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Ballasting a steam loco depot


JDE
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Hi, can anyone help? I am building an early 1960's steam MPD and would like to know what to use for the fine dark looking sooty ballast found in these sheds, rather than ordinary track ballast.  Also what to use for my ash plant. cheers guys

Edited by JDE
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  • JDE changed the title to Ballasting a steam loco depot
34 minutes ago, JDE said:

Hi, can anyone help? I am building an early 1960's steam MPD and would like to know what to use for the fine dark looking sooty ballast found in these sheds, rather than ordinary track ballast.  Also what to use for my ash plant. cheers guys

DAS clay or fine Polyfilla. Polyfilla would be easier to work.

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The area generally seemed to be infilled around the tracks and the , not least to make walking around easier and safer and the sleepers sunken into an area of level coal dust stained ash or set in to an area of coal dust stained ash  rather than ballasted like running lines so I would suggest you fill with Polyfilla to the top of the sleeper level or rail level and apply black/dark grey/rust coloured poster paint and liberally dust with actual Anthracite coal dust.     That's what I'm planning when I get a spare month or so... 

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Posted (edited)

I use ash from unused disposable barbecues, it's sieved to give different sizes and glued down in the normal way with diluted PVA

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Edited by 92912
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I start off with filler. Once hardened, this is followed with a sprinkling in random areas of fine ballast mixed with crushed coal for texture, fixed with diluted PVA and concentrated in some places to represent the results of fire/smokebox cleaning where there’s no ash pit. When this has set, acrylic paints, varying from a very light grey to a dark soot are stippled over the lot. Please see pic

 

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