# First attempt at ballast



## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

Well, we ballasted a few feet of track to see how everything would work. We previously tested multiple different types of stone, and different ratios of the compound to see what affects it would all have.

We finally decided on medium chicken grit (it didn't need any sifting) and a 4:1 ratio of water to concrete bonding adhesive.

We will be working on getting the rest down throughout the summer, it is a long process - but I think the results are worth it. 


Here are some photos of the small section we did:


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm hoping the heat with exspantion of the roofing material does not brake the glue loose from it. Thats what happened to me once.


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## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

Posted By NTCGRR on 10 Jun 2012 10:38 AM 
I'm hoping the heat with exspantion of the roofing material does not brake the glue loose from it. Thats what happened to me once. 


The roofing material is held down with nails along the length-wise edges. I would imagine that the material would expand in areas that have the least resistance, which would be the open areas around the track - not directly under the ballast. But I guess we will find all this out over time.


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## ChaoticRambo (Nov 20, 2010)

Well, over the past two weeks we have been fixing a little disaster we had.

After getting the entire siding ballasted and maybe around 7 feet of mainline the first heavy rain came. Let me tell you - despite what you would think, concrete bonding adhesive DOES dissolve pretty easily in water. The ballast became exceptionally soft and the rain had enough force to push the ballast out. When we went down after the storm, only about half the ballast was left in place and that was very soft.

So we decided to wash off the deck and start over on ballast. After some more research, we decided to give TiteBond III a try. It has worked absolutely amazingly. It dries in about 5 hours and is able to stand up to very heavy rain.

Hopefully this weekend we will have everything redone and we can start working forward.


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

I tried Tightbond III several years ago and it only held up 1 summer. Results might vary, depending on location, so I hope you get better results than me.

The only product that I've had decent results using is mixing the ballast in with concrete powder and then lightly watering it. I have several spots where it's held up nicely now going on the second year. I have another where it only lasted 1 year. So it's trial and error here.

Mark
http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/

* http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com/*


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Ballast...Who needs ballast!!










Photo taken in Cuba in 1998. The engine is hot and not abandoned as it may seem.
Cheers.


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