Home >> Hobbies >> Model Railroads

How to Ballast an HO Scale

So, the last of your HO track is fastened down, its wiring soldered, the ties and rails painted and weathered. Trains have tested every curve, grade and turnout. All that remains to complete your trackwork is the tedious task of ballasting. On a prototype railroad, ballast is the crushed stone a track crew packs around, between and below the ties to provide water drainage and hold the track in place. On your HO layout, ballast is a way to hide wiring and other distractions. It̵7;s also the final step on your road to a realistic, reliable right-of-way.

Things You'll Need

Track ballast
Small, soft brush
Spray bottle
White glue
Eyedropper

Instructions

- 1
  Distribute scale ballast, sparingly, between the rails and along both sides of the track. Ballast height varies based on the type of traffic the rails will carry. Mainline runs will usually ride on a base of about 18 inches, or 3/16 of an inch in HO scale, which is the height of most commercially available cork roadbeds.
- 2
  Groom the ballast with a small, soft brush, pushing the material gently to fill between the ties, almost to the top, but making certain that none remains on the ties and especially the rails. Use the brush to create natural-looking slopes, free of sharp edges or unnatural angles, on the outer edges. Work carefully, completing short sections at a time.
- 3
  Soak the roadbed with a gentle mist of ̶0;wet̶1; water: tap water with a drop of liquid dish detergent added to break the water's surface tension. Your carefully groomed ballast can easily shift, so use a spray bottle that produces a fine mist. Aim the bottle up and let the spray fall like rain on your carefully coiffed roadbed, at least until the surface is soaked. Soak the ballast all the way through.
- 4
  Apply a 50:50 mixture of white glue and wet water with an eyedropper, soaking all of the ballast. Hold the dropper close to the tracks, not high above them, to avoid disturbing your ballast̵7;s desired shape with the equivalent of a violent cloudburst. You̵7;ll see capillary action spreading the adhesive mixture throughout the roadbed.
- 5
  After the ballast dries, scrape away any unwanted pieces with a small blade or screwdriver, taking special care to make certain no material has dropped into your turnouts̵7; points, guardrails or other moving parts.

Model Railroads