Saturday 2 February 2019

Constructing the railway III - Ballasting

A little help is always welcome...

Ballasting

After all the work on the trackbed was complete I started ballasting the tracks. The method I used is very common I guess. I used a dry mix of 1 part portland cement - 1 part sand - 3 parts gravel.
I used a similar mix on my former garden railway. Although I always thought that ballasting (and fixing) the track this way was a one time thing (rail fixed in place and not removable anymore). But when braking down that railway because of moving to another house I noticed the ballast applied in this way was actually reasonable easy to remove and (most, not all) the track could be salvaged and re-used. 


Making the gravel mix. Do not add water in this stage!  Add water only after applying the dry mix in place!
1 part portland cement - 1 part sand - 3 parts gravel

Pour the dry gravel mix over the tracks and brush it nicely in place between the sleepers so that the rails is free from any ballast hindering smooth running of the trains.



Track in place
Spreading the dry gravel mix

Brush the ballast in place
Use a spraycan with to wet the concrete mix





As last step I sprayed water on the ballast to apply water to the mix so it can harden and cure. Little corrections can be made in this stage easily. Keep a small suply of gravel mix at hand for this.

Adding a drip of detergent (dish-soap) to the water breaks the surface tension of the water and helps the water to flow / mix with the gravelmix more easely. Don't use too much detergent, just a drip is fine. Using too much detergent can cause green oxide on the tracks.

End result

Alternative mixes

Off course it is possible to adjust the mix to your own needs. Just try out what works best for you. For instance, using 1 color of gravel will give a different appearance than using several shades of color (as in my ballast). 
Also it is possible to add some soil or peat to the gravel mix, or to press some soil or peat in the ballast when it is not cured yet. This will result in mosses and little weeds growing (faster) in the ballast which can give a nice atmosphere of a somewhat neglected rural railroad. Some (like me) will like it, others will prevent it.




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