What do you use to spread ballast?

I just pour it about the tracks from a wide mouth bottle and use a soft fan brush to distribute it before gluing it in place.  Nothing high-tech here or needed.

We use a quality 2" to 4" soft-bristle paint brush. Just brush lengthwise with a tapping motion and it tamps the ballast nicely. Just make sure ballast is level with the tops of the ties and you're good. Be careful of the moving parts of turnouts.

 

Ballast machine

Hey Dewey, Where did you purchase your ballast spreader from???

Bought it at a Train Show in Winston-Salem,N.C.  About 15 years ago.

A paper or plastic cup and a paintbrush.  

Lee Posted : paper or plastic cup and a paint brush

 

I think I have read those word twenty times on this forum...  LOL

I have one like that I made from an old credit card.  It keep the outside edges nice and neat.

Ballast Tools • Hyde Hand Tool, Brush & 50% water & white glue.

 

For a quick and dirty way to glue it down -- 25%-33% glue in water after saturating the ballast with wet-water:

Has anyone used one of these ?

 

 

When you guys glue that down, how do you keep from getting the glue all over the track rails?

Got one and really like it....

 

 

 

 

I was a little concerned about ordering an eBay item from Istanbul Turkey, but there were no problems.

 

As for glue on the rails, I use an infant nasal syringe to apply the glue. If you're really concerned about glue on the rails, just give it a wipe with alcohol immediately after application.

 

 

Gilly

Gilley,

 

I have been eyeing one of those. Good to hear it works reasonably well.

What do you use fro Fastrack?

 

It's been 10+ years since I ballasted the GG flex track on my now dismantled layout and I used this:

 

 

It's a common vacuum upholstery accessory and works incredibly well.  Just cover the inlet end with a finger, load it with the ballast of your choice, place the inlet end near the top of the cross ties on the side of the rail you're ballasting, remove finger, put the inlet end on the top of the rails, and pull it back towards you as you walk backwards.

 

There is virtually zero dressing required for stray ballast.  It even works on the outside of the outside rails.  It creates a natural "fall" to the ballast.  Even with stapled rail, e.g. sectional track, switches, there is very little dressing required--usually just a granule at a staple easily dealt with using a toothpick or dental pick or the like.

 

I started this thread to see what's been offered in the 10 year hiatus I've had from the hobby.  Can't say there is anything really new.  The concept of using a plastic tub with a rail profile at the base has been around a very long time, though products specifically for 3-rail may be relatively new.  Before I used the upholstery attachment, I made an equivalent tool using PVC tube of a diameter equal to the width of GG ties, and used a Zona saw to create the rail profile. It worked okay; the upholstery tool was vastly better. 

 

Give the upholstery tool a try. 

All the suggestions have merit. Whatever works best and is cost effective is the way to go. One other piece of advice which unfortunately I learned the hardway, is to go back after the drying process and whether you use a vacuum or brush clean the track of any loose particles of ballast. I had the misfortune of getting one particle lodged in a steam engine wheel system and it took many hours of disassembly etc to get it out. Happy ballasting!

I agree about the vacuuming the loose ballast, although I know a surprising number of people - about half a dozen - who leave it loose and say they have no problems.  Still, after I glued mine down, I vacuumed thoroughly.

 

I also built the vacuum cleaner car shown in the photo below: guts of a dustbuster.  I got the idea from Atlas, which makes a wonderful vacuum car I used when I was into N gauge.  Mine picked alot of up stuff my shop vac missed, even after two or three passes, which indicates it is not as easy to get it all as you might think with a few passes of a shop vac, so I advise really working at it - get in close and work it slowly.  (Plus doing that will finds areas where you glue really didn't set well).  

 

I ran the vacuum car after ballasting and if found a surprising amount, and still does - not ballast as much anymore, although some works loose over time, but begetation and each a dead bug or two in time, =, and again a surprising amount ever month when I run it.  I also run a magnet car behind it which doesn't pick up ballast, but always comes back with a worrisome assortment of tiny screws and metal pieces.

 

 

Lee - Another item to add to "Lee, you never cease to amaze me" collection.  That is a great idea that I had never thought of.

 

Art

Yeah, I still have it somewhere, although mine wasn't as green as yours it otherwise seems identical.  

 

I went back to cup and brush anyway. 

 

and thanks for the comment Chugman.  I have a "maintenance train " consisting of a Legacy SD70 (big strong loco) that pulls the magnet car, a Pat's cleaning-pad car, a custom car I made that applies a rubber-erase type track cleaner under pressure to the rails, and then the vacuum car sucking up everything.  I run the whole thing once a month

Use these.....

Called transfer pipettes..........

I actually keep my glue/water mixture in a plastic bottle like for mustard at a ham burger joint.  It works well.  

Bought one. The guy makes a lot of stuff for H.O. and OO, but this works well on Code 215 track like Atlas and Gargraves. Doesn't do as well on ScaleTrax. He also have a 2-rail O scale version.

your fingers..a spoon...a cup...a funnel...pour directly from container...your imagination..  thanks for brightening our day ! crj

I have one and it works great. I made the openings a little smaller so that not as much ballast comes out. I have Super O track. 

Made similar ballast spreader to Dewey's, used plastic autobody fiberglass (Bondo) spreader and exacto knife. Measure and sketch the track crosssection and roadbed,if used, add 45 degree bevels both sides, draw this crossection shape on plastic autobody spreader and cutout.

I take a disposable paint brush and put full strength white glue on the sides ("Ballast"). After drying, I spray the surface liberally with alcohol when then using the nasal syringe I mentioned earlier dribble my ballasting glue solution over the ballast. As for between the rails, for FasTrack I just leave that area alone.

 

Gilly