ballast for a garden railway

[coronach]

When I was growing up in the 1970s, my Dad built a gauge 0 garden railway, using hand-built track made from code 200 brass / steel rail, white-metal chairs and pine sleepers.  Much of the railway was at ground level with adequate drainage and included cuttings, embankments and tunnels through rockeries.

 

The track was properly ballasted - i.e. it was not pinned down to anything, and remained in place for more than 40 years. 

 

The ballast we used was crushed slate fines (grade 0 to dust), obtained from a local builders merchant and washed in a sieve before use.  On its own, it kept the track in place and could be 'tamped' using a pair of screwdrivers to correct any packing or cross-level faults.

 

Now, 40 years later, my son is building a garden railway using the same principles, but with a 1:19 narrow gauge theme.  We are using code 200 rail and chairs from Cliff Barker and have found a supply of timber suitable for making our own wooden sleepers.  What we can't find is a supplier of crushed slate or an equivalent material for the ballast. 

 

Slate from garden centres is too big and small pea gravel is too rounded to be of use.

 

Any ideas ????

 

[Nelson Jackson]

Mark found did an excellent series and one episode includes ballasting, skip to 16:00

I've no personal experience with this btw, only watched the videos

[Philately]

I use coarse horticultural grit as used for free-draining soils in plant pots, or to loosen heavy clay soil.  You could also try Rowlands Mix, see the following link:

 

www.wis.co.uk/andy/16mm/rowlandsmix.html

[terrysoham]

I have constructed two garden layouts both in G scale. The following method provides for a robust base which requires little attention - brushing the gravel away from the rail sides at the start of the season is all it needs even though my grandchildren use it as a running track!!

I dug a trench about 150mm deep put in two layers of a cloth membrane as a weed inhibitor. Next a 60-75mm layer of sand with which to provide a flat and level base. On top I then put concrete paviors spaced at 450 mm intervals on which the track sits. Finally fill in under the tracks with small/medium gravel. It might not be to scale but I found that grits or similar got washed away in heavy rain. I lined the sides of my trench with timber to prevent garden soil mixing with the gravel but if I was to do it again I would look to use something which lasts longer such as plastic.

Have fun,

[DavidB]

As you're in Wiltshire, it might be worth checking out the "4-1mm brushing-in granite" (for use with block paving) that AWBS Ltd in Swindon supply. I bought a number of bags from their branch in Yarnton and have started using it on my own 1:19 garden railway. In my view, it's much more realistic than some of the coarser garden gravels that are more commonly available, and it's (so far - 9 months) resisted being washed away by heavy rain, presumably because the sharp edges of the granite knit together like real ballast.

 

David

[coronach]

Thanks guys.  That is most helpful.

[Jenny Emily]

I used kiln dried sand of the type sold for finishing off block paving drives. I mixed it with cement powder approximately 1/3 cement to 2/3 sand by shaking it up in a large sealed Tupperware container then ballasting the track much the same way as you would an indoor layout. Misting water over the track starts the cement setting and then just leave it. Very hard wearing, and the only issues I have is that the roofing felt covered boards that my track is laid on can expand and contract a little in the sun causing occasional width-wise cracks at the joins, but this won't happen if you're laying onto something like gravel or concrete.

[Happy Hippo]

If you are going to lay 'proper' track with wooden sleepers then avoid 'Rowlands mix' like the plague.  It's brilliant stuff and holds the damp, which is why it is beloved of mossophiles.  However they invariably use plastic sleepers and do not have the rot problems that a damp environment would have on wooden sleepered track....even if it is  treated!

 

I would expect your father actually pinned his track down onto battens under the track, which were buried in the ballast.    

 

This is the traditional way of putting down ground level track, and in a proper well drained ballast bed, cannot be bettered.  after all, your dad's stuff was still down after 40 years.

 

The reason you use the battens is to give strength to the track so it does not resemble a ride from Alton Towers:  We cannot scale down nature, and track that is not sufficiently supported will generate more pitch and wind (as in winding a watch) that invariably lead to derailments.

 

When you are running locos and stock worth hundreds of pounds, you do not want your pride and joy nosediving into the cess

My 16mm line was ballasted in three layers:

 

A weed barrier was topped with a layer of 19mm (ish)  stone.

 

then a layer of 8-12 mm of the same.

 

Then the battened track was laid and levelled.

 

It was topped off with 3mm to dust granite from the local quarry.

 

You will go through a lot of this stuff as it works it's way into the sub ballast, but you end up with a free draining bed which is very sturdy.

 

Now having up scaled to 7/8ths, I tend to use either horticultural grit or road chippings.

 

whatever stone you use, remember to make sure it is 'sharp' as the ballast has got to grip the track.

 

If you use pea gravel or the like your track will never bed in and will slip and slide all over the place, causing no end of frustration and re alignment problems.

[ColinK]

I suggest you consider joining the G-Scale society. They have open days at members garden railways so you can go along and see how others build there layouts. You will come away with lots of ideas and can ask the members what works and what doesn't.

[Mike Storey]

I suggest the easiest option is to use supposedly 00 gauge granite ballast (obtainable at many, many MR retailers) and then,depending on what level of realism you want, either leave dry, the most realistic but involving the most maintenance, or mix it with some cement dust and spray water to set (the least realistic but most durable) or the compromise of spraying it with diluted Outdoor (Builders') PVA - which is what I used on my last garden layout. This survived 8 years with only minor maintenance/repair and was very good at water repellence. You must ensure, as your father did, that drainage is good to the cess.

[Stevelewis]

I have  been  in  garden  railways  since  1978!!  Learned  quite  a  lot over  the  years,

 

Ballast  5  to 6mm  granite  chippings    from  Buiders  yards usually  available  loose  or  25KG  bags

 

Alpine  Grit  which  is  4  to 6mm  usually  in  a  variety  of  colours   sold in  bags  usually  10 KG  sometimes  25 KG  more  expensive  than   granite  chippings

 

Do not  use  pea  gravel,  it   does not  lock  together.

 

suggest  that  you  take  a  look  at  www.gscalecentral.co.uk  LOTS of  useful  info on there.