To Ballast or not to Ballast

[Andrew_au]

Update: I decided to try something out.

I had some track that I had temporarily just laid on top of tan-bark. Lifted up a straight length of track (about 1.5m), and dug out a channel about 30cm wide. Laid a concrete slab to about 1-2cm below where I wanted the track to sit, with a slight concave. Once it set, I laid some gravel to the right level, laid the track on the gravel, and then filled in between the sleepers with more gravel.

I like this technique. Laying the track on the gravel makes it easier to smooth out the surface and adjust the height, and filling in the gaps with gravel helps hold the track in place and looks really good.

 

[PhilP]

Just to be clear, what is 'tan-bark'?

PhilP

 

[Andrew_au]

Just to be clear, what is 'tan-bark'?

Ground cover "mulch" made of coarse wood-chips. Often used for playgrounds or to cover dirt around trees or large plants.

 

[John Carmichael]

Glued Ballast & Landscape:

This might be one of the most useful and practical “How to” garden railroad videos you’ll ever watch. Glued stone material has great potential for new and existing garden railroads, because it is so good, but rarely used. It drastically improves realism and durability, while decreasing maintenance time and costs. When you learn how to glue sand & gravel, you can use this technique all over your railroad for many things including track ballast, terrain and even mountains covered by different sizes of real rocks, gravel, sand and live plants. Its realistic appearance and low maintenance is why the most asked question at Cholla Patch Garden Railroad is: “How do you make your ballast”? This video is my detailed answer to such a great question.

Produced by John Carmichael: Email questions to: jlcarmichael@comcast.net Cholla Patch Garden Railroad, Tucson AZ on 6/28/26. Feel free to copy, use and modify any of the images or video clips you see here. Please help us spread this useful video with your Garden Railroading friends and organizations.

See more of my Design Construction videos at: Cholla Patch Garden Railroad: Cholla Patch Garden Railroad

And this: The Ultimate Guide to Glued Track Ballast for Garden Railroads

 

[justme igor]

I’ll give it a try, thanks for sharing.
But I have a feeling that in our climate, the method Ge-rik is using will give much better results, and at a much lower cost per square meter.

A mix of 2–3 mm gravel with cement, and in my case (because I need a basalt look) a colour additive like the ones brick pointers use, seems to be the most durable and weather‑resistant option

In my case it needs to remain open so water can drain out easily, because I’m working with wooden sleepers/ties.

I will definitely give Titebond III a try (D4 PVAc is similar).

With best regards Igor K