Track Ballasting

[Chris51]

I am sure there have been numerous posts regarding Ballasting.  My question is, is there a reason it is stuck down?  My track and platforms are already in place and the layout is going nowhere.  Although I don't think I will want to lift the track in the near future I am aware if I use the conventional PVA to secure Ballast, the track also gets stuck permanently.  Can anyone shed some light on this?  Many thanks.

[Ray H]

You can free ballast stuck down with PVA by wetting the ballast with warm water. That said, you might struggle to re-use the ballast you've uplifted.

 

I'd suggest sticking it down if only to keep it tidy. Think of the tidying up you'd need to do if you had a derailment. And then there's the risk that it gets disturbed by anything you unintentionally place on the layout. There's always the possibility that some could find its way into mechanisms if its loose.

 

Glued ballast also holds the track in place and allows you to remove unsightly track pins once the glue has set.

 

It might be worth ballasting a small area and leaving it for a few weeks without sticking it down and seeing how much it gets disturbed.

 

You should find trains will be quieter if you leave the ballast un-glued or use something like a latex base adhesive instead of PVA.

[HLT 0109]

The ability to remove the ballast may depend on which PVA glue you use.  I have always used the 1 ltr tub of EvoStik PVA with the red lid from B&Q; that softens very quickly even with cold water.  If you use a waterproof version it is probably set permanently.

 

Harold

[Phil Bullock]

A domestic steamer with a flexible nozzle is a very useful bit of kit for lifting track with stuck down ballast.....

 

https://www.coopersofstortford.co.uk/10-in-1-steam-cleaner/?SKU=11280&src=gbase&vsrc=igb9b2&dfw_tracker=38106-11280&gclid=CjwKCAjwg6b0BRBMEiwANd1_SB5V_i2o2wd8bl1d_qCOqTCbnxE_mLolFMaBUQuzTu_N9k471v7kVhoCcVYQAvD_BwE

 

You probably need one to clean your bathroom...... 

[Pete the Elaner]

Why is PVA such a widely used adhesive for ballast?

It is great for sticking wood together because that is exactly what it is intended for.

Would you really use superglue to stick pieces of paper together? Probably not, so why use wood glue for something totally different such as ballasting?

I find it unsuitable for several reasons:

It is a resin & therefore sets rock hard. It undoes any sound deadening which you may have provided by using a layer of cork.

If you have a granite-based ballast, it gives this a strange looking green colour.

If you move the layout (for example to/from an exhibition), any flex in the board makes the ballast break apart, revealing bits of clean ballast when the weathered stuff has broken away & it also flakes away a little when cut at board joins, making the join very obvious.

 

Latex based adhesives such as Copydex are much better.

It does not set rock hard, so any sound deadening is not completely destroyed.

It tends to make some ballast slightly brown rather than green, but brake dust is brown so I have no problem with this.

Because it has a little 'give' it flexes with the board rather than breaks away.

Any excess can just be sliced off with a sharp knife.

Board joins can be tidily cut.

It does have disadvantages:

If you want to drill a hole, the latex can wrap itself around the drill bit.

It is more expensive than PVA.

It is not as readily available as PVA.

When neat, it has a strong smell which many find unpleasant.

The technique for applying it is different to PVA, so make sure you try it out on a test piece first.

 

You will need to wet the ballast with an atomising spray them drop a 50/50 mix of Copydex & water with a little washing up liquid. I searched ebay for dropper pipettes & bought a pack of about 10 for £2.50. Give it a gentle coat first, then when it is tacky, flood it with a second coat.

 

[Dave John]

Heh ,but to answer the op,  sooner or later you will have to vacuum the layout to remove dust and fluff. 

 

If the ballast isn't stuck down then it would get sucked up. 

[down the sdjr]

Impossible to paint and weather track without the ballast glued in place, also watch out for sneezing.

[Chris51]

Grateful thanks to all who have shared their wisdom.  I did try a small area without gluing and can now see it will be troublesome.  The comment on using other than PVA looks interesting.