h47chy4 Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 Hi i was wondering if there was anyone out there that could help me please. I purchased a few months back some ballast loads from Wagon Essentials. I am building a virtual quarry on my layout and want the ballast to be the same as whats in the wagons. Does anybody know what ballast wagon essentials use for there 00 gauge wagon loads please? I have tried over the last few days to get onto there website to find out or email them but the website doesnt seem to be working. Any help would be appreciated. Kind regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 Wouldn't it just be easier to use the ballast you have as wagon loads? A piece of card with ballast glued on top can be cut to fit inside a wagon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastglosmog Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 Can you post some close up photos of the Wagon Essentials loads? The pictures of their products on the web are too distant to be certain what it is supposed to be. Having said which, it looks like it might be intended to represent Carboniferous Limestone, but it could also be meant to represent grey granite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h47chy4 Posted September 17, 2017 Author Share Posted September 17, 2017 Hi i don't have any clean ballast on my layout as of yet. Here are some pictures of the wagon essentials ballast loads i have. Hope this helps. Kind regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastglosmog Posted September 17, 2017 Share Posted September 17, 2017 Humm - looks a bit brown to be Carboniferous Limestone. Probably meant to be Granite, although a bit brown - could be the photograph, though - looks less brown on the web photos. However, I suspect Network Rail would refuse to accept that lot - some of it appears to be to coarse and too flaky. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted September 17, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 17, 2017 (edited) I'd agree, Carboniferous Limestone (which was certainly used as ballast; a quarry in Penderyn, South Wales, was supplying it in my time on the railway in the 1970s) is almost white when freshly quarried and weathers to grey. This looks right for Dartmoor Granite ballast from Meldon, near Okehampton. This weathered in a more pinky brown way. Edited September 17, 2017 by The Johnster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h47chy4 Posted September 17, 2017 Author Share Posted September 17, 2017 Thank you all for your responses. Do any of you know where i can get that ballast or failing that know what the best ballast to use is for a 00 gauge virtual quarry please? Kind regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastglosmog Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 The latest spec for railway ballast I have seen requires the crushed rock to be evenly graded over a range of sizes from 20mm to 65mm. That scales at c0.3mm to c0.8mm in 4mm/ft. No more than a third of the particles should be any more than twice as long as they are thick. Not quite sure what you mean by a virtual quarry, but if you want to see what a modern rail loading facility looks like, try the MQP website http://www.mqp.co.uk/rail.htm. As Johnster notes, the crushed rock tends to be whiter when freshly crushed partly because of the fine dust. It tones down with age and getting the dust washed off. Most modern ballast plants, crushers, screens and conveyors are enclosed, to keep the dust and noise down, so you will not see much ballast other than on the stockpiles or in the wagons. The Gaugemaster 00 ballast is of the right size, but tone is a bit dark for fresh ballast. Most of us need it that way! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dungrange Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Not quite sure what you mean by a virtual quarry The ballast is quarried / crushed at a physical quarry (which is what you are referring to) and then transported to a local distribution centre where the ballast is stockpiled along with other materials for future infrastructure works. It is this stockpiled ballast that is known as a virtual quarry. Ballast will tend to make two trips, the first being from the quarry / crusher to a virtual quarry, where it is stockpiled for future use. I believe that Network Rail tend to use the higher sided IOA wagons for this traffic. The ballast will then be reloaded into a different fleet of wagons for the journey between the virtual quarry and the possession work site. The lower sided JNA 'Falcons', MRA sets, MFA/MHA/MPA/MTA, MLA/MOA or JJA /HQA Autoballasters can all be used for these movements depending on the needs of the site. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastglosmog Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Well, I work in the real quarrying business. According to my dictionary, virtual means "Almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition." What you describe has very little similarity to a real quarry, only to one small part. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Well, I work in the real quarrying business. According to my dictionary, virtual means "Almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition." What you describe has very little similarity to a real quarry, only to one small part. The ballast is quarried / crushed at a physical quarry (which is what you are referring to) and then transported to a local distribution centre where the ballast is stockpiled along with other materials for future infrastructure works. It is this stockpiled ballast that is known as a virtual quarry. Ballast will tend to make two trips, the first being from the quarry / crusher to a virtual quarry, where it is stockpiled for future use. I believe that Network Rail tend to use the higher sided IOA wagons for this traffic. The ballast will then be reloaded into a different fleet of wagons for the journey between the virtual quarry and the possession work site. The lower sided JNA 'Falcons', MRA sets, MFA/MHA/MPA/MTA, MLA/MOA or JJA /HQA Autoballasters can all be used for these movements depending on the needs of the site. The first references I can remember seeing to 'Virtual Quarries' were applied to the ballast tips at Tonbridge West Yard and Hoo Jct during the relaying of the Boat Train Routes in Kent prior to the opening of the Channel Tunnel. The ballast was largely drawn from Meldon Quarry, and to save tying up large numbers of ballast hoppers, various types of 'flat-bottomed' wagons were used for the timetabled daily trunk runs. Subsequently, a similar system was used during the construction of CTRL Sections 1 and 2. The French engineers who saw the system in use were impressed enough to take the idea back for LGV-Est. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oil-burner Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Email address is/was wagonloads@hotmail.co.uk. If that fails you may be able to contact them via Model Railways Direct who still have some product in stock. To me it looks very much like Woodland Scenics Buff Ballast in either 'medium' or 'fine' grades' 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart1983 Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 Hi there, I am the owner of Wagon Essentials and just thought I would post to let you know that it is Dapol OO Gauge ballast that is coloured with black food colouring mixed with pva and water (so therefore grey) and it represents 'ballast' nothing more nothing less After 4 very successful years I have decided to end Wagon Essentials with a heavy heart and concentrate on my main passion Fishing as space and time simply does not allow to run two separate businesses side by side, also sadly model railways seem to have taken a downturn of late, especially with wagons that used to cost £16 just 4 years ago now costing £45 which of course has a knock on effect on the amount of wagons modellers purchase and therefore the loads to fill them. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h47chy4 Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 Hi Stuart thank you very much for getting in touch on here really appreciate it. Sorry to hear about Wagon Essentials it is a shame as i have been very happy with the product i brought from you and the service. I wish you all the best for the future. Kind regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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