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I need to take up a short section of track to install a switch and a new siding, as well as take up some Kadee uncoupling magnets (the between the rail type) and install the below track type. All my track is set in place with ballast glued down with white glue. Does anyone have any suggestions for dissolving the glue, or otherwise removing the ballast without damaging the track?
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Your in luck. White glue dissolves in water. Just take some water with a small bit of dish detergent to break the surface tension, and spread it over the balast that needs to be taken up.
Once the ballast is loose. take a paint brush, I reccomend one which you can throw away. and spread the ballast away from the track. I reccomend brushing it into a mini dustpan or so so that it can be removed.
When the ballast is removed, you are then clear to make your modifications to your track work. When your modifications are done, reballast with new ballast. The old ballast will be unusuable afterwards.
I should mention that this process is very time consuming. To do a neat job could take upwards of an hour per foot of track. If there is any ballast left on the road bed after the track is removed, finish removing it as it will cause major misalignments.
Posts: 315 | From: Lander,WY USA | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Thanks for the info, Challenger. If I were thinking, I would have realized that water dissolves PVA glues. Must be getting senile!
New question - when I start to re-ballast, I need to do a better job than before. I poured a drop of thinned glue between the ties, and brushed it over the roadbed, then sprinkled the ballast. This looked OK in places, but terrible in others. I seem to think that I will get better results if I reverse the process, by spreading the ballast, and eye-dropping the thinned glue. I have read that I should "break the surface tension" by dropping or spraying some rubbing alcohol on first. Does this make any sense? Does anyone have any other suggestions?
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P.S. While I'm on the topic, any thoughts on gluing scenery (gravel, ground foam, etc.) down? If I brush on the glue, it drags up anything that was already there and makes a giant mess. If I spray before sprinkling the scenery down, I can't seem to get good adhesion. If I sprinkle first, and spray later, the lightweight foam gets blown away by the force of the swpray, and also I can't get a nice even spray. I've yet to find a spray bottle which atomizes the glue properly in a fine mist without diluting the glue so much that its ineffective. Besides the facts that I have to cover everything with newspaper that I don't want sprayed, and I have lots of cleanup to do to the rails after. Are there any better ways to be doing this? I can't help but think that not everyone goes through all this grief for scenery. I thought it was supposed to be fun!!!
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The way I balast track is I spread the ballast out into the profileIwant it. Then I spread over it water with a few drops of dish soap added to it. This breaks the surface tension and allows it to penatrate deep into the ballast. Then with a 50-50 mixture of water and white glue spread that out over the ballest. with the surface prewetted it will seep down deep and make a nice solid section of track.
For laying down scenery. I brush paint out a section of layout surface in an appropriate shade of flat latex wall paint.I then go over it with my secnickingm aterials. It gives you thecontrol to get it where you want it, but the ability to do a fairly large area quickly.
Posts: 315 | From: Lander,WY USA | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Hey Woodguy, I have heard of people using alcohol on there ballast but I always use the water and soap method! I spread the ballast out dry, water it, then add the glue solution with an oversized syringe, the kind vets use on animals, I can get fairly good control with it. Some people use and eye dropper with same results. I have had the same problems with spraying the glue so I gave up on that years ago.
------------------ Andy Kramer- Milwaukee Road model railroader
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