that ballasting is so good.
It's your railway, so do it, as you will be the one regretting it later.

This is my first proper layout, and I'm just trying to put into practice what I've seen and learnt from so many people. I had done a bit of ballasting before and not done a good job, but Steve Wright of James Street fame told me how he does it. I adapted his methods by using a Peedie models ballasting aid, which sped up plain track stuff well, and also a Railway Modeller tip to put masking tape along the outer edges to define the ballast line. I followed Steve's advice by putting tiny amounts into points until it was right, while he also suggested using a piece of foam (mine came from the Peco loco maintenance aid) to tamp and move ballast around. The best piece of advice though was to do however much you were happy with in a session, then stop. Go back the next day and tweak any areas you don't like, and only then start to glue it down.

Thanks for all the kind comments, I'll keep on going then!

Dave

I'm sorry, but I will never, ever get excited about ballasting track 

But your job is certainly inspirational.