M. Matthews Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Just a quick one. I came across these stones in “The Range”. Looks like a fairly cheap way to ballast at £4.99 for 2.2kg! What over cheaper ways have people found to ballast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Cheaper than ‘specialist’ model railway shop ballast, but still over-priced for what is essentially a scoop of sharp sand that you could get in a big bag at a builders merchant or garden centre or dare I say it - for free from your local beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducking Giraffe Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 Excellent marketing, in my day "beach stone granules" were called "sand".... But having said that, if they're the right colour I might have a look. Need to be a consistent size though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topcat1707821625 Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 I would be dubious about using sand as ballast because of its abrasive qualities. You wouldn't want it getting into the works of locos.The same comment was made in another post about coal when I suggested using real coal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 Re coal: I don't know what's wrong with the plastic stuff from model shops. Looks pretty convincing to me. Ballast I suppose is another matter as the quantity, and therefore the costs are much more than those used to fill a few wagons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threelink Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 I use a mix of commercial "scale" ballast bought for a song at a toy fair, sand from the river Severn, sand from Aberyswyth beach, ash from the barbeque, coal dust, soot from an old railway tunnel and talcum powder nicked from Her Graces dressing table when she was not looking. The commercial ballast changes from grey to a nasty green hue when glued down with PVA so has to be painted, which rather defeats the object - perhaps that is why it was so cheap. Sand is no more abrasive than granite chippings but care is needed to vacuum up every last loose particle when the PVA has set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threelink Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 I use a mix of commercial "scale" ballast bought for a song at a toy fair, sand from the river Severn, sand from Aberyswyth beach, ash from the barbeque, coal dust, soot from an old railway tunnel and talcum powder nicked from Her Graces dressing table when she was not looking. The commercial ballast changes from grey to a nasty green hue when glued down with PVA so has to be painted, which rather defeats the object - perhaps that is why it was so cheap. Sand is no more abrasive than granite chippings but care is needed to vacuum up every last loose particle when the PVA has set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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