in with the litter.

Over the years, I've had to remove kitty litter ballast many times to replace track or switches or to tie in newer parts of my layout. All that is necessary is to soak the kitty litter with warm water, wait about 10 minutes, then use a paint scraper to take it up.

I've never had any issue with moisture in the "ballast" nor have I had any issues with our cat confusing my train layout with his litter box. (Now, there was the time he got on top of some train boxes underneath the layout and got himself tangled in the wiring, but that's a story for another thread. )

Using kitty litter as ballast is obviously a personal choice and you do trade scale realism for price but, I have sworn by the stuff for as long as I have been back in the hobby.

Curt

I used chicken grit. There is probably better out there but I can recommend this. Worked fine.

quote:

Originally posted by UnclePeteRR:
Hi Guys, The great book I am using "Realistic Scenery for Toy Train Layouts" by Dave Frary recommends using aquarium gravels/rocks as roadbed ballast. Not what you want to use if you ever expect non weightlifters to move the layout!!!
I heard of the above used and was looking for feedback. I scouted out the selection at Petsmart and almost all you can't see thru the packaging to what you actually buying. If you know of a specific brand that worked for please pass if on (and specific type/name of the that brand).

I don't think you mentioned what type of track you're using but for tinplate track I use small rectangular wood blocks to go under the rails so not to "waste" ballast. Ballast serves as decoration and not function so the less I have to buy and use all the better.

Now if you're using "realistic" track with accurate tie spacing then the above suggestion will be of no use to you.

I have been making ballast(free for me) for a least 15 yrs. Using stone and sieving to get the size I want. I've supplied a few with the ballast.Pittsburgh Independant Hi-Railers.Stone ballast has 'weight' to it and is hard and can get into gears.I have made enough to last forever.I have used rubber ballast and will use more.My 2cts. Bob

Terrific thread! Chicken grit and roofing shingle granules also make excellent ballast. And all are WAY less expensive than material commercially marketed as ballast.

Regardless of what you use you should always run a good magnet over it to see that it has no magnetic materials.
Thomas

I use the commercially made ballast--always have. It may cost more, but I like the variety of colors and sizes that are available, and I particularly like to do my part to keep those folks in business.

When building my door layout I wanted a large chunky ballast, to look like something quarried from the Alps. This mineral kitty litter worked well. I gave it a grey wash. It appears to be stable, and the tinplate track has shown no signs of rust. I got a 60lb bag for about $15. I'm happy with it.

Here it is with my new Darstaed Jinty, painted in my NSWR livery. This is the first Australian 3 rail loco in many decades.

The only kind of ballast to use is properly-sized O-scale ballast.
It shows.
The rest look like litter, aquarium stone, chick-something, because that
is what they are.

Why spend all that money on equipment, then blow the appearance on penny-pinching?

I new a guy who had a layout full of $500 - $1000 locos, $50 cars...and cheaped-out
on ground up tires or some such nonsense. He "painted" the stuff a strange color, put it down,
and his layout looked like it was being attacked by lumpy cake batter.

The $1000 locos couldn't save it.

Hi guys. Where do you get the roofing granules? I looked at Home Depot and Lowes and didn't see any.
Ed

quote:

Where do you get the roofing granules?

I would try contacting ABC Supply if you have one of those in your area. It would be easier to explain what you are looking for instead of trying to look it up on their website. ABC Supply

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by D500:
The only kind of ballast to use is properly-sized O-scale ballast.
It shows.
The rest look like litter, aquarium stone, chick-something, because that
is what they are.

Why spend all that money on equipment, then blow the appearance on penny-pinching?

I new a guy who had a layout full of $500 - $1000 locos, $50 cars...and cheaped-out
on ground up tires or some such nonsense. He "painted" the stuff a strange color, put it down,
and his layout looked like it was being attacked by lumpy cake batter.

The $1000 locos couldn't save it.

Amen. Why be penny wise and pound foolish? Ground rubber or properly sized stone ballast, sealed of course with white glue mixture, When you are at the ballast stage, your so close to the finish line. Why blow it now?

When it comes to scenery, I have a depression era mentality. O-gauge scenery materials are way too expensive in my opinion, so I am always looking for alternatives.

Chris seeks a lightweight and low cost ballast material, so I would be looking at something made of plastic.

Another alternative is #16 construction sand. It's a very light grey/beige, but can be painted. $10 for a 100 pound bag. We started using it, first as a base for more expensive ballast, then alone. In some stretches of the layout, we've been using it unpainted and it looks good.

Gents:

Although I am a confirmed kitty litter guy, as noted in my earlier post, I will concur with D500 and Ahitpy as follows.

If you are building a fully scenic-ed scale model railroad with MTH, Ross or Gar-Graves scale track and you plan to weather your engines, rolling stock and buildings, then absolutely go with commercial ballast for your track. If, on the other hand, you are building a toy train layout, go with whatever makes your wallet happy.

My layout is a toy train layout with scenery and tubular track and will likely never host any engine with a price tag north of a grand. For me, kitty litter works.

Curt

I like the Chicken grit,chick size. It has a nice color and if you use clear water base varnish such as the product Minwax makes to hold it together it gives a slightly darker tint to it.
If you like the light gray look use the water, soap and white glue method to secure it to the platform and track.

Not to forget Allans' point above I bought a bunch of stuff from ScenicExpress with the money I saved.

There are several cost effective solutions to the expensive bottled ballast that you buy in bottles from Woodland Scenics and such.
Starter chicken grit is excellent. Sometimes you will get a gray color right out of the bag and sometimes its white. If its white I just pour in some flat gray latex paint and stir the grit in a pail to add just the right color. It should be remembered that depending on what region you are in, real RR ballast is usually taken from local quaries and the color can vary from gray, to brown to while. I prefer the more common gray found here in the east but I have seen white ballast used elsewhere.
Kitty litter is made of clay and very dusty. It also gives a very rough texture. My preference is for using real stone.

Just another thought on ballast.I have used an automotive product for absorbing spills such as oil,transmission fluid or similar products,referred to as oil dry.It seems to look very much like kitty litter in appearance and is oder free.You can sift this product into several different sizes.I use window screen or any other mesh type fabric large enough to give me a variety of stone.I first sift out the largest size then work my into the finer mesh screen to sift out the next size.

I have had Kitty litter for ballast since 1980, the GG track is still there and no rust yet. Maybe I got lucky. But then maybe it's also ok to use.

My friend bought some stone dust at Home Depot. $10 for 20-30 pounds. He then sifted it 3 times to get different size stones. I took all the second sift stone and he took the third sift because he wanted smaller, more scale ballast. It's real stone and pretty inexpensive and looks good on his layout.
Ed

I have used Kitty Litter without issue -- Shoal Creek is correct - Oil Dri and conventional kitty litter are basically the same thing -- dried clay. None of the litters have any special things in them as an attractant. The pricier ones would have some type of aroma or even a biocide. The clumping litters are a smaller particle, which is also a clay. I used the clumping litter just because it was a smaller, finer appearance

quote:

Originally posted by D500:
The only kind of ballast to use is properly-sized O-scale ballast.
It shows.
The rest look like litter, aquarium stone, chick-something, because that
is what they are.

Why spend all that money on equipment, then blow the appearance on penny-pinching?

I new a guy who had a layout full of $500 - $1000 locos, $50 cars...and cheaped-out
on ground up tires or some such nonsense. He "painted" the stuff a strange color, put it down,
and his layout looked like it was being attacked by lumpy cake batter.

The $1000 locos couldn't save it.

I couldn't agree more. The amount that you will spend on ballasting your layout, even a large one will pale compared on what we spend on our scale engines. A great looking/ scale ballast is offered by our own Dennis Brennan which by the way advertises with OGR. Just remember our scale is 1/4" to the ft. in prototype. Looking at some photos posted of ballasted track, the ballast looks like 12" rocks.

Yep! I agree with D500 and CSX Al. A cup, a brush, Brennan's Better Ballast,mustard/ketchup squeeze bottles,wet water, 50/50 glue/wet water, a drop tarp under the layout for drip, stop and procrastinate frequently and rest more frequently. Looks great and my back hurts and I hope to be done by my birthday. I just ordered some more[10 lbs]before postage goes up on that Missouri gravel. Good stuff!

Sometimes Michael's or like craft stores will have various "ballast" products for sale or closeout. Sometimes it is too small for ballast on Donald Duck's RR (it's not scale!), but great for ground effects elsewhere!

Also, ballast size "depends" on the "effect". Somebody really into 3r scale would not want to use fish rock for ballast. However, somebody wanting a 1950's type layout, go for it!

After reading this thread I went out to the local Pet Supply store and found "Dustless" clay cat litter. It almost PERFECTLY matches the Fastrack and there really was no dust! Not to mention it looks identicle and feels the same as what comes in those small containers of ballast that comes from the hobby shop.

For only $17 (really half the bag would have worked) I could ballast an entire layout including rail yards and all!

Thanks for the kind words,gentlemen. At the risk of this being seen as self-serving, I have to say I don't understand the reasoning behind the idea that commercial ballast is too expensive. There's no argument that it's more expensive than Kitty Litter, Oil Dry, Chicken Grit, or any of the other things that are routinely trotted out as being cheap alternatives. However, if you stop and consider that the cost of ballasting even the largest layout with my ballast is less than the cost of a mid-priced engine, the "too costly" idea doesn't hold up. And ballast is a finite expense--once you're done ballasting, it's over. Yet, one keeps acquiring engines, rolling stock and accessories.

For what it's worth...

Dennis Brennan

You know I thought about this for a moment...then realized what about our cat?

I decided to buy the Woodland Scenics ballast brand instead.

Screened stone dust sounds like another excellent ballast material. And so does the dustless clay cat litter. Especially if it matches well with FasTrack. I've seen roofing granules used as ballast, and that material really impressed me with how great it looked. And a five gallon pail of it might set you back $15 - $20 tops. If I were in need of ballast material, I'd definitely use one of the low-cost ballasts presented in this thread. Good to see that we have so many inexpensive options.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/po...ic-Roofing-Granules/
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/po...ol-Roofing-Granules/
There are a wide array of colors to choose from.

Has anyone tried polymeric sand for ballast? All you do is mist it with water and it dries hard. I used it in some cracks in my driveway. I'm going to see if I have any left and try it on a piece of left over track.

My Dad used the hartz Kitty litter on all the layouts he built when I was a kid.  We used tubular track.  Never had a problem w/ it that I know of & we had 2 cats. 

 

When I built a 4x8 layout a few years ago, I used the same kitty litter w/ Gargraves track & I think it looked good for the price.  I also had 2 cats & although they would climb on & under the layout, they never thought the RoW was alitter box