I've ballasted both 00 and 009 track using the common diluted PVA method and although the results have been visably reasonable, after cleaning the track once the ballast is dry I always seem to suffer with intermittent running problems.

I'm certainly not going to ballast the current Z scale project I'm working on for this reason, but I was wondering what other members do regarding ballasting to ensure reliable running afterwards, especially in slow speed shunting areas.


Ed


 

 

Take a look at Tracklay - makes ballasting an absolute doddle....

Looks interesting Richard.

I've order a trial sample, thanks.


Ed

Clean the track?  Needs a thorough clean and also clear errant ballast from flangeways.

Can't speak to N or Z, no experience.

John

Yep,  clean the track.

I polish my track with a series of very fine grades of sand/emery paper. The stuff you use for metal. Get the worst of the glue off with the course grade, run a train on the poorly conducting section until it stops, sand some more, test again. Once the train runs without stopping, polish the track with increasingly finer grades to get any scratches out. The fine scratches collect dirt and crud.

on this forum somewhere, someone, and I apologise as I have forgotten who, looked at the railhead under a microscope after polishing the track with various grades of abrasion.

I NEVER used a track rubber again.

…and then… and this is controversial but it works for me, put one tiny drop of conductive oil on each rail ( I use motor oil) and run a train with coaches around and around the track to spread the oil. This stops the nickel silver from oxidising and gives me long lasting conductivity. Like months of operation as long as I whipe the dust off every now and then. On the longer runs I'll put a tiny drop at the front of the layout and a tiny drop at the back. Just dampen the track, I use the end of a paper clip stuck in a cork to collect a drop from the jar and then touch the drop to the side of the jar to bleed of the excess. Whatever is left goes on the two railheads.

Go easy on the oil. If you over do the it, you will get crud and have to clean it off, I use isopropyl alcohol on a cloth wrapped around a wooden ruler. I clean the coach wheels afterwards.

The oil will also reduce the lifespan of any rubber traction tyres on your locomotives. I hate traction tyres and will eventually replace the grooved wheel sets with standard ones on the one engine this has been an issue with.

For me, this works. Hope that helps.

oh… and I also have a feeder wire from the underboard bus wire to EVERY piece of track. This makes a huge difference to the running quality of my layout.

…


…

and why don't you want to ballast the Z gauge track? 
 

"on this forum somewhere, someone, and I apologise as I have forgotten who, looked at the railhead under a microscope after polishing the track with various grades of abrasion."

Think that might have been Nigel Cliffe, some years ago Marty.

The Z gauge layout is really just a 'test it out ' project, for a bit of fun, and the only ballast that seems to be available for Z gauge is N gauge, which is probably a bit big.

Once I've added a few buildings, trees and people, I'll probably try and sell it. I'll leave adding lots more scenery and ballasting the track, to whoever ends up owning it.

Although running on my 00 ballasted track wasn't too bad, the 009 track was pretty awful once it was ballasted.

It was dcc and every piece of track had a droppers to a bus, but despite all my efforts at cleaning the locos stalled in various places, which they hadn't prior to ballasting.

If I'd kept it, I probably would have removed all the ballast and started again, but it got the axe.

I was just wondering what method everyone else uses, so apart from the Tracklay product that Richard mentioned, I assume everyone else is just using the diluted PVA method.




Ed