Can anyone recommend a location of business that I can purchase G scale sized ballast following the Southern Pacific style of ballast? Brown, black and grey mix?
Thanks,
Ed Rodriguez
I get my ballast from a company in Renton, WA called Manufacturer Minerals. They make a product called “Bridge Topping” and sell it in 50 and 100 pound sacks. Shipping that to CA might be a tad cost prohibited…
That said, I don’t know think you going to an exact mix of colors. Your best bet would be to find a local landscaping supply company and ask if they have 1/4" minus or #4 dust. That’s basically crushed rock that is 1/4" or smaller. From there if you choose, you could sift it into different grades using screens of assorted sizes.
Craig Townsend said:
I get my ballast from a company in Renton, WA called Manufacturer Minerals. They make a product called “Bridge Topping” and sell it in 50 and 100 pound sacks. Shipping that to CA might be a tad cost prohibited…
That said, I don’t know think you going to an exact mix of colors. Your best bet would be to find a local landscaping supply company and ask if they have 1/4" minus or #4 dust. That’s basically crushed rock that is 1/4" or smaller. From there if you choose, you could sift it into different grades using screens of assorted sizes.
That’s some great looking track. Nice touch with new ties dropped along the line 
Thanks Craig, I will look into their products.
Ed
Check any local landscaping supply companies.most will have different size rocks and gravel
Quick Google says Tri Counties landscaping supplies in Royal Oak.
Thanks Pete
Jon Radder said:
Craig Townsend said:
I get my ballast from a company in Renton, WA called Manufacturer Minerals. They make a product called “Bridge Topping” and sell it in 50 and 100 pound sacks. Shipping that to CA might be a tad cost prohibited…
That said, I don’t know think you going to an exact mix of colors. Your best bet would be to find a local landscaping supply company and ask if they have 1/4" minus or #4 dust. That’s basically crushed rock that is 1/4" or smaller. From there if you choose, you could sift it into different grades using screens of assorted sizes.
That’s some great looking track. Nice touch with new ties dropped along the line
Jon,
I wish it looked this good still. I’m finding out unfortunately that my track was laid with too much haste last summer. 1/4"-1/2" gaps have appeared along this section, and the ladder roadbed must have settled some what as it look like a roller coaster. Ive got to rebuild this section this summer.
I had fun making a little photo op with this. A few more MOW models and I might be able to pull off a better scene…
Eddie Rodriguez said:
Thanks Craig, I will look into their products.
Ed
Ed,
I’m sure there’s some industrial use for the product called " bridge topping". I think I recall that it was used to create traction on icy bridges when they have them. Its certainly not sifted for modelers, but there’s a core of us large scalers that buy a bunch each spring…
If you want a sample to see if you can find it locally, let me know and I can mail you a little baggy full.
Great, thanks Craig!
Maybe this is a odd question, but can chicken grit be dyed with a fabric dye. My layout is inside so water won’t be a factor in color fading by getting wet from water. Just a thought.
trainman
Craig - It can’t look as bad as most of mine this year. Zero spring maintenance done. The weeds and ground covers have taken over. If it isn’t crazy hot in late July I might get some time to try and reclaim it.
Eddie,
A couple photos using the same ballast as Craig mentioned. I have at times also mixed in a little #1 cherry stone chicken grit.
.JPG)
That looks great Paul.
Out East, most places sell “Stone Dust” which is used to bed paving stones and the like. I’ts about 1/4" or less down to dust. I buy it by the trailer load (about 1/2 ton) from a local distribution yard. Prior to discovering that I was buying “Step 2” bedding sand from Old Castle at Home Depot. At the time it was a similar product, but then changed to more of a decomposed limestone product (or maybe decomposed granite) which I didn’t like. Last time I filled a trailer, the stone dust was about $40/Ton Vs about $4 for a 40# bag of Step 2!
This is an old photo showing an attempt to color the stone with “rust solution” (steel wool dissolved in white vinegar). I liked the look but it only lasted a month or less…
A much more recent shot of the same curve using the stone dust as ballast…
Where I’m at we have what they call 89 stone kind of a gray/dark color and just the perfect size to use for G scale track. I buy it at a local land scape yard. 1/2 ton $30 Later RJD
Thanks Paul,
I have always admired your layout, Will be posting photos soon.
Apologies for coming to the post late, but as I am looking for any rock that might serve as ballast here in Oz, I’ve been impressed that many of you have amazing choices in size, bagged, colour, and mix of crushed rock for ballast.
I have stumbled onto a site in the USA that may meet your ballast needs if your railway is a short-line (a very short line) or a diorama. I can’t find mention here in LSC.
The term we use in Au/NZ for the same size rock is crusher dust. Generally 4 - 6 mm and everything less right down to dust, depending on the quarry. Just search up your local landscape supplier and they should have it.
Colours will be limited to your local rock. Unless you want to pay for a lot of cartage of course.
Cheers
Neil.
Thanks for the sizing recommendation Neil. It’s nice to know I’m on track (so to speak). Thats roughly the size I’ve been hunting.
I had been looking at chicken grit but then saw warnings on how it would jam points due to its small size.
I’m getting close. So far I’ve found some washed 7mm uniform crushed dark grey rock at the landscapers. When going smaller, local landscapers here tend to carry sifted ungraded crushed dolomite with the emphasis on dust.
Do you lay your ballast loosely or add some fixative like glue? I was planning to lay mine in a trough lined with plastic, then place the track on top and see how it goes.
Hi Bill,
This is the bit where you can do it a dozen different ways, and they will all work - some better than others depending on your local conditions. And with that dozen ways you’ll get 2 dozen opinions on which one is best.
With that rider out of the way… My 2c. 
Note I may also have overbuild OCD. 
Looking at what you’ve got, I’d distinguish between what we call roadbed - the bit under the track, and ballast, which is from base of the sleepers up. You want the roadbed to be as solid as you can, so use the stuff with dust. Different size particles lock together, but a uniform size will stay relatively loose and tend to move around.
Wet it, and pack it down hard. Water it, pack it down again… I cheated a bit and mixed mine into a slurry and poured it like concrete, then floated it off. Once it dried it was hard enough to walk on. Here’s a pic, that’s a crusher dust and water mix.
2 days later, rubbed flat with a wooden block and thats the roadbed.
This will still drain all but the biggest rainfall, and since you’re in a raised garden bed I wouldn’t worry too much.
Then lay track - it’ll look bare but that’s the next bit. Doesn’t help that they only sell grey CDust around here.
Once you’re happy with the track, and everything has settled (you can easily top up low spots, and even out and side to side issues at this stage) then add your favorite top layer of, say, 7mm dark grey… 
I was still stuck with boring old grey.
I used dust in the top layer as well to help lock the track in place. Kinda worked, sometimes didn’t. No ballast around the points - I always keep these bits as clear as I can.
The track is going to move with heat and cold, so a solid base to come back to is handy.
Or, chuck the 7 mm stone in and have some fun, that’ll work too. 
Cheers
Neil
1 Like