Cinders

I actually spent some time on the layout today. I started to lay cork ballast strip at Spruce Creek. Once I had the strips for all four tracks glued down I temporarily laid down some track. Good thing it was temporary because as soon as I got the last nail through the cork I realized I had forgotten something...

Cork Ballast Strip, Code 55 Flex Track

By the way, the cork does a good job of holding onto those track nails.

Anywho, According to the info I have hoarded the Pennsy used cinders as a "sub-roadbed" for their track and then built up the roadbed with stone ballast. I thought I might try to do this by actually laying scale "cinders". Then it occurred to me that a coat of paint might do just as well. As a test, I painted the foam spline and the cork ballast strip with the black paint I use on the exposed benchwork. It's a satin paint so it has a slight shine, but it looks fine for this trial. Of course I had to pull the track back up...

"Cinder" Sub-Roadbed

I painted the sides of the spline as well as the sides of the bridge section of the spline. Once I get the arches cleaned up an sanded I'll paint the insides too. Then I'll attach the plastic sides before I weather the whole assembly so it looks like it all goes together.

I laid the track back down on the still tacky paint, using nails to keep it in place...

Code 55 Flex Track on "Cinders"

I'm using Woodland Scenics fine gray ballast. I poured it all into old tacky glue bottles. I left the original caps on, thinking it might be a good way to dispense the ballast. It works great. The opening is small so I have more control of where the ballast goes. It delivers the ballast in small amounts so I don't get big piles that need to pushed down the track a ways. Once the ballast is down I use a stiff (but soft) bristle artist brush to clean off the the ties. It ends up looking like this...

Fine Gray Ballast Over "Cinders"

The ballast may be too light, but a thin wash of black should darken it up a bit. I'm thinking of adding the dark color to the ballast glue to see how that works. I'm going to pull the track back up again and paint it a mixture of leather and rust colors then use a weathering marker on the rails. Once it's laid down again, I'll clean the rail heads and let the nickle silver shine through.

The outer edges of the spline probably should be sanded to a more beveled edge but I think I'll leave well enough alone for now.

Nothing stupendous, but some progress is better than none.

Regards,

Frank Musick

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad