Ballast what do you use ?

[Tony]

I couldn't find an information thread just about ballasting only separate ones on peoples own railways so i thought i would start one, it may help people so please post your stories....
i went for it says in the advert "6mm white limestone" in truth from what i have seen 6mm is the largest size going down to 2 or 3mm which is just right for what i wanted...i got mine from here http://www.stonewarehouse.co.uk/chippings-gravel/gravel ordered it Tuesday afternoon arrived Thursday cost £116 for 50 bags weighing 1 ton or 1000kgs I could have got a bulk bag for £92 bit less than a ton but i wanted to be able to store any i had left over (the prices include delivery and VAT) i think that's very reasonable at £2 a bag and i didn't have to drive to a garden centre a dozen times paying £6 a bag
This is how it arrived

and this is what it looks like

i went for white as i want it to weather and be a contrast against my soon to be grey and green hills

i love it and i am well pleased

 

[alec dawe]

Tony? What length of line do you have. I'm trying to work out how much I am going to need to ballast mine, eventually!

 

[mike]

I asked a nice man who can ,to do,he did,me happy

 

[Tony]

Tony? What length of line do you have. I'm trying to work out how much I am going to need to ballast mine, eventually!

I seriously dont know Alec you decide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkPd7FAojLg&list=UUzZOawCfQpowyHNQJmyiXRg&index=21
This is it plus the line that go's down to the ground and around the pond..i will have a rough measure and let you now how much i use

 

[stockers]

Looks very good. I use a granite chipping that are about the same size. OK, they are oversized but thy look the part and work very well.
A bit pink to start with but they soon weather down.
Get it from the local garden centre at about £3.50 a bag (10Kg I guess). Sure it is cheaper in bulk but its convienient and local.

 

[Lordraglan274]

I used 6mm ganite chippings as it has sharp edges that lock together. I choose red to contrast with the slate covering I was putting around the plants, it was a bit bright at first but has toned down over the winter.

I bought a bulk load that can be seen stacked up by the shed in the photo which was much cheaper than small amounts, and have used the entire lot......I am having to order more for this years extension, but again I will get 50 bags as it is massively cheaper than 25!
I got them from the people in the link below
http://www.stonewarehouse.co.uk/chippings-gravel/red-granite-6mm < Link To http://www.stonewarehouse...gravel/red-granite-6mm

This was how it looked a few weeks ago after a season of use.
I am very pleased with it
Syd

 

[duncan1_9_8_4]

I just use alpine grit, £3 a bag from garden centre.

 

[tramcar trev]

I used the real thing. Ok it was crushed down to around 3mm chips but hey it is authentic.... I actually went to a landscape supplier and bought mine in bulk... looks good, well I think it does...

 

[Madman]

Looks great ! Color as well as size.

 

[trammayo]

I too use the garden grit - started off with Westland's but unable to get any more -

the new stuff is finer and a lot lighter in colour...

The smaller stuff can wash away in heavy rain if you don't have some means of containment ...

 

[Eaglecliff]

I began with 3-6mm Alpine grit, but thought it looked a bit too big, so swapped to "Westland" Horticultural grit. It's rough, not regular, reddish when wet but dries paler. Three 20kg bags currently on offer £12.99 at our local garden centre.

 

[eye-kay]

I think its all down to personal taste and what you can get hold of. My line uses terracotta (red) chippings at the [strike]demand[/strike] suggestion of SWMBO. After a couple of years it doesn't really matter as nature takes its course and weathers it down to a more mellow tone.

As to how much you need, its the same as how long is a piece of string. How long is your line, how deep is your ballast, have you got any wide expanses to cover? Also have you got any young children who will redistribute your carefully laid ballast around the far reaches of the garden. Its amazing how much ballast a 3 year old can shift in a single afternoon; none of it where you want it to be!

Ian

 

[Martino]

I have used chicken grit washed in with a dilute outdoor PVA (Titebond 3), which looks good and lasts surprisingly well through tropical storms and constant use of the irrigation sorinklers during the summer.

However I've started using this:

http://www.locomotionworks.com/ballast_instructions.php < Link To http://www.locomotionwork...llast_instructions.php

Which looks good (photos this weekend) and appears to stand up quite well, although I haven't put it through a summer yet.

 

[Martino]

Here's some photos of the Locomotion Works ballast. Apologies for the state of the track, we're going through pollen drop at the moment and everything gets covered in this stuff!

 

[beavercreek]

I have used different coloured grit depending on where in the garden the layout is passing through.
A mixture of 3mm pink grit and japanese split 5mm for the Beaver creek station and yard area

3-5mm granite in the Pointrock area

White (light grey after weathering) limestone 6mm up and around the Arbour Summit area

5nn slate chippings for the road bed ontop of the larger slate chippings (tends to wash away at first as it is just 'floating') this is in the Quarry section

 

[Gizzy]

I use 6mm sharp shingle. I did get some from a local quarry, but for topping up, I get a bag or three from a local garden centre.

The newest stuff I brought for the double tracking around the rear of the pond last year is still too white for my liking, so I'm going to redistribute it and mix it around other parts of the layout.

As for how much you need Alec, you'll never have enough and you'll always need more to top up each year. If you can get a small tipper truck load from a local quarry, I reckon you will still manage to use it all fairly quickly....

 

[Shawn]

I use stone dust. Its the left over stuff from the quarry. Its made of limestone. What I like is that it hardens enough to keep the track down but can easily be pulled up. It looks like all dust at first but once I spray it with water the tiny stones show. I can get it at any local stone dealer. I usually get it in bags. I like it it although would rather have something darker like a brown color.