Ed has a point. Also, unless my eyesight has gotton even worse than I think it 
has. ballast is larger than it was 50 years ago.
Chuck Porter
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ed 
  To: [email protected] 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 1:26 PM
  Subject: {S-Scale List} Ballast Size


    
  Gents...

  Just for the sake of being different, I would argue that true S scale sized 
ballast is not necessarily the ideal choice. Most of us see real ballast while 
standing trackside and the invidual stones are readily apparent. Most of us 
look at model railroad track from a distance of two feet or more -- except for 
the rivet counters and/or the ballast grain counters. Now two real feet away 
from an S scale ballasted track is like 128 feet away from real railroad track. 
Remember 1:64.....

  Now comes the artistic point, if you use true scale sized ballast (1-1/2" to 
2" rocks), it will appear to be a sort of boring gray surface without a lot of 
detail. If a larger-than-true-S-sized ballast is used, then you can distinguish 
the individual grains of ballast from a normal viewing distance. This 
appearance, to many, is much improved over the monotony of homogeneous. 

  Take from this what you will and the choice might well be different for each 
of us. Is scale accuracy the prime objective above all else? Or is a visual 
experience that simulates real world views more important? The choice is 
yours...... Sometimes it is hard to get both simultaneously.

  "S"miles....Ed L.



  

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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