Model Ballast

[Dan Conlin]

I have been experimenting with ballast on my HO layout and I thought I'd share what I've found. The DAR used a very light coloured sandy gravel ballast which appears a yellowish-brown in colour photos like this one:
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=File:DAR2516b.jpg
I've been trying different combinations of ballast. I even went to the DAR's old Oak Island ballast pit and scooped some sandy ballast along with some similar ballast from the old DAR mainline near Kentville. I sifted it for fine scale ballast. However I found the stuff looks darker in small scale with interior lighting, especially once you soak it was wet water and glue - might be the bits of quartz in it. When I ran a magnetic over it, a few iron particles also jumped out, not something I want to stick to the magnets in my locos.
My best results so far have been a mix of Woodland Scenics fine ballast of two parts fine brown and one part fine buff.
Here is a shot of showing my recent ballasting. The lighter tracks in the background are the Woodland Scenics blend. The darker stuff in the foreground is real DAR ballast.
Let me know if anyone else has a ballast recipe.

Dan

[briantrainman]

Dan, I think the lighter ballast looks much better. It provides more contrast with the trains and the surrounding foliage.

Brian Lilly

[SamuelMClark]

I like the look of the lighter colour you made on the layout it makes the tracks stick out more as if they are used compared to the darker colour ballast where it makes the tracks look to be forgotten.

[downeastrailfan]

Hey Dan,

The Woodland Scenics ballast really "pops" but the real stuff looks good too. The iron particles would definitely be a concern. Glad to see the layout is progressing towards the finishing stages:-)

[stem]

In looking at so many photos of the roadbed in the latter years, it was not always the best maintained and as a result the tops of the ties were most often level with the ballast that was most often old and dirty.

Although the lighter ballast looks more modern like a well maintained mail line would be, I like the effect of the darker ballast making it look older and more grown-over so to speak. What it was like in the 30's however which is your period more or less is just a matter of personal preference but the ballast in most of these pictures is not very distinct and looks like little more than earth in the worst cases with grass and weeds to boot:

http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... getown.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... R0011b.JPG
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... wreckb.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... R-05-1.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... edited.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... o_8850.jpg

I think it was difficult to maintain drainage on many areas on the line. The water table throughout the valley floor is often no more than 2 or 3 feet down and depending on the accumulated rainfall can be nearly right at the surface.