Andre: My ballast is double-sifted gravel that I acquired from gravel roads in the area. I sift it through 1/8" hardware cloth (wire mesh) when I collect it, then sift it through a kitchen strainer to get the big stuff out to set aside for other scenic treatments. In fact, one of those rocks is visible in one of the photos, you know, the ones that lurk trackside just waiting for the proper moment to reach out and twist your ankle.
Anyway, after I sift it through the common kitchen strainer, I sift it again through another kitchen strainer with fine screen. This leaves the graded rock I use for main line ballast. I add powdered black tempera artists' paint and shake well to lighten the yellow a bit. The real fine stuff that gets through the fine screen during the second sifting I use for ground cover. I may also use it to represent piles of locomotive sand in the engine service area. On yard tracks, I use Iowa road "dhurght" sifted only once to leave the really fine stuff in it to represent a lesser grade of ballast. This I mix with various shades of commercial ballast, and also artist's pigments from Walmart to represent leaking commodities, etc. I even have some crushed corn that I picked up from between the rails when I worked on Keokuk Junction, and use that to represent corn that has leaked from cars. This all sounds like a lot of work, but telling how to do it is harder than actually doing it. My next idea is to see if I can sift some white rock at a local quarry to get a whiter main line ballast. I've also finally figured out a backdrop for Mooar Yard that is simple and inexpensive. I hope to get the engine yard scenicked next for photo ops. When you're sitting still on the railroad some day, collect some of that fracking product. You may have to eat a container of yogurt or two for a small container to put it in, but it will give you enough to experiment with when you get home. I'll see if I can't get some more photos posted to rev up your model railroading juices - and I promise to never mention red and silver warbonnet U33C's ever again :<) Bob Nicholson ___________________________________________ --- In [email protected], "Andre Ming" <laming@...> wrote: > > Hi All! > > At the risk of interferring with our ongoing weekly fuss-fest (pray for our > moderators), I would like to do something a bit sacriligious and ask about > some MODELING stuff. > > 'Ya know... when you scrape off the dross from off the top, beneath the > surface there are some excellent modelers that frequent this list. Too many > to mention, lest I overlook some... but very good modelers, and seem to be > heck of bunch of nice guys "out there", too. Hang tough... in regards to the > current "thing" that's "hot"... like the Biblical truth, "This too, shall > pass." > > Anyway... here goes the (off-topic?) modeling question: > > Shabbona Bob: > > In regards to your yard ballasting efforts of late, can you share more pics? > I assume you are basing your yard "look" on yards that you were around, or > was regional to your theme? > > "One of these days", I would like to caputure the cinder/dark ballast look I > remember seeing as a lad in the industrial areas around KC. Here at the > railroad I work for, there's a fracking product that leaks out of hoppers. I > "think" it looks to be useable for such a look. (Finely textured, cinder > looking coloration.) However, I have yet had the time to go scoop up a sample > and bring it home for a closer look. Sometimes such items are more "grainy" > and/or "coarse" when seen in the layout setting. > > Andre Ming > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
