One more techinique you might add, especially where you don't want ballast by the points, simply paint the cork roadbed. I took some ballast I was to be using to Home Depot (here in the US, but any paint store can do this), and after picking some likely color sample cards, sprinkled ballast on them, picked the particular sample cards that best matched the two colors of ballast I would be using, and had the store mix a quart (approximately a litre) of each in latex flat paint. After ballasting, if there were any "holidays" they just didn't show. But especially around points I could minimize the amount of ballast being used and still look good.

Thank you for taking the time in preparing this video. It was well done and I learned a lot from watching.

Just starting again after a few decades break. That was so well done and helpful. Thank-you.

I'm 55 and I am finally coming to plan and build my first and possibly only layout. It's a simple Bredon style on a 7ft X 4ft board from Peco's trackplans book; heavy on scenics, light, as possible on the overly technical stuff! But your How To vids are absolutely brilliant for showing a complete novice railway modeller like me, how to get on and start building my railway. Thank you indeed for sharing your knowledge in a friendly and highly informative way. I really enjoy your beautiful layout.

Just getting started in the hobby but this video is exceptional. Your narrative of actions being taken is very easy to follow.

This was the best thing I could have ever found for my model Railway thank goddess I'm just starting to lay track

Here seven years after you posted this and learnt a new skill today, so many thanks!

Excellant video, just ready to start the ballasting now. Thank you.

Thanks for showing how to ballast a point. So few people show this process. I will keep this for future reference when I start to ballast my own layout Thanks for sharing. Randy

Thanks for this. I paint the glue on the sides of the track and put ballast on and then leave it. No need to pull it off of the tops of the ties as there is no glue there. I even tape off the road bed where I don't want ballast and it gives a good line. Then in the morning (next day or when ever you get back to the layout) yoi can brush the loose ballast up on the rail and basically spread it. Adding more where it needs it and then I wet the area with wet water and with a very small bottle I drip very delute glue on the track and around the turnouts. The extra ballast will fall out over the taped area and make it look softer as the real RR would look.

Some great ideas in this video and the production quality is excellent. Well done.

Good video Richard. I'll certainly remember your techniques of track laying. Thanks 👍

Excellent video I'm now ready to try on my layout an l of a layout 12' x 12'. this series has been very helpful to me but i am in my second childhood.

Thanks for sharing this, Ive always dreaded ballasting points!

So life like it even has that sound where each wheel hits the gap between the two sections much like i hear when a train crosses the kingsferry bridge near where i live :). I have to say your attention to detail is amazing throughout!

Just in midst of laying own an n gauge track at the ripe old age of 70! Your confident, informative and pleasant style of presentation is exceptional? I was a barrister for 40 years and know something about presenting a case in court! Keep up the good work!

Totally agree with your remark about the mainline point, tight turns bug me too.

Brilliant how to! Shall be using it for my c&l finescale points

Extremely good job of ballasting!

I’ve been ballasting track today but left out the points for another day , basically through being a tad worried. But I definitely like your way . Thank you .

Excellent video - well done

I have just nearly completed my n gauge railroad. and you have been very helpful. are you considering putting a video of your final layout.

Great vid, helps a lot of first timers, cheers.

note if your ballasting points keep the glue away from the control rods only do the sides,the sleepers, behind the points, and the frogs keep the glue 1 cm (2 feet in the International system 1 Centimeter is the Brit system) away from the points or they will be welded shut and you have to start from scratch with a new turnout. if ballast gets near the points or in the flangeways use a micro brush to remove it or vacuum it out. when your done assemble a MOW train in the yard and have one car with a cleaning block underneath to remove grit from the railheads.

love all your videos great work

That was great! The fast motion was very cool.

Just done 1 point as a try out, yep bloody scary.Richard 🇳🇿

Thank you. Best regards.

I spotted some lineside fencing you have used, what brand is it? Great vid, very helpful!

i like the finish very much, and of course there is no right or wrong way this is art after all. I do find however from watching a few vids now on ballasting model rails, in my opinion, i prefer the ones where they apply the ballast dry, distribute it into the sleppers etc with a dry paint brush - then with a syrindge drop watered down wood glue into the ballast. but thats just what is appealing to me. everyone has there own way and i enjoyed your techniques also. wish i had the space for 00 im N

Another great video and good tips

A superb turorial as always, Liked and Faved 5*

Had a go today...waiting for it to dry...had an idea about how to get less glue on the sleepers etc when using neat pva...I used the little glue pipet you get with flat pack furniture to pop a dab in an then spread with a brush!

Great alternative to spraying loose ballast with glue mix. I'll give your method a try.

thanks for the idea mr everard! certainly useful for my tmd layout!

I have just ordered new tracks Peco code75.I´m glad that you are happy with yours tracks from Peco.I shall use Tortoise motor for my new turnouts.

nice Howto tips. I will use this method when I do Mine. Thanks for shearing

Time to learn how to hand build your own points? Before Concrete sleepered points, points were designed to fit the available space, so unlike the model world they didn't have small, medium & large. Each point was therefore a unique item. A handbuilt point of 5ft radius takes me 2 hours to build and costs around £4-£5 in parts (2020 prices). I don't use any complex tools , only copperclad sleeper strip and code 75 Bullhead rail, (from SMP Marcway in Sheffield) a fine, angled tip Antex XS25 modellers soldering iron. A couple of large but very fine files. 3 roll gauges (to hold rail in place while I solder it), and a number of my own "Tracksetta" tools as I make points between 5ft radii & 7ft 6in radii for exhibition layouts. Lastly a mini-drill with carbonundrum discs to cut the rail (NEVER use "rail cutting snipers" these items are blunt when you buy them and simply pinch the rail end). Building you own points basically means you can make any size you like, as per the real world, and save a fortune !

is the ballast blend the right color or is it just what you like ? I wanted to do a blend of buff and lite brown and a little of the grey

Excellent Job.

Nicely filmed!

Awsome, best ballasting vid ever, Thanks

You make it look easy! I'm really not looking forward to this job but this does give me a bit more confidence to give it a go. One thing I wondered - would it be easier to water down the pva, so that it will flow into the sleeper gaps on its own? Might cut down the risk of getting glue on switch rails. Anyway thanks again for the vid, really helpful.

Thanks so much. This will help me out a lot!

This video is a great help to me so thanks for making it, can you tell me what tools I need to start ballasting and when I can get them ?

Very nice....liked the remnants of the Kay-dee couplings at 15:03

Another useful how to.. Thanks a lot..

Thanks, I put a thin piece of cork under the track to give a slightly raised profile.

Great vid once again! What was your hoover called?

hey railroader! cool video and thx for showing HOW TO stuf fon youtube. how do you weather the rails without weathering the hole ballast? thx dude

Excellent!

great video!! really informative.

another epic video , youre channel has actually got some of the best vids on youtube :D

great video !, btw nice to see the slewing went well !

Great video! Thanks!

Thanks. A great tutorial.

On the railway cribs with stretcher bars should have no ballast 50mm below the stretcher bar so the points move freely in snow conditions

A very good and informative video very well done and videoed.

And again an outstanding tut! Camera's always on the right spot, clear explanations & pleasant sonorous voice! It's prob. the best of ur vidz so far... 1c more I'm on t edge of my seat waitin' 4 the next one. =) Little drop of bitterness: After the new point (heading tow. the tunnel) where it is attached to the existing track it's little "bumpy" as u can see on the first drive by lookin' at the upper back of the waggons. Might be because of the connection to the already curved track!? ^^

You're braver than me...I would have to leave quite a gap around the tie bar. Wouldn't want ballast dropping down into the point motor. But your railway does look great.

very informative thank you. great vid

The automatic captions are hilarious!! :)

Theres an option in sony vegas that allows you to speed up clips of film. I use that rather than time lapse.

thanks for this video! my layout used to have nice ballasted areas then when there were points UGLY there was just these patches at points where is didnt ballast now i can thanks To you :)

I must thin my glue a lot more than I see on the videos as the glue I use just is sucked up and does not stay on top. The dry ballast is like rock though. This is good and saves money. Woodland Scenic is good but thin Elmers glue is as good and is less money. I even sypray it and clean the sprayer good after.

Requires a bit of patience and understanding how the switch works. Thanks for showing.

good video I am new to the hobby and I'm in the middle of buying all parts to build the hornby track mat

Do i have to use the syringe method or will my ballast be stuck down with just the painting PVA method

Well done.

Good job!

Very good this video. Do you have a video with the painting of the lines? Thanks.

What kind of ballast stones did you use? They look awesome!

Great Video

Hi Richard. What do you recommend to stop glue getting into the blades while spraying PVA? Actually While I am thinking about it, what do you recommend to get glue out of the blades to restore electrical contact on a DC layout?Many thanks

Are you using flextrack or set track?

really usefull video EverardJunction really help me when i was doing my ballasting :)

I like it good job well done

The gap will probably have a motorway in it. I've been meaning to start it for ages.

Fantastic tutorials these. I watched your other ballasting video earlier and would like to ask, why the different technique? Because of the moving parts?

do you have a video on making hills and tunnels? also on building stations?

Really finding your techniques for everything interesting. i'm hoping to start my railway soon as my baseboard is on order, so within the next couple of weeks starts the fun. What do you use underneath the track as it looks slightly higher than the rest of the board?

which things we need to make the model

Excuse me, could you please tell me what the product name of the glue you used was and where can I get it from as it seems to do the job very nicely.

I paint the roadbed in the same colour as the rest of the ballast, but I never ever ballast near the moving parts of the points, not a lot of people do.

now i did some ballasting over my switch went back next day to try it out and the frog was goofed up on it worked great with out ballast crappy after took it all up and then dry switch reconnected and it was fine have you had that issue at all? im using atlas code 100 . love your how to vids as well help me out a lot !

That's a very nice passenger train.

Thanks I've just started blinding mine

hey, thanks for the advice what 'ballast is that and where did you get it from?

I use woodland scenics medium blend.

I use a panasonic HDC-SD60 for all my filming on the layout.

Thanks Simon

can you do this method of ballasting to straights and curves?

When I'm using the brush it's just the PVA.

Great video well done. How ling did it take you to do it?

Yes, there are 3 vids called 'scenery' I made. I show how to make a hill in the first one.

Hi, what ballast colour and size are you using please ? Thanks v much

great video how often do you clean your track :)

What is the brand and size of the ballast used?

I use woodland scenics medium grey ballast.

Brilliant video, i will be using the tutorial, do you use just PVA glue? not glue and water?