Ballast

[NW Modeling List]

I'm fond of Arizona Rock & Ballast.  They use actual crushed rock, as opposed to other companies who use other material, (crushed nut shells I have heard) that is then colored.  Maybe it's the extra weight of the rock, but I feel it goes down better and stays in place better while being glued than Woodland Scenics.  I like their color "Granular Snow", but they make dozens of colors, most of which are actually mixes where there is a dominant color and 1-3 minor colors, which is what you often see in real ballast, so you may want to compare color photos of the Clinch Valley line to their offerings to see what looks best to you.

As for size, I mix the HO ballast and HO mainline ballast in a 2:1 ratio; I think the HO ballast on its own lacks the texture, while the mainline ballast is too large looking by itself.  Similarly, I mix the Woodland Scenics ballast 2 parts fine and 1 part medium.  

Marty Flick


---- NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote: 
> What product (brand, size & color) do you use for HO scale ballast?  I'm
> modeling the Clinch Valley from Boody to Norton.
> 
>  
> 
> Carl Woods
> 
> Richmond, VA
> 
>  
>