Ballast can really make or break a scene. I believe that careful consideration to ballast must be given before track is laid. As I mentioned earlier, I planned for my ballast profile as I was laying the sub roadbed.
Ballast refers to the rocks and stones placed between the ties to allow for drainage on prototype railroads. You can mimic these stones on your model using crushed rocks, available at hobby shops.
HO Scale Ballast tip from: Paul Templar
For HO modelers who are ballasting track for the first time, why not try my method. Don't use granulated stuff, just use flock material, similar to woodland scenics ground cover.
Model railroad ballast is available for purchase in your local hobby shop or online in a variety of sizes and colors.
BALLAST"Turkey or chicken dressing
BALLAST SCORCHER"Speedy engineer
BAND WAGON"Pay car or pay train from which wages were handed out to railroad employees ...
Ballast
Hard core used to provide a stable base and good drainage for the track. Typically granite Chipping's between 1-2 inches diameter are used, although other materials are not uncommon.
Baltic Locomotive ...
Ballast Cars
In the early days, ballast was distributed by shoveling the ballast onto flat cars, then shoveling it off again at the work site.
Ballast
Weight used for balancing a model, particularly nautical vessels and aircraft.
Balsa
A soft wood, very light in weight, and used in the construction of motorised model airplanes and gliders.
To ballast the track, mix 1 part white glue with 4 parts water in a large squeeze bottle. Add a good squirt of dish detergent to make "wet" water. Stir well but do not shake.
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railroad ties (US) or railway sleepers (UK) are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties.
Ballast
A layer of material-usually crushed rock, cinders, or gravel-on top of the roadbed that holds the ties in position and facilitates drainage. Also used to describe any extra weight added to a locomotive to bring it up to a desired weight.
Ballast. Selected material placed on the roadbed to support it and to hold track in line and surface. Ballast preferably consists of sized hard particles easily handled in tamping, which distribute the load, drain well and resist plant growth.
Ballast
On real railroads, a layer of material - usually crushed rock, cinders, or gravel - on top of the roadbed that holds the ties in position and facilitates drainage.
Ballast
Usually gravel, cinders, or crushed rock placed between ties and around track and roadbed to help prevent the track from moving, spread load, provide bearing for ties and track, and to drain water and help control weed growth.
Ballast offered by Great Northern Sand & Gravel Company or Arizona Rock & Mineral Co. and others should work well. These brands can also be used successfully with the method described here.
Ballast is a key element and expense in the presentation of your track. While there are many ballast products specifically produced for model railroaders, a fine alternative is the use of masonry sand.
Ballasting around brickwell
To make the railway, certain problems had to be faced. These included:
Grades - making sure that trains could move smoothly on a gentle slope.
Ballast
Cinders, crushed rock, or gravel placed on the roadbed to hold track ties in place and to promote uniform drainage.
Ballast Tamper ...
Ballast Tamper
A track installation and maintenance machine used to tamp down the rock ballast used to hold the ties in position on the roadbed.
Ballast Car
A car for carrying ballast for repair and construction work, usually a gondola or hopper.
Ballast Tamper ...
Ballast
Stone or gravel placed in a roadbed to provide a sturdy surface for the track and to facilitate drainage.
Bare Table ...
If dirt ballast is wet, we have mud - a liquid. The weight of train wheels "W" bears down on the tie pushing it further into the mud. Some of the mud "M" squishes out from under the tie as each wheel pushes down from above.
Tamp the ballast with a stick or a brick to seat it and level it. Place the track in position, level it up, and fill the trench with more ballast. The top of the ties should be even with the top of the trench.
Turning back trains Ballast The crushed rock utilized as a base for the purpose of holding the track in alignment and profile.
For rock, crushed driveway stone for boulders, crushed clay kitty litter for rocks, sifted (through window screen) kitty litter for ballast and white sand for crushed stone.
Shoulder, ballast. See Ballast, shoulder.
Side planning. Cuts made on sides of the head of the switch rail to form a taper from the full width of head to the point.
Signal, highway, electric.
High Iron The railroad's mainline, usually with more ballast and heavier rail, which made this track higher than yard track. High Rail Main track. Hobo An individual who rides freight trains to get from town to town.
Slab - Track rails laid on a continuous concrete or asphalt base instead of conventional sleepers and ballast, to minimize settlement and changes in alignment, this helps to reduce maintenance costs.
Ballast The material most commonly used to form the road bed of a railway track. It is laid on the base formation of the track with the track laid on top of it and provides a storm water drainage medium.
Ballast: aggregate stone, gravel or cinders forming the track bed on which sleepers (ties) and track are laid to ensure stability and proper drainage.[7] ...
Ties keep the rails in gauge, cushion the rails and transmit the forces of a moving train to the ballast. Traditionally, ties were made of wood — in modern times creosoted wood.
Ballasting : The prototype track is laid on a bed of loose rock chippings, to provide drainage and support for the sleepers.
According to one source: "A slug is a small, ballasted, four or six axle unit, semi-permanently coupled to a locomotive. A slug does not have a prime mover, but does have traction motors.
The other option is easy for both novice and advanced model railroaders --- all you have to do is join the flex-track, tack it down and ballast it.
Ballast The base material into which the sleepers under the track is set. Baseplate The plate upon which flatbottom rail is laid in order to be fastened down. Usually referred to in modelling terms as "chairs".
Mineral wagon
Open wagon for shipping minerals - coal, ballast, sand, etc. Roughly analogous to the North American gondola car, but gondolas are generally at least three times as long as the little British wagons.
Slug A small, ballasted, four or six axle unit, semipermanently coupled to a locomotive that does not have a prime mover, but does have traction motors.
 See also: Track, Train, Locomotive, Engine, Switch
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