# Where to get cheap ballast?



## MISTER ANDERSON (Apr 21, 2013)

My LHS has some, but they are outrageously over priced.. $6.99 for enough ballast to cover 25 inches or roughly 3 peices of track seams a weeee bit high to me! Any suggestions?


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## sawgunner (Mar 3, 2012)

i sweep the street before the city gets their sweeper out and sift out the rocks then i have sand, dirt, gravel, and ballast to use for FREE!!!!


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Mortar sand at Home Depot.


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

How big were the bags, doesn't sound like much?
What color are you looking for, I have more that I can possibly use, I'll sell it to you for the 1990 prices marked on the bags + shipping .(about 2 bucks a bag)
The bags are 7oz, there's a mix of grays from fine to coarse, dark brown medium & cinders fine med & coarse.
I'm using the cinders now, but whats in the can will probably do what I need.
I did the freight yard & the two loops with about half of that big tin on the right,Vaccumned up a lot of the excess too, probably 4 bags. the coffee cans are marked 2 7oz bags, thats how I'm estimating.


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

Do like I did. Go to a gun shop and get either crushed walnut or corn cob for the brass cleaning. Get it home and dilute some craft paint in the color of your choice. Dump in whichever you choose let is soak until it has the shade you are aiming for. I used a coffee filter to drain the liquid out and then spread it out on newspaper to dry. I tried it with the corn cob media and had pretty decent results. At 6ish dollars for 5 pounds for either it will go along way. I tried diluted india ink also, and had good result with that. It's all about the experimentation.


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## lears2005 (Feb 26, 2010)

Hey rusty if he dose not want the bags of balast I will buy them from you thanks


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Not lookin to sell it all, but I can spare some, lets see where it goes. Rich.


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## MISTER ANDERSON (Apr 21, 2013)

Honestly I'm not sure the names of the colors or what color I wanna use. When studying my local rails, it appears there are 3-4 different colors of ballast. Has anyone used multiple colors mixed together before?


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## NaughtyMonkey (Apr 22, 2013)

I have seen multiple colored ballast on layouts and I'm sure it's like that in real life. 

Here is a link to an example: http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/10429


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## HVF City (Jul 14, 2012)

I do the street/river search for stones (scale rocks) but after spending this much on the rest of the layout, ballast cost is the least of my $$ worries. It comes clean, lays out well and stays put. I do mix different colors for main rails and sidings and with quite a bit of rail to ballast, I don't think I spent as much as one good building (lighted and detailed).

Problem I've found with "collected" or non train prepped materials is it should be washed well before putting down or using. Oils, salts, and other animal or bug remnants remain without a good soap/water/alcohol wash. Something to thing about.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

At the club, we used a mix of commercial ballast and sand used in the sanders of the locomotives in Foley, AL. They leave nice piles of it by the track...we had permission from the railroad...


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I think I am going to try this ballast. Its made from real roack and is heavier and stays in place. I got my DCC system from J S Geare and have bought other train stuff there.
Take a look at the link.

http://www.ezbizwebsite.com/bucksballast.htm


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

Somewhere along the line I saw where reptile sand ,availible @ pet supply stores, was used. Paint,dyes and ink can be used to color to your preference. Looked good.
Be careful with walnut shells as the dust can be very irritating to your lungs. I developed a sensitivity to working with walnut. 
Like other hobbies model RR'ing isn't cheap. I don't think there is such a thing as a "cheap" hobby.


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## joed2323 (Oct 17, 2010)

If you look at ballast running down a set of real tracks it usually had more then a few different colors mixed in.....
I got lucky and came across a Pyle of fine rocky/ballast material and I didn't hesitate I have 2-3 5 gallon buckets full on hand, I have to sift it down to get a finer material for my tracks but I have no cost in my material, I have more then enough for what I plan to use it for...

If you can get lucky and do some searching you may be able to find some at any sand/gravel pit. Maybe even a place that has crushed rock in different grades... I'm not saying to steal it but some could be had for a cheap price...

I was thinking of selling some of the material I have on hand since a few here have commented on liking my ballast..


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Shay, you had to picture that engine! 
Your breakin my heart.  Rich.


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## alcoman (Nov 4, 2009)

I've had good results using play sand for ballast. I used washes of thinned paint to get a color that looked good to me. You can always use the cheap stuff for the bulk of your ballast and sprinkle on the expensive stuff where it is most likely to be noticed.

I use lots for found stuff for ground cover. If there is a safe place to get off the road, then rock cuts often provide useful rocks and grit.

It is a good idea to check things with a magnet before you use it. Tiny iron bits lurking in soil can ruin electric motors.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

RUSTY Cuda said:


> Shay, you had to picture that engine!
> Your breakin my heart.  Rich.


 One more fer ya... 

This one I ballasted with N scale ballast that I got in a mixed box lot...


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## RUSTY Cuda (Aug 28, 2012)

Alas & alack, your a hard man.


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## sawgunner (Mar 3, 2012)

RUSTY Cuda said:


> Alas & alack, your a hard man.


he can be tamed with cabooses and parts and whale belly tankers


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

shaygetz said:


> At the club, we used a mix of commercial ballast and sand used in the sanders of the locomotives in Foley, AL. They leave nice piles of it by the track...we had permission from the railroad...


Ooooooooo,I like that engine. Very nice. Pete
Oh ya! The ballast is nice too.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

sawgunner said:


> he can be tamed with cabooses and parts and whale belly tankers


Think Cookie Monster...only with horn/hook couplers...


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## Steve S (Jan 7, 2012)

Check the gutters on your roof.










Steve S


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## MBlair (Mar 19, 2013)

Steve S said:


> Check the gutters on your roof.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Brilliant idea. Just solved my problem.


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## Mayhem (Mar 25, 2013)

MBlair said:


> Brilliant idea. Just solved my problem.


I can see him now. He has his little brush out..."just a little more from here" it will be ok...lol


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## MBlair (Mar 19, 2013)

I had to clean my gutters thursday. used the hose to wash all the good stuff down to the end. just have to pick out the leaves now. The wife would be proud of me saving money if i didnt look like a wierdo out on the patio trying to save the junk out of the gutters.


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## Guest (May 12, 2013)

Dollar tree have big bags of kitty litter, i just put it through a flour grinder and hey presto ballast, i also put it trough a meat grinder and get fine dust for hopper loads, looks like gypsum or china clay, another good one is to dig up some red earth, layout some plastic sheet in the yard, get some screen mesh in a frame and lay over the plastic sheet, pour the earth over the mesh and let dry in the sun, when dry rub the earth through the mesh and you'll have scale size dirt, same as i use saw dusts, sieve the dust into a large container, mix some green paint with water, pour over saw dust and mix to a paste, pour out dust on to news paper and spread around and leave to dry, now you have grass, if you cut some dark colour wood you can mix in when you lay the grass, use different shades of green too, i have many other tips i will try and post with pics.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Good tips nsgp20, what else do you have? Pete


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## Guest (May 12, 2013)

shall I do a vid or photo gallery, I make trees, I did a water fall, rock face for free, I have a few more!!!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I don't recommend kitty litter. It's designed to be moisture absorbent, not the thing you want I would imagine.

You can buy buckets of the roofing "sand" that is used on shingles, it's perfect size for O-gauge ballast, but probably too large for smaller scales.


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## Guest (May 12, 2013)

Yep, but i don't glue my ballast down, as its not on real tracks, and you can remove the track if theres a problem, kitty litter doesn't expand tho to moisture, it does glue together with white glue, its cheap and looks ok too


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

MBlair said:


> I had to clean my gutters thursday. used the hose to wash all the good stuff down to the end. just have to pick out the leaves now. The wife would be proud of me saving money if i didnt look like a wierdo out on the patio trying to save the junk out of the gutters.


this got me thinking (a bad thing) but if you use the grit from the gutters, then why not take the shingles your using for roads and take a wire brush to the under side , it will not make any height problems.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

I had good results using sandblasting sand from Princess Auto, 50lb bag for around 5 bucks, heavy enough to stay in place readily, plus it came in various colors in the bag, nice mix, I think I used three or four pounds so far, so actual cost for what I used was less than a dollar , and it comes pre screened and washed...
A nice matching coarser mix I found at Walmart pet department, it was called hermit crab gravel .. around three bucks for maybe five pound baggie..
I'm good with that ..


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

I bought some crushed granite on e-bay. 10 pounds for $24, including shipping. It is perfect for HO.


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## santafealltheway (Nov 27, 2012)

We've got a pretty good sized bag of "Play sand" at the home depot. maybe enough for a 3 gallon bucket its 4-5 Dollars.


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## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Can you easily change the color of play sand with diluted paint?

Im thinking a mix between the sand and scale ballast would be nice. Im afraid that sand alone will be too fine for HO, or too big for N?


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Sand, being mainly silica may or may not take weathering chalks or paints.


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## alcoman (Nov 4, 2009)

A friend gave me a left over bag of tile grout. It is very fine and the stuff I have here is gray. Glues down easily with diluted white glue. I know it is available in lots of colors and can be found 'on clearance' occasionally.


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