10-09-2022, 01:35 PM
After taking a few hours and cleaning up the layout I too started to run some trains around, checking my previous ballasting and how the trains ran. The mainline works great as well as the two passing sidings. (what a difference larger radius curves make).
My next project is to ballast Meadow's yard:
I'll be using the same ballast as the other yard. Unfortunately, I'll be ballasting after the rails are in, since I learned that trick a bit late. I fired up an engine and started to pull cars out of the yard when I discovered a couple dead turnouts. Turns out when you don't run for a bit, not only do the tops of the rails get dirty, but the contact points on the peco turnouts do as well. I cleaned the points out with a mix of a bright-boy and a brass brush on my dremel but one turnout just wouldn't conduct power. I cleaned a few times but didn't discover the problem until I used a multi meter and realized that when I connected all the turnouts for the yard that I was missing one rail joiner. the butt-joint work when I first built this area but over time oxidization must have crept in between the rails. I was able to solder the two together and it works fine now. Live and learn I guess.
I also experimented a bit with the sifted roadbed that I pick up a few weeks ago:
I ballasted a sample track using the fine on the left and the medium on the right, Gluing them both in with the mod-podge scenic cement. I then compared them to some unglued medium ballast. Initially both the fine and medium ballast darked considerably but the medium lightened to its original shade when dry. The fine just looks like mud so I won't use it.
Not quite sure about the medium stuff, I was looking for a branchline type ballast with a cheaper grade look to it. Opinions?
My next project is to ballast Meadow's yard:
I'll be using the same ballast as the other yard. Unfortunately, I'll be ballasting after the rails are in, since I learned that trick a bit late. I fired up an engine and started to pull cars out of the yard when I discovered a couple dead turnouts. Turns out when you don't run for a bit, not only do the tops of the rails get dirty, but the contact points on the peco turnouts do as well. I cleaned the points out with a mix of a bright-boy and a brass brush on my dremel but one turnout just wouldn't conduct power. I cleaned a few times but didn't discover the problem until I used a multi meter and realized that when I connected all the turnouts for the yard that I was missing one rail joiner. the butt-joint work when I first built this area but over time oxidization must have crept in between the rails. I was able to solder the two together and it works fine now. Live and learn I guess.
I also experimented a bit with the sifted roadbed that I pick up a few weeks ago:
I ballasted a sample track using the fine on the left and the medium on the right, Gluing them both in with the mod-podge scenic cement. I then compared them to some unglued medium ballast. Initially both the fine and medium ballast darked considerably but the medium lightened to its original shade when dry. The fine just looks like mud so I won't use it.
Not quite sure about the medium stuff, I was looking for a branchline type ballast with a cheaper grade look to it. Opinions?