# Have started ballasting



## noela (May 22, 2008)

I've started ballasting, and here's a pix of it.

http://www.keepandshare.com/photo/344099/romocomaka-rr-pictures&fv=y


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

No Pic, just some sort of sign in page. The last time I signed in, without asking any questions, Uncle Sam had me running up and down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

I'm sure you don't want a replay of that.
I just checked the link, and I didn't realize that you had to have an account to access it, sorry It is a free listing site, but there may be some that are reluctant to join just to see pix. I was turned on to this by a fellow at my local Apple Store. It is free, and until I can get my blog up and running, this is how I will have to be doing this, sorry for any issues I may have created.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I avoid the free sites that make you log in... just too many different passwords to remember, and dangerous to use the same one for everything. 

It's free, so often comes with "strings"... 

Hope you find an unrestricted place to post them. 

Anxious to see your progress... 

Greg


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

Let me try this link for the ballasting photo.









http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae84/drduffer/MVC-598S.jpg

It does work, have to paste it to the URL line, but no membership is required. Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks,
Noel


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Nice pic, 
Looks a tad deep in ballast, usually we see the tops of the ties, or not in industrial areas and yards. 
You'll get more square feet if you lower it to the tops of the ties. 

John


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

Absolutely! The pix was taken before I started brushing the excess away, now I'm waiting for the rain to come and settle it down, hopefully, you'll be able to see the tikes when I'm done. What you see is about 150' worth, only about 300' of mainline to go, then the yard. What do you do with your switch points? I'm reluctant to put any ballast near them, but I know others have done so, successfully.
Thank you for your comments.

Noel


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I stop ballasting from outside the frog, past the points to the gap where the joiners are. I fill that and maybe the next space depending on track location. Elevated above surrounding hills, where drainage is away from the track, I've ballasted between the moving point rails, but very low. Where the terrain sends water towards the track, I don't. 
Always keep it away from the throwbar, from between track and control box and behind the box (where the throwbar passes through). I'm planning on strip wood boxes to keep the grit away from these critical areas... or maybe I'll cast concrete walls.... (my RR is earthbound and Monsoon rains move the top inch of 'soil'). 
I use graphite to 'lube' the sliding plastic parts. 
Before I run, er before my trains run, I use a soft 4" wide paint brush to clean all flange ways (sometines a small screw driver to pop out wedged rocks) and manually check any swtiches I plan on using for operations. I use SS track so removing railhead grit is my only track issue, one pass of the Aristo track cleaning car and I'm ready. Cleaning the wheels gets more attention, they pick up dirt. 
Yard tracks usually weren't maintained until forced to do so, so often you barely see the ties in the dirty ballast 

Tikes??? ya I know it was a typo, I've got fat fingers sometimes too! But if std. ga. ties were also know as 'deadmen' would 'tikes' be the narrow guage equivalent? What can I say? I worked outside yesterday in 94 degrees! It tickled me funny bone! 

John


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

From the picture it looks like you are going to have 4 main lines. If so are you going to have some of them running in opposite directions? Have you made a Reversing loop? That looks like it is going to be a impressive layout.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice ballasting Noel. Did you use crusher fines?


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

It's actually a dog bone layout with a double track, but, for about 175' the four tracks are parallel. There are, effectively, two reverse loops between the two mains, and they are placed so as to increase the run if doing spur work. The spur work would best be done by a battery loco, due to gaps between the mains.


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

Yes. We've put down about 1/2 ton of the stuff, and figure that we will need another 1 1/2 tons to finish. The bad part about that is that now I need to finish before I can run again. The bright side is that it will look more like a railroad when I'm done. This getting to be like a puzzle, I have to build one more bridge before I can finish the ballast because I didn't plan to well with internal access on my middle loop. Something about the best laid plans. Luckily, I have some wood left over so the CFO doesn't get on my case.


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## Manco (Jan 5, 2009)

That is a LOT of track! Can't wait to see pictures of the whole thing in operation.


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

Me, too! It's raining here today, so I am fabricating the covers for the switch machines to keep the ballast away from the point and throw rods. It's a good thing I enjoy doing this, it's almost like a full time job.


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