Some detest ballasting, but we find it quite therapeutic. The process requires time and focus and it is a great way to distract your mind from the real world.
THERE ARE a number of choices when it comes to adding ballast to a model railway which is an essential ingredient of the real railway for drainage and to keep the track in position. The simplest method is to use readily available pre-ballasted rolls of foam underlay, but there is no real substitute for carefully finished hand ballasted track as we are showing in this guide.
The tools and materials you need are basic. A can of brown spray paint, two grades of Woodland Scenics ballast, masking tape, a couple of plastic tubs, a spray bottle with water and basic glues. The rest is purely down to time and attention to detail.
When it comes to glues there are three main choices: diluted PVA wood glue in a 50:50 ratio with a drop of detergent to take away the surface tension, specialist ballast glues such as Ballast Bond from Deluxe Materials and the SBR adhesive that we have used here.
Traditionally, diluted PVA is the first choice for most modellers, but in recent projects we have had greater success with SBR. It is a much thinner adhesive than PVA and we usually mix it in an …
