Many thanks for this video. Clear, concise and easy to follow. Time taken to get the ballast "just right" prior to wetting and applying the glue mix is time well spent. Thanks for all the videos you have made. There is ALWAYS something to learn from them !
Nice job! Can't thank you enough for your videos. I'm just starting out with this hobby...and I've re-visited your videos many times as I start each step. Clear, practical instructions. Cheers!
Really like this guy and how he speaks and explains things. After watching this film 100 times I've just finished trying it on my layout following his instructions word by word. I'm praying I've done it right.
I went to East Lancashire Railway the other day and it's sparked my interest in building a model railway. In the last few days I have been watching your videos and it's given me the confidence to go ahead with it.
Just used your method on my layout and it works perfectly. Found it a lot harder to remove ballast from the sleepers than it looked for you to do it but I'm sure I'll get better at it :) Thanks a lot.
Take a tip from the prototype rail engineers and “tamp” your ballast while its dry. I used one of my wife’s vibrators, a Eroscillator because it vibrated at a high frequency. The vibration settles the ballast into place nice and evenly then you just need to trim up the sides
Anyone thinking of trying what Nik Morris suggest tread carefully. I followed his example to the letter and my ballast shook off the train table :(, I suggest putting it on too a lower setting. Oh another piece of advice, if your layout is in the garden shed at the bottom of the garden watch your neighbour's don't see you bringing your newly acquired track shaker (vibrator), they might think your running a den of iniquity, especially if you have a lot of friends hang out in the shed. I think my reputation is ruined with in my local community, so tread carefully with this new toy. Oh and don't let your wife know your using it in the loco shed, it can lead to all sorts of problem's with your marriage.
Subscribed!!! Have spent the last hour watching your how to videos as I would really love to build a fiddle 5ft by 2ft board. Found all the tutorials immensely useful. :)
Wow, 11 years old but still great. I wish I had watched it before mine, I tried to clean the track after putting PVA down and sadly the track decided to ping up off the cork as I had only stuck that down with PVA :) Live and learn.
Great vid, thanks. Because I had a fairly large layout to ballast and not the finances to use Wood Scenics I had to look for an alternative. I use beach sand (free). Colours vary depending on which beach I go to here in Western Australia. Using the same tech as in your video and it looks great. Also I buy black sand to make coal loads. Again, thanks.
Hey...when I was younger and had a model railroad like this, I mixed a lot less glue and mixed it in a spray bottle of some sort and just sprayed it...worked quite well! I like this method too though since you don't end up spraying onto the tracks and such :)
I modified several of my wagons to spread it over the track, and I only apply glue to the outside of the line, when a train goes over it it gives a nice affect, I re do the track every year
New layout builder here, I ve got all my track and my cork board and before I use your great ballasting technique do I PVA glue the cork to my base board then pin track onto cork?? THANKS!!!! :D
I wondered if adding a bit of dark acryrllic paint to the "mix" for the bit that goes down the four foot, would take some of the pain out of the weathering. Ready made diesel staining so to speak. Great vids by the way,
@EverardJunction , probably i would say as you stated earlier in one of your posts in that the track i had at the time was probably the steel type hornby did in the late 90's, most of the 1 st and 2nd radius curves i had were of the hornby type which were prone to accumilating this green film on the web of the rails, a great way to apply ballast, but on at least one of the layouts i have built over the last ten years i just left the ballast in the four foot loose and glued the cess or six foot
The stuff under the track is cork sheet which I use to give the track a raised profile. I have a video called "power and control" which shows you how the layout is wired up. I don't have any videos of progamming locos at the moment.
In the late 1980s when the layout is set, quite a lot of the railway network was still wooden sleeper. Upgrading to concrete sleepers took place mainly in the 80s and 90s.
i did my very first ballast in N Gauge adopting this easy way.take your time and results show.everybody should watch this video before doing their own messy video's.
@D335Media Unfortunatly I have now ballasted all points on the layout. I use the same method except i cover the moving bit with a piece of tape. Once the ballast is dry i remove the tape and add the ballast to that part and add the glue very carfully using an eye dropper.
Hey, great video, Just a quick question, when I finally ballast my track should I take the power clip out or leave it in? And how wide is your cork underlay?
@gtacrusher123 The method I use is the most used way of ballasting, I have tried the other method you mention and it does work. The problem is its very messy and uses a lot of glue.
Hi can you use cardboard instead of cork for under the track like crisp boxs type carboard and would it be ok for ballasting after what mm is the cork you use on you layout ? Nice Video.
@BMR5ify If you use very old hornby track from the 1980s or 1990s then it could rust as it used to be made from steel. These days Hornby, Bachmann and Peco track it nickel silver and doesn't rust. If track does rust when ballasted then simply remove the rust from the running surface with a track rubber or very fine sandpaper. I use Peco streamline code 100 track if you were wondering.
You ever bumped the table or had to lean on it to get way over the other side? The trains also agitate it slightly when they roll past, the glue keeps it all in place and off the conductive parts.
@hihat101 I know the kind of green you’re talking about, it has appeared on my layout in a small number of places where I have soldered wire droppers to the rails. None of the fishplates have gone green though. What kind of track did you use nickel or steel? Nickel is much more resistant to corrosion, steel isn’t and might go very green.
@Hartsock91 Cover the points up when you ballast the main part of the track. Ballast the point on their own using an eye dropper and don't spray the water on them.
@BlueberryJunction Basically I use the same method. However it is important the you cover up the switching part of the point as well as masking the point blades. I used insulating tape to do this. I might do a video about it but i can't promise anything because i've already recieved a number of other request.
Hello there, handy video!, question, i have built layouts in the past using this method, however, when the glue dried although i ran a rail rubber on the running surface of the rails , i noticed that the glue got into the fishplates and caused the web of the rails to go a green colour and cause a slight rust, i did use to apply the glue a water sprayer like the one you used with water in it to begin with, but i filled this with a 50/50 mix of pva. water, and washing up liquid, still got rust.
great video as usual. I thought i could get it cheaper than Woodland Scenics at £10. Looked at the internet but postage was high. Then found roofing grit from a roofing supplier, grey and brown mixed, 2 kg, £2
Hi i dont glue ballast just in case i need to get track up. Also i dont use cork it goes brittle. Dont use roll ballast it goes brittle quickly. interesting about Railmatch spray. I use a small paint brush to move ballast rather than a spoon. enjoyed it.
Great vid especially as I am getting back into rail modelling as making a layout for my 8 year old son ........ and me :-). ...... only 8' x 4' but its a start. One question. would you recommend buying an airbrush for detailing even givn that layout is quite small or can i achieve similar effects using drying brushing / coulour washes?
I've always used pva for ballasting, i've not seen ballast done with copydex. As long as it dries clear I guess it would look the same. I have track pins but they are from before the ballast was applied. Once the ballast is dry you don't really need the track pins anymore.
@EverardJunction Hi there, before you put any of the mixture or ballast on, would you recommend having that wood or whatever it was under the track before the mixture was applied? Also, do you have any vids on how to set up electrics and locomotive sounds etc? I live in Canada and i'm starting my own layout so help would be much appreciated! Thanks mate!
thank you very informative strait forward and nik good tip on wifes vib's i was watching a guy last week [jnw ho] in the end it was like watching paint dry, but alas he didn't like my comments about the paint anyway informative keep it up
hello, very good video and will use this method for my bllasting. However, i have heard of people using copydex instead of pva glue for the mixture, i just wondered if the result would be different or the same? also, do you use track pins and ballast to hold the track or do you just ballast? many thanks
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Many thanks for this video. Clear, concise and easy to follow. Time taken to get the ballast "just right" prior to wetting and applying the glue mix is time well spent. Thanks for all the videos you have made. There is ALWAYS something to learn from them !
Nice job! Can't thank you enough for your videos. I'm just starting out with this hobby...and I've re-visited your videos many times as I start each step. Clear, practical instructions. Cheers!
Really like this guy and how he speaks and explains things. After watching this film 100 times I've just finished trying it on my layout following his instructions word by word. I'm praying I've done it right.
I went to East Lancashire Railway the other day and it's sparked my interest in building a model railway. In the last few days I have been watching your videos and it's given me the confidence to go ahead with it.
Just used your method on my layout and it works perfectly. Found it a lot harder to remove ballast from the sleepers than it looked for you to do it but I'm sure I'll get better at it :) Thanks a lot.
Take a tip from the prototype rail engineers and “tamp” your ballast while its dry. I used one of my wife’s vibrators, a Eroscillator because it vibrated at a high frequency. The vibration settles the ballast into place nice and evenly then you just need to trim up the sides
Nik Morris 😂
Eros Cillator... LOL
I’d hate to see the size of a model rail enthusiasts wife’s vibrator 😅
Anyone thinking of trying what Nik Morris suggest tread carefully. I followed his example to the letter and my ballast shook off the train table :(, I suggest putting it on too a lower setting. Oh another piece of advice, if your layout is in the garden shed at the bottom of the garden watch your neighbour's don't see you bringing your newly acquired track shaker (vibrator), they might think your running a den of iniquity, especially if you have a lot of friends hang out in the shed. I think my reputation is ruined with in my local community, so tread carefully with this new toy.
Oh and don't let your wife know your using it in the loco shed, it can lead to all sorts of problem's with your marriage.
brilliant
Great tutorial. The clearest presentation I have seen. Thanks for the tip on the glue too, instead of buying the pre-made expensive stuff.
This is just the sort of thing I needed to watch. Excellent guide!
I watched your video, followed your instructions. Job done, looks great, no problems. Thank you very much. I think the key word is, patience.
Subscribed!!! Have spent the last hour watching your how to videos as I would really love to build a fiddle 5ft by 2ft board. Found all the tutorials immensely useful. :)
Really good clear talking instructions. Cheers! I will try this method with my small oo layout soon 👍
Just amazing I would have never thought it could be so simple.
Brilliant explanation new to train layout so followed your instructions to the word. Worked a treat.
great video helped me no end with my ballasting. worked a treat and very impressed with result...
@Tennisman66 For normal track cleaning I use the CMX track cleaner, other track cleaning cars such as the dapol one also work well.
Wow, 11 years old but still great. I wish I had watched it before mine, I tried to clean the track after putting PVA down and sadly the track decided to ping up off the cork as I had only stuck that down with PVA :)
Live and learn.
Excellent video. Thank you very much for your imput. It's the best I've see!
Really helpful instructional video! Thanks for posting, shall be using this method on my new layout!
Just started modeling. This was a big help. Will be starting the ballasting process soon.
Hi just to say an excellent idiots guide to ballasting, helped me out doing my layout ballasting which I started today 👍🏻
I'm going to use this method on my cased models, for the track bed they sit on. Really useful, thanks.
Great vid, thanks. Because I had a fairly large layout to ballast and not the finances to use Wood Scenics I had to look for an alternative. I use beach sand (free). Colours vary depending on which beach I go to here in Western Australia. Using the same tech as in your video and it looks great. Also I buy black sand to make coal loads. Again, thanks.
Great explanation. Very clear directions even a beginner like me could follow!
You video explains clearly and logically the whole process. Thanx!
This is a really great video! I'm not so worried about ballasting for my first time now.
Simple, short and accurate. Very good video for beginers like, thank you very much for it !
Hey...when I was younger and had a model railroad like this, I mixed a lot less glue and mixed it in a spray bottle of some sort and just sprayed it...worked quite well! I like this method too though since you don't end up spraying onto the tracks and such :)
Do you use this method on points? would the glue not stop the point from moving when switched?
@jmsschooner I use a normal track rubber to rub off the glue. After the glue is gone i use the CMX track cleaner.
I modified several of my wagons to spread it over the track, and I only apply glue to the outside of the line, when a train goes over it it gives a nice affect, I re do the track every year
good vid,,getting all the tips for when I get round to building my layout,,thanks.
Exactly what I needed! I have looked at tons of youtube videos but to no avail. Thanks...Oooops...my bad...I mean a big CHEERS from the USA mate!
just starting out with my first model, was worried about ballasting, this video has been very useful, thankyou very much, will be subscribing!
Nice info.The key like you said is making sure the ballast is fully damp before the glue is applied.Thanks.
I might try your way of gluing. Ive been trying Woodland scenic's liquid cement and its not doing the job
New layout builder here, I ve got all my track and my cork board and before I use your great ballasting technique do I PVA glue the cork to my base board then pin track onto cork?? THANKS!!!! :D
@Hartsock91 I would pull the clip out as the water might corrode the metal contacts. The cork is about 50mm wide.
I wondered if adding a bit of dark acryrllic paint to the "mix" for the bit that goes down the four foot, would take some of the pain out of the weathering. Ready made diesel staining so to speak. Great vids by the way,
@EverardJunction , probably i would say as you stated earlier in one of your posts in that the track i had at the time was probably the steel type hornby did in the late 90's, most of the 1 st and 2nd radius curves i had were of the hornby type which were prone to accumilating this green film on the web of the rails, a great way to apply ballast, but on at least one of the layouts i have built over the last ten years i just left the ballast in the four foot loose and glued the cess or six foot
@MrJezza31 Yes, it sort of shot out of the tube! I used it on other things after.
Thanks for the video, I will commence Ballantine tomorrow , 👍👍👍👍🚂.
The stuff under the track is cork sheet which I use to give the track a raised profile. I have a video called "power and control" which shows you how the layout is wired up. I don't have any videos of progamming locos at the moment.
Can i use the method you use for your points on a piece of line like this.
No nonsense tutorial without the usual unless unrelated comments. Good job.
Thanks, the stuff under the track is cork. It raises the track, makes it look a little more realistic.
In the late 1980s when the layout is set, quite a lot of the railway network was still wooden sleeper. Upgrading to concrete sleepers took place mainly in the 80s and 90s.
Excellent video.
@TheTrain700 As long as you are careful when lifting the track it can easily be re-used. I've done it with quite a few pieces of track.
@samster412 It can make it abit quieter, but i use it for raising the track bed. It doesn't cost to much, a few pounds per roll i think.
i did my very first ballast in N Gauge adopting this easy way.take your time and results show.everybody should watch this video before doing their own messy video's.
The smaller stuff will look different, so you might need to blend the two with some weathering around the track.
@D335Media Unfortunatly I have now ballasted all points on the layout. I use the same method except i cover the moving bit with a piece of tape. Once the ballast is dry i remove the tape and add the ballast to that part and add the glue very carfully using an eye dropper.
@EverardJunction thanks. BTW your vids are amazing! they have helped me build my layout which is still a huge WIP. Thanks again!
Great video mate
Hey, great video, Just a quick question, when I finally ballast my track should I take the power clip out or leave it in? And how wide is your cork underlay?
Another excellent video, I noticed you spray the water to damp down the ballast, have you ever tried spraying the ballast with the adhesive mix ?
@gtacrusher123 The method I use is the most used way of ballasting, I have tried the other method you mention and it does work. The problem is its very messy and uses a lot of glue.
Great Video you make it look so easy brill thanks
What brand track is that? I think I will use that when I get started if I ever do. I'm getting excited.
Hi can you use cardboard instead of cork for under the track like crisp boxs type carboard and would it be ok for ballasting after what mm is the cork you use on you layout ?
Nice Video.
@BMR5ify No you don't need underlay, I use it the raise the track, thats all it's for.
Nice informative vid.
@BMR5ify If you use very old hornby track from the 1980s or 1990s then it could rust as it used to be made from steel. These days Hornby, Bachmann and Peco track it nickel silver and doesn't rust. If track does rust when ballasted then simply remove the rust from the running surface with a track rubber or very fine sandpaper.
I use Peco streamline code 100 track if you were wondering.
You ever bumped the table or had to lean on it to get way over the other side?
The trains also agitate it slightly when they roll past, the glue keeps it all in place and off the conductive parts.
@hihat101 I know the kind of green you’re talking about, it has appeared on my layout in a small number of places where I have soldered wire droppers to the rails. None of the fishplates have gone green though. What kind of track did you use nickel or steel? Nickel is much more resistant to corrosion, steel isn’t and might go very green.
Thanks for sharing, very useful and well demonstrated. What could possibly go wrong?..lol
@Hartsock91 Cover the points up when you ballast the main part of the track. Ballast the point on their own using an eye dropper and don't spray the water on them.
@BlueberryJunction Basically I use the same method. However it is important the you cover up the switching part of the point as well as masking the point blades. I used insulating tape to do this. I might do a video about it but i can't promise anything because i've already recieved a number of other request.
Thanks for the help this is going to be handy when I do it
Great job, thanks. What is washing liquid?
which things we need to make the model
It can in small areas if you use a cheap glue. I weather the track afterwards anyway so it's not really an issue.
Hello there, handy video!, question, i have built layouts in the past using this method, however, when the glue dried although i ran a rail rubber on the running surface of the rails , i noticed that the glue got into the fishplates and caused the web of the rails to go a green colour and cause a slight rust, i did use to apply the glue a water sprayer like the one you used with water in it to begin with, but i filled this with a 50/50 mix of pva. water, and washing up liquid, still got rust.
@SuperBige62 Once track is ballasted it can be re-used, you do have to be very careful as it is easily damaged when it pulled up.
great video as usual. I thought i could get it cheaper than Woodland Scenics at £10. Looked at the internet but postage was high. Then found roofing grit from a roofing supplier, grey and brown mixed, 2 kg, £2
thx for the vid
what do u use to clean ur track
its so clean
Could you perhaps do one on ballasting over points mate? Great help so far.
Very good, I will give it a go, thanks.
great video, a good help to novice modellers
Nice instructional video. Thanks
@EastMidlandsSteam Yes use the same method, but make sure that you tape over the point blades so you don't get glue or water on them.
Hi i dont glue ballast just in case i need to get track up. Also i dont use cork it goes brittle. Dont use roll ballast it goes brittle quickly. interesting about Railmatch spray. I use a small paint brush to move ballast rather than a spoon. enjoyed it.
I tend to find if you do the scenery first, the excess ballast gets stuck in it and is difficult to remove.
Great vid especially as I am getting back into rail modelling as making a layout for my 8 year old son ........ and me :-). ...... only 8' x 4' but its a start. One question. would you recommend buying an airbrush for detailing even givn that layout is quite small or can i achieve similar effects using drying brushing / coulour washes?
Thanks for this video. A doubt, do you apply water first and then the glue? Thank you
@gtacrusher123 Fairy liquid allows the glue to really soak into the ballast
I get the Woodland Scenics stuff. I've used about 5 or 6 large bags/shakers
I've always used pva for ballasting, i've not seen ballast done with copydex. As long as it dries clear I guess it would look the same. I have track pins but they are from before the ballast was applied. Once the ballast is dry you don't really need the track pins anymore.
@modeltrainteen95 I use a CMX track cleaning wagon
really nice video!! just wondering what have you put under the track and what does it do?? thanks!!!
Thanks very helpful I was going to use kitty litter will that work ?
So you have cork as your base, will a foam base react differently/have a different outcome to the water and glue mixture?
Should be ok, try a small area and see what happens.
Brilliant, thank you
I did try this grey blended.It was okey.I recommended instead one part light grey and one part buff.Both of them in medium size from WS.
@EverardJunction
Hi there, before you put any of the mixture or ballast on, would you recommend having that wood or whatever it was under the track before the mixture was applied? Also, do you have any vids on how to set up electrics and locomotive sounds etc? I live in Canada and i'm starting my own layout so help would be much appreciated! Thanks mate!
thank you very informative strait forward and nik good tip on wifes vib's i was watching a guy last week [jnw ho] in the end it was like watching paint dry, but alas he didn't like my comments about the paint anyway informative keep it up
@stillfreefilms Yes, i use one for points aswell. On normal track it doesn't really matter
hello, very good video and will use this method for my bllasting. However, i have heard of people using copydex instead of pva glue for the mixture, i just wondered if the result would be different or the same? also, do you use track pins and ballast to hold the track or do you just ballast? many thanks
i use a eye dropper that you get at a supermarket or chemist to drop the glue since you can put little drops on hard areas to do like points.
So, since there was a load of glue on the sleepers, does that dry clear? or did you clean it off.