Ballasting Realistic Model Railroad Turnouts Successfully | Boomer Diorama ~ Vlog # 188 

Thanks

Wow this answered all my questions. Before I even knew a person named Boomer existed (about 2 months ago) I saw in Facebook Marketplace an entire railroad setup including tools, materials, layout, over 40 locomotives, and hundreds of cars. The man who owned it was a master scratch build modeler. In addition he was from NY and the theme of the railroad was the NY Central from Albany to NY. Since I am from Buffalo I figured I could attempt to preserve his legacy and add my own by extending the railroad thematically to Leroy, a town near Rochester. I spent 2 weeks at his home in Durham, NC taking apart what he had done and the last 2 months just trying to get it back up again. The railroad has been neglected for almost 10 years so much of the track had to come up along with the ballast in order to relay. I am now at the stage that I will be relaying the track and I knew I didn't want to put it back down the way he did because of all the issues you talk about. I have watched dozens of videos and they all use the plane old craft glue to lay the ballast and caulk to tack the track. It only occurred to me today that I should do a WDBT (What does Boomer think). Well every issue I confronted in getting this to this stage was addressed in detail. I could not have asked for a more complete answer. Thank you for that. By the way I was a road contractor for 50 years. So much of what you model I have built ad nauseum in real life. For example this video and the screenings you used to make the ballast. It is remarkable how quickly you pick up on the characteristics of the material and then use it in different ways just like we did building roads. I could go on but I won't. Thank you Boomer.

I took all I could take! At 72, just starting out, I’m in a big rush. I want to run trains on my own layout, and I could care less about making the cover of MR magazine.

Im building my first shelf layout and these videos are very informative and inspirational. Its funny that 99% of the time i spend decorating small scenes here and there and after almost 6 months i barelly runned trains. I totally agree with "why the rush", for me its the building/decorating journey that matters, thats why a layout is never finished. Thank you for another amazing video.

I'm glad I live near the stone dock I'm going to model. I'll just go scoop up a bucket of what spills off the trucks.

Always superb tutorial ! One tip to remember, at least in "snow country" , the first 3-4 ties from the point, ballast level is mostly up to the bottom of ties to keep clerance for snow accumulation and to facilitate shoveling. Samething under throwbar. When picking soil, gravel in nature be sure that there is non metallic particles, electrically conductive that can cause short circuit later on. Better to paint Missabe dark rust ballast...without iron ore !

Dusty can come sleep on my shelf layout if she wants to. She can admire the overpass with the sign Dusty Road on it.

Great advice about taking your time. I agree that there is too much emphasis in the press about doing things faster. I thought most of us are in the hobby to build a layout, no matter how long it takes. In the words of @Jaw Tooth "what's the hurry!" The way you describe to take your time and learn how to do things can be applied to all aspects. It is a bit annoying when modellers say they are only doing "basic wiring" or are "doing the wiring fast because I do not like or understand it". Well without wiring and power you only have a clockwork or push-around railroad. Take the time to learn the basics and give it a go just like all the other parts of the hobby. Cheers, Brendon

When I started out reading Model Railroader, John Olson, the Jerome and Southwestern, they were tslking about matte medium and of course I thought it was someone helping them build it....I found out later...lol....

When I had my model railroad, the thing I was proudest of were my handmade turnouts.

That turnout , turn out to be a good project.

I love when you include Dusty 😻

Hey Boomer, great tune in the vlog and loving Dusty in the scene. Excellent video, everything you said is absolutely right on. You and I seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to ballasting and track work philosophy. I like ballasting personally, for me it’s like working in a Zen Garden, if you take your time and do it right after the track is painted, it can look incredibly real. You do awesome work man, your shelf layout is really cool and I really appreciate your honesty. Thanks for a very nice Vlog.

Not sure if I've missed it, but I'd love to see a video on building fire hydrants!! There is so much great info packed into all your videos.

Fun fact. Three way turnouts are known on the real railroad as lap switches. They can be left hand or right hand laps identified by the diverging route of the first switch in the lap. Common in hump yards to save space. I’ve spent 20 years maintaining them. Great job.

Thanks for making us all better modelers.

You make some excellent points Boomer when it comes to ballasting, the natural look of the limestone works wonders. Pretty much everyone watching this, including myself, are looking at their various tubs of ballast thinking I shoulda gone for limestone, lol. But, that's the thing, we can make that stuff work too and as you say, nothing that a bit a paint won't fix and mixing up grades to achieve a similar effect. I'm always learning, never stopping because I don't know how to do something. Channels like this are inspirational, educational and practical so thanks again for all the work you put into your content. Brian.

Excellent ballasting tips Boomer, if only more people would use materials like crushed limestone! Boomer, they are still called “Fast Tracks” and don’t ever say Jigs to Tim, they are fixtures! I think also it’s not just the fear of boredom, it’s also the lack of knowing how that makes a lot of modellers Procrastinate! I think your videos have helped a lot of modellers fight off the procrastination!

Boomer, my grandson and I are ready to start laying track on our ho shelf layout. You are giving us so much great technical building help, inspiration and encouragement in this process. Thanks so much.

Looks great, and you don't have the problem of hobby ballast floating up onto ties or inside of the rail when you apply IPA and glue.

100% agree on Matte Medium for all the reasons you stated in the video!!! You can also de-ballast your track or scenery if you don't like the result. Soak the MM with IPA, then scrape out the ballast or scrape off your scenic treatments. Great tip on the Limestone... Will look for that at my local landscape supply company. A few tips on using MM that might help out others... You CAN add IPA to MM, but you have to thin it out with water FIRST. As you say, you CANNOT add IPA directly to unthinned MM, it just turns into a gummy mess. I pre-prepare MM scenic cement in bulk. I have two-three large orange juice containers with pre-prepped MM at any given time. Thin it 3:1 with water first. Let sit for a week or two, the longer the better. In doing this, the solids in the MM (titanium dioxide for high quality MM, talc for lower quality MM) will settle to the bottom of the container. Decant the white fluid into another OJ container, taking care not to agitate the solids in the bottom, this leaves just water an the acrylic resin from the MM. To this... Add about 5% (by volume) of 91% IPA, shake to mix it thoroughly. It's then ready for use at any point in time. The added IPA gets rid of any surface tension from the glue/water mix. Even though you pre-wet the surface with IPA/water, adding IPA to the water/MM mixture further reduces the surface tension and I swear it makes a difference, especially when applying the mixture to very fine materials (fine sand or clay especially). Allowing the solids to settle out ensures that you don't have any white residue on your scenery if you use too much MM/water to fix down your ballast or other scenic treatment. This tip was given to me years ago by US scenery "guru" Dave Frary and it works like a charm! The same process can be used with Matte Modge Podge, though honestly, I don't think Modge Podge is all that much cheaper than matte medium.

I’m so lucky I found your channel before I ballasted my track. Fixing the many mistakes including removing bad turnouts was no problem at all.

Hey Boomer, I stumbled upon your video's and very much enjoy your insightful and informative presentations especially with your brand of witty observations thrown in. Keep the vids coming and happy modeling.

That's excellent limestone wow

I'm with you; What's the hurry? I enjoy your videos because you encourage me to stick to my approach while elevating my techniques. My layout's SQ. FT is about the same as yours, but I model the 1870's in a rural environment. I'm just starting my 7th decade and have three decades of projects left. Bob

I like your observation about the use of the ballast fine textures used to “feather” out your effect, as that’s certainly a big visual part of it settling out. And it can be used in the flatter ballast areas too, where there is no real slope to the ballast sides. Where It just starts filling into that coarse ballast as dirt and mud starts to keep building up and lessening the texture and even begins to start covering ties. 👍🏼🙂

Your job is always impressive thanks

Another excellent video thanks Boomer. I too use 20kg bags of crushed rock from my garden supply, sifted with several different sized sieves. I found it through COVID as my local hobby shop was outside our 5km zone but I could get to the garden supply. I will have to find some matt medium to try, it does look easier than diluted PVA. Cheers Peter.

I need to build something in HO. It seems so nice to be able to almost feel like you CAN place individual ballast compared to N scale, but it's nice since I have a very limited space. I've used Arizona N scale ballast and it's almost like a powder, it just feels like it washes away, but I think I need to re-think the traditional roadbed, because it feels really high, and all the ballast wants to wash down the sides. Thanks for showing this part! Maybe I can make an extra module for my layout with a small staging yard and see if I can put some of this into practice.

Thanks for all you do for a fledgling modeler. You inspire and keep me going.

Great video that gives us all a sense that we can do it. I would never have thought of Matt Medium. I've use white glue in the past, but I'm going to try this new liquid source.

I ballast very similar to you but use sharp sand, which has a more varied colour (matches where I model). I do sieve finer and use that for outer track bed and gravel roads, the too course stuff for other scenery. A 25Kg bag gives enough ballast for several layouts and costs similar to a small bag of ready made ballast with a bit more work, I agree make sure it is dry before sieving. I recently changed to matt medium from PVA and now use it for most scenery. I will look out for some limestone, looks better for roads and would give some variety for ballast. Great video!

Another great video! Always enjoy your words of wisdom that pop up on the screen! Great tips!

Looks awesome boomer.. Thanks for the tutorial..love the track Work..

Great tutorial. I do my ballasting in small sections too, to vary the colour and to avoid boredom - it's not the most exciting job! One thing I do, after brushing it into place, is gently tap the rail with a teaspoon just to settle it down. Cheers

Matte medium is a really great product and I will definitely try the limestone for the new wing to the layout! Super vid and thanks for sharing 👍✌️

Hey Boomer Great video, I certainly enjoyed it. Great idea using limestone, never thought of that before. Keep up the good work. Cheers from Ontario Bib

Dear Boomer, absolutely agree on the patience aspect of model railroading. Very interesting you use broken limestone as ballast. Gives a very natural texture and look. Since I started to watch your videos, I’m fully committed to Matte Medium as a scenic adhesive. Not that I never use wood glue, but the elastic properties of Matte Medium after its applied and dried is definitely an advantage over PVA. Also, that it dries absolutely flat, which is always a question with wood glue. Fast Tracks, or Handlaidtrack, Tim Warris and his company truly make a difference in turnout and track building. Another great resource for designing turnout templates in different scales and with an excellent 1:1 ratio print capacity for making the paper template is Templot. Can be found also through British finescale societies P4 and EM. The opportunity and possibility to design turnouts as I like ‘m, whether I’m looking for accuracy or because my railroad too is space restricted, is absolutely awesome and necessary! Cheerio

Excellent tutorial Boomer. I was wondering, seeing where your turnouts are in their finishing stages, would you mind showing how you connect your throw bar to a switch, when you get to that point?

Just want to add my kudos to another excellent and very informative video. Your channel is a masterclass where artistry meets craftsmanship in the modeling world.

matte medium also my way to go … since ever before 😂

Another great tutorial. I see Dusty has acquiesced to being evicted from her place in phase 2, although from her expression, it appears she's not happy about it. For ballasting, I use an old squeeze ketchup bottle to pour out the ballast. I find it gives me a lot of control over where and how much I place at a time. That being said, I will need to pour some in a container so I can pinch out the fines. I noticed a fire hydrant in one of the shots. An upcoming tutorial?

Love this...

Thanks!

Great video on ballasting turnouts, Boomer!!! I have always had trouble with ballasting turnouts, so this video was a tremendous help! I've always used commercial ballast, but I have never been satisfied with the results. Using granite looks so much more realistic. Thank you for taking the time to go in depth on ballasting for true realism!

Super video.

And if anyone is modeling an acid / chemical loading area you can "cover your spills" with limestone fines also. I'm glad that you done this blog, I'm planning on doing the same thing. I'm also thinking about modeling crushed, used asphalt for my driving surfaces. Another that I be learned and like, try to get dirt from the area from where your modeling. If you're modeling western Montana, get dirt from there, not from southern Utah in red rock country. I'll be getting some alkali mud near the old Western Pacific's right of way for my main ground cover.

Thank you!

Great casual presentation of a worthwhile subject with great answers to make great looking track work. I will do this for my new layout. Cool !

They are still Fast Tracks ( new logo FT) and new web master so you will have to re - open your accounts.

For my ballast I use kitty litter, ground up in an old hand mincer and sieved into its various sizes. I chose a suitable colour when I bought it. It certainly is cheap, is of a limestone variety and glues in place very well as in your video. Why pay high prices when there are cheap alternatives and plenty of natural easily acquired earth materials in our own back yards

My ballesting is similar, bsllest around the country differs in tint-color depending on quarry area. Here in Wisconsin, track can be found with deep purple , much of the white is rust bleached. Just sayin

I nearly had a heart attack when you poured the ballast right on to the points of the turnout, but was really surprised how well you were able to clean them up and that they still worked when it was all dry! Do you clean the top surface of the rails after you apply matte medium? I'd be worried about it hindering electrical contact. Thanks for sharing!

I have a request. Could you show us how to to create the color change in soil or on pavement from the presence of water? Like in the soil around a puddle or water dripping from a roof drain on a building that flows across a sidewalk. Thanks for all you have done Boomer, my friends and I are all better modelers from learning from you.

Thanks for doing this. In every video about ballasting, the only thing you hear is don’t ballast the turnout and no one ever addresses how to do the turnout. The limestone looks great for ballast but what would you use to get the pinkish colors of the rock in Colorado?

Boomer, i work for the county engineer so I get to sieve limestone to use at the museum. It needs to be sprayed to tone down the bright limestone color.

Great video thank you. I used limestone dust on my layout, not as ballast but as ground cover and someone commented how the limestone will or could corrode the rails. It turns acidic when it makes contact with water, or high humidity. Have you ever had any issues with track being eaten away ? Thanks

very, very amazing work!!! you have a track plan from your layout?

I am curious as to how you were able to paint the sides of the rail. Your track looks fantastic and I want to achieve a similar look.

What crushed limestone number are we looking for when we buy a bag of this stuff? I assume as small as you can get it? I've tried woodland scenics ballast (ground up walnut hulls) and can't stand how it floats around in the glue. Then you have to sit there with a toothpick and pick it off the ties, it takes forever.

When using the matte medium/water mix, should a bit of acrylic flow medium be added, or is it even needed?

Are you in a limestone area?

Hello Boomer, just wondering I live in New Jersey and have gone to Home Depot, Lowes and local mom and pop stores trying to purchase light gray Limestone with no luck. What exactly should I be asking for? I would like to get what you use for ballast. Thank you for your time and help on this...

I have tried to fix my ballast with thé same brand of medium but it seems after drying it let a kind of very light white colour on my ballast. Do you observ this?

Hello Boomer, since I couldn't find any local landscape businesses in my area after I sent out my question to you, I queried google to see if I would find a quarry near my home and I actually did. The folks at Braen Stone were kind enough to give me a 50 pound bag sample of what they called Limestone Dust. I think understand the sifting process, but once I sift out the proper sized limestone pieces to be used for HO ballasting, how do I go about cleaning/washing the stones? That is something I have never done before and do not want to re-invent the wheel.

What do you use for switchstands?

Limestone- you’ve convinced me Boomer!

What was the music?

Sorry but I don't understand why you write : don't add IPA directly on medium. Why?

Still see there is no train driver etc

Thanks!