Update from Hopewell NJ on the NY&LB progress!

Looks great. Can you share your track plan? I like the Bay Head loop.

Earl 

looking good !  being from Hopewell I assume you go to Tony in Ewing?

Agree with other....looking real good..I am also in the middle of ballasting...and it does take quite some time....from what I can see you are doing some job....what are you using for ballast and what roadbed???...I used Woodland Scenic roadbed with Brennans ballast...glue it down with a mixture of matte medium, brown latex paint and water....using Atlas track....happy with the results....would like to know your method....and thanks for sharing...

Very nice! As a suggestion, you might want to paint/weather those shinny rails prior to applying the ballast.

Thanks Earl. Here's the plan, and an Atlas RTS 7/10 file.

KON112H - you bet!

JOECELEB, here's what I've been doing:

The ballast is from Scenic Express, the lightweight ground walnut shells, #20 fine, EX3150 & EX3050. The 5 gallon buckets will pretty much take care of the whole thing - BUT, if I had it to do over, I would have used the stone or granite ballast. The lightweight stuff is nice, but it is so light that it scatters everywhere, and is easily displaced by static electricity before you get a chance to glue it down.

I use the ballast spreader in the photo and link below, that works well, then a flux brush and small artist brush to clean it off the ties. Glue is 1/3 white glue, 2/3 water, applied from a mustard bottle or eyedropper in tight spots. Sprayed beforehand with the usual water and a couple of drops of detergent. I kept the glue mix a little on the light side just in case I want to change things around.

I have not used roadbed, the track is screwed directly to Homosote, with 1/4" - 3/8" wide strips of 1/8" cork glued down alongside the ties. I pretty much followed Dennis Brennans book, "Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains" for the ballasting.

http://proses.com/modelrailforum/items.html

TY for your reply NYLBFAN,  I too followed Dennis' method adding in my own touch. I like what you did with the roadbed. If I could do it oven again that is one thing I would change.  

nylbfan posted:

JOECELEB, here's what I've been doing:

The ballast is from Scenic Express, the lightweight ground walnut shells, #20 fine, EX3150 & EX3050. The 5 gallon buckets will pretty much take care of the whole thing - BUT, if I had it to do over, I would have used the stone or granite ballast. The lightweight stuff is nice, but it is so light that it scatters everywhere, and is easily displaced by static electricity before you get a chance to glue it down.

I use the ballast spreader in the photo and link below, that works well, then a flux brush and small artist brush to clean it off the ties. Glue is 1/3 white glue, 2/3 water, applied from a mustard bottle or eyedropper in tight spots. Sprayed beforehand with the usual water and a couple of drops of detergent. I kept the glue mix a little on the light side just in case I want to change things around.

I have not used roadbed, the track is screwed directly to Homosote, with 1/4" - 3/8" wide strips of 1/8" cork glued down alongside the ties. I pretty much followed Dennis Brennans book, "Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains" for the ballasting.

http://proses.com/modelrailforum/items.html

But,,,,,your track will still look a LOT better if you paint/weather those shinny rails prior to ballasting.

All track was sprayed painted first then rust color added to the side of the rails...did this before laying down the track onto homasote....

Normally, the rails are not rusty. 

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Normally, the rails are not rusty. 

Especially if one is modeling the steam era, through the mid to late 1950s!

There is a short line RR that runs in South Amboy and those rails are certainly rusty. Depends what you are modeling. Like you said 'normally'. If I were modeling mainline NJ Coast line definitely no rust.