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How do I ballast points on a model railway layout?

If you are at the stage where you are about to add ballast to your model railway track, ask yourself if you think you will ever (if you don't already) want to operate your turnouts using point motors. If so, then consider installing them first because retrofitting point motors to ballasted turnouts can cause all sorts of problems that can be avoided at this stage with a little planning.
Once that issue is out of the way, ballasting points is not that difficult. Most parts of a turnout can be ballasted using the same method you would use for ballasting standard track i.e. apply and arrange the ballast, spray with water until damp and apply an appropriate ballast setting agent or PVA glue mix. However, there are a few areas on your turnout where much more care and precision is required.
These include any mechanism components that require movement to operate. You can easily see which parts of your turnouts move when the points are switched from one side to the other, and the rule is, don't ballast them or the immediate surrounding area. Make sure you thoroughly mask any moving parts using tape to avoid ballast getting in and jamming everything up.
Once the rest of the ballasting is completed and dry, you can then go back and spend copious amounts of time painstakingly applying ballast closer to the perimeter of the area that your mechanism requires to move freely.
Another place you should aim to keep ballast-free is down at the sides of your turnout's point blades. You may think that as long as you make sure no ballast comes to rest there during the application, you will have no future problems, however, you will be surprised how much your freshly scattered ballast moves whilst settling and being sprayed with glue formula. The best advice is to keep going back to your turnout as the glue dries and gently switch your points backwards and forwards to check that they still operate unimpeded. You'll be glad you did because removing any unwanted grains of ballast is a lot easier before it sets.
Finally, keep any check rails clear of ballast. A light brushing with a fine paintbrush after application should be enough to ensure a clear path for wheels. But again, removal of ballast once set is a lot more difficult, so a investing a few seconds now will save many problems later. Some modellers will lightly run a spare wagon over the turnout before setting their ballast in place to ensure smooth running.
Ballasting turnouts is easy, but it is not quick. By taking your time and not rushing, you can have ballasted turnouts that look great and operate smoothly.
Posted in: Tracks

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