Soil and ballast - Feldbahn like?

Henri

Henri

refuses to grow up
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While I still have the ability to modify everything, I'm wondering how one can get the feldbahn look for tracks? I mean that the sleepers are even with the soil. I have a solid foundation for the tracks. I just put in soil, but don't want to flush it between the sleepers. I want ballast there! How to keep these apart but keep a natural look?

image.jpeg
 
Henri, I would suggest using "grit to dust" mixed with cement powder. Pour and level the dry mix between the sleepers to the height that you desire. Then spray the mix with slightly soapy water. Once dry you should have the desired effect.
 
Yes, if you ballast the track without raising the soil elevation, the ballast will migrate off into the soil. Ideally a strip of sheet metal could be inserted between the soil and the brick. The top of the sheet metal should be level with the top of the sleepers or even slightly higher. The once you place the ballast and brush it even with the top of the sleeps, you could do as Casey described or leave it loose. The crushed stone screenings or "grit to dust", will knit once it has been wet a few times.
 
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Henri said:
Ok... Wouldn't adding a strip of any kind look artificial..?

I'll have to look up 'grit to dust'... No idea what that is! :oops:
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Henri, "Grit to dust" is very fine gravel mainly sold in builders merchants and garden centres.
 
Henri said:
Ok... Wouldn't adding a strip of any kind look artificial..?

I'll have to look up 'grit to dust'... No idea what that is! :oops:
Click to expand...
Fine gravel, up to 4-5 mm size....
 
Henri said:
Ok... Wouldn't adding a strip of any kind look artificial..?

I'll have to look up 'grit to dust'... No idea what that is! :oops:
Click to expand...


It could indeed. Then I would use Casey's method of "glueing" the ballast in place. It may take some experiments to keep the soil and ballast from migrating into one another. But depending on how tidy you want your railway to appear, it may not be an issue.
 
Henri,
Unless you have a physical barrier, or 'glue' the ballast in some way, it will move.. Assisted by Barney, Pebbles, rain, birds, etcetera. - Pigeons appear to be able to 'eat' their own body-weight in fine gravel, and STILL lumber into the air!!
 
Look up Rowlands Mix.

http://www.wis.co.uk/andy/16mm/rowlandsmix.html

You can use this as both Ballast or as Soil leading up to Ballast. Just look at some pictures of English Light Railways to get the idea, say Kent and East Sussex or East Kent Light Railway. Or even Wisbech and Upwell Tramway, plenty of Pictures out there to research.
JonD
 
Hi Henri
I used cement for the sub-base and then applied a mix of sand, chicken grit, aquarium gravel, soil and crushed coal - varied according to the location - all held in place with SBR adhesive
IMG_9156.JPG



See - http://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/how-i-embedded-my-track-in-concrete.html


Rik
 
Good evening all,

The subject ballast if occupying my mind for a while now but I have come up with a solution. First i used aquarium grid but as my station is placed on a board, it makes the whole thing pretty heavy.
But then I bought a bag of Grow more perlite, the granular diameter is about right but has some fines in it. Then I got some cheap grey plastic primer to the colour I like ( grey) and modified an old plastic bucket for being the spraying chamber.
The perlite fly's pretty well ones start spraying with the spray can. But once the bucket is loaded , spray the top layer and then shake it all and keep on spraying till the desired effect is reached . At the same time the small fines getting blasted away and I ended up with granules I want ready to use as ballast. Once the ballast is spread in on the tracks and brushed even , a wood glue washing liquid solution is getting put on it and with a bit of luck , the whole thing is dry by the next day!
have a good weekend
 
Good evening all,

The subject ballast if occupying my mind for a while now but I have come up with a solution. First i used aquarium grid but as my station is placed on a board, it makes the whole thing pretty heavy.
But then I bought a bag of Grow more perlite, the granular diameter is about right but has some fines in it. Then I got some cheap grey plastic primer to the colour I like ( grey) and modified an old plastic bucket for being the spraying chamber.
The perlite fly's pretty well ones start spraying with the spray can. But once the bucket is loaded , spray the top layer and then shake it all and keep on spraying till the desired effect is reached . At the same time the small fines getting blasted away and I ended up with granules I want ready to use as ballast. Once the ballast is spread in on the tracks and brushed even , a wood glue washing liquid solution is getting put on it and with a bit of luck , the whole thing is dry by the next day!
have a good weekend
 
Good morning,

I agree , this looks as realistic as it can be, well done Henri. The reason I use the perlite is, my station and the bridge attached to the station I keep portable , as I know that at some stage we will be moving one more time before I retire and the station is coming with me and so is the bridge. For that reason I keep it light. But yours does look perfect and for the track in the garden I might take up your suggestion.
Once I have my camera out, I take some pictures and post them here .
best wishes
 
Lutz Kunstler said:
Good evening all,

The subject ballast if occupying my mind for a while now but I have come up with a solution. First i used aquarium grid but as my station is placed on a board, it makes the whole thing pretty heavy.
But then I bought a bag of Grow more perlite, the granular diameter is about right but has some fines in it. Then I got some cheap grey plastic primer to the colour I like ( grey) and modified an old plastic bucket for being the spraying chamber.
The perlite fly's pretty well ones start spraying with the spray can. But once the bucket is loaded , spray the top layer and then shake it all and keep on spraying till the desired effect is reached . At the same time the small fines getting blasted away and I ended up with granules I want ready to use as ballast. Once the ballast is spread in on the tracks and brushed even , a wood glue washing liquid solution is getting put on it and with a bit of luck , the whole thing is dry by the next day!
have a good weekend
Click to expand...
Wicks do a Concrete Dye Powder in Black. Some of this mixed with the ballast of choice will do a good jib of toning down the perlite. Another option put forward to me was to use the Dust at the back of Car Brake Linings, pretty horrible stuff but nice and black if you can harvest a goodly quantity of it.
JonD
 
Even though they tend not to use asbestos in brake pads these days, I think it is possibly better to leave brake dust well alone??
 
I just use the natural dirt. It's cheap and easy and gives the right look for a lightly constructed tramway. Usually there is no surface preparation other than compacting the existing ground before laying the track.

IMG_4635small_zpskqrkxtf5.jpg


Unfortunately at this scale ballast doesn't 'pack' the same way as it does in full size, it's hard to get stones that are irregular enough.
 
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