re-ballasting

[bluedepot]

if you wanted to re-ballast an entire layout then how would you best do this?   lift the track completely?  or leave the track in place, remove 90% of the ballast around it, and then re-ballast?

anyone done this?


tim

[port perran]

I completely rebuilt the station area on Port Perran. I was tempted to leave some ballast but I did lift all the track in the station area then relaid it and reballasted. It was a long job but, I think, worth it.

[Jerry Howlett]

6 years in to the layout and I still haven't worked up the courage to ballast any of it in the first place. Does ballast have a use by date

[Chris]

Done this on a couple of occasions and have always taken the whole lot up and redone from scratch.

[4x2]

just touch up the rough bits, then blend in the new ballast with a bit of airbrushing - it saves a lot of time...

[bluedepot]

ok....

cheers for replies!

I've decided to dig up the main running lines, re ballast with clean grey fine ballast (may use t gauge ballast)... the sidings and yard can stay dirty brown...

probably a crazy idea but I want the running lines to look like newer ballast

can anyone recommend a very fine grey ballast?



tim


p.s.  let this be a lesson to any other newbies, go easy with track dirt / sleeper grime or else you might be left with too dark and dirty ballast!

[Greybeema]

Did you try over spraying the dirty ballast in grey?  Thin coats just to bring up the tone..

[bluedepot]

yes it looked stupid

maybe very thin coats would have done it but I think still would have struggled to really lighten it all up

cheers


tim