Fixing down ballast (PVA)

[CoggesRailway]

I have an area of track that needs ballast fixing. I don't want to use mortar as I don't like the colour. Does PVA last out doors, dry clear and stay clear?

If not other resins or glues??

Thanks

 

[steve parberry]

Talk about timming, i was about to ask the same as i need to stick some down on a slope?

Any help would be appreciated here as well

 

[tramcar trev]

PVA outside is worse than useless.....I'm going to face this problem and my research so far is leading me to Polyester Resin. Mix up a batch brush it where you want the ballast to stick, sprinkle ballast allow to cure... second verse same as the first if you want a thicker bed of ballast brush more resin over first coat of ballast and sprinkle more on... This resin has UV inhibitors in it but I would not coat my ballast with the resin but simply use it as a waterproof glue.... though I intend to experiment and may try mixing the resin and hardner with my ballast and applying it with a trowel. Acetone to clean up, paper cups to mix and Iceblock sticks as mixers. Unless you want the resin to go off quickly use a fresh cup for each mix....Oh and disposable latex gloves make things easier on the hands and goggles or glasses when mixing. Only one catch really, the hardner for this stuff is nasty, methyl ethyl Keytone peroxide, nasty stuff it will send you blind if it gets in your eyes...
Polyester resin is cheaper than epoxy and sets more quickly and tyhe reaction can be controlled by the dose of hardner one uses....

I have used this in the "casting" form to make my pole bases, street light lenses and various other bits and pieces with considerable sucsess...

 

[gregh]

I have an area of track that needs ballast fixing. I don't want to use mortar as I don't like the colour. Does PVA last out doors, dry clear and stay clear?

If not other resins or glues??

Thanks

Waterproof PVA dries clear but when it gets wet it looks white again. Goes clear when dries again.
Try using cement coloured with black oxide.

 

[LNERGE]

All of my track and ballast is secured with PVA. I have had no problems with this method though i do have one section that does go white when it rains for any length of time. This section was used as a trial for a cheaper PVA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrjV4hnXsIE

Some areas have quite a deep bed of ballast to cover imperfections in the track bed but again without problems.

 

[Wistow vale rlwy]

I fix all my ballast with PVA, but it must be the waterproof variety, mixed neat in a small plastic pot with the ballast of your choice (I use alpine grit). Just enough PVA to give the ballast an even coating is enough. I then apply this to the track with an old desert spoon (the tool of my choice !), working it between the sleepers and building-up a shoulder as required. Any 'tweeks' can then be made to the track to cross-level, apply cant to curves etc before the glue sets.
Yes the ballast does go white several times after rain, but this soon stops and will weather nicely.
Another advantage is that should you require to lift track then the glue can be disolved by pouring hot (not boiling) water over it and then simply picking away the ballast.
My track is laid on a concrete bed, then ballasted as above. Early sections have been down some 5 years now, the only problems are in areas where I experimented with non-waterproof PVA or tried to make it go farther by diluting with water. Waterproof un-diluted PVA works for me.

 

[CoggesRailway]

OK i think I have decided against PVA. Can anyone point me to specific alteratives as opposed to families of ashesive? Many thanks.

 

[stockers]

As Gregh suggested (above), you can get dyes for cement mortar. Reds, balck and brown are common - try a builders merchant rather than Q&B type store.

 

[Martino]

I use a wood glue, which I presume is PVA. Over here (US) it's called TiteBond. I use TiteBond 2 as the TiteBond 3 is more expensive and I haven't found large containers of it. It's waterproof. Dries clear. Mix 1 part glue to 2 parts hot water with a dash of washing up liquid. After I've laid the ballast, I flood the ballast with the solution, remembering to clean the rail surface after! Needs a couple of days to dry and appears to be even better after the first rainfall or drenching with the irrigation sprinklers.

I use chicken grit - granite as ballast which looks scale (for narrow gauge) and weathers nicely.

It stands up to the temperatures, humidity and tropical storms here in Northwest Florida.

I did try using cement mixed with crusher fines, but this didn't look as good, became brittle and although it lasts reasonably well, chunks break off.

 

[gregh]

As Gregh suggested (above), you can get dyes for cement mortar. Reds, black and brown are common - try a builders merchant rather than Q&B type store.

Just to clarify.... I use pure cement, not 'mortar' mixed with sand or lime or anything. Mix cement and oxide dry, then with ballast 1:6 ratio still dry and brush into place. Then sprinkle with water.

This topic has a few pics of the method withOUT oxide colouring.
http://www.gscalecentral.net/m38178