To: Marklin list

Subject: Tip:- Ballast K-track

Date sent: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 09:33:32

Hi All,

How many of you have put off ballasting your K-track because you  wanted the ability to repair or modify your track and didn't like the  idea of trying to lift that expensive track for fear of breaking it  because it was glued to the base board?

I have been in this dilemma for some time now and then I hit on what  is a very simple solution.

 1.) First lay cork or similar underlay where you want the track to  go. Paint the cork with a matt black paint, wait until dry before  going to step 2.

 2.) Next lay Glad Wrap (or Cling Film, which is a very thin plastic  film, the stuff you use to wrap your lunch in) over the cork.

 3.) Fix you track down over the Glad Wrap with screws. Make sure each  track section has a track power feeder soldered to the centre rail.  This will over come any glue migration into the centre rail track  joiner contacts.

 4.) Spread the ballast over the track with a brush until you get the  look you want, don't do this to any points (switches, turnouts) they  will be done in a different manner later.

 5.) I chose Woodland Scenic Cement to glue the ballast down as it  dries clear, flat and most important it remains flexible. Using an  eyedropper I placed one drop between the sleepers on the  outside of the rails and placed three drops between the  sleepers on the inside of the rails.

 6.) Once the cement has dried unscrew the track and carefully lift it  up , then remove the Glad Wrap as it is no longer required. Put the track down and once again fix with screws.

 7.) Now the points. As all my points are the high speed type (2271,  2275) I had to be careful not to get any glue on the working parts.

 8.) I made up what I call ballast bricks using the following method.

 9.) Using a 4mm router bit I cut long slots into a sheet of 2.5-3 mm  thick ply wood or similar material. The slot depth goes all the way  through the sheet of wood.

 10.) Spread Glad Wrap out on your workbench then spray the slots in  the wood with WD spray (water displacement spray) this will help  prevent the ballast sticking to the sides of the slots.

 11.) Lay the wood with the slots onto the Glad Wrap, spread the  ballast into the slots. Apply the scenic cement to the ballast.

 12.) When dry, carefully push the ballast from the slots. Cut the  ballest brick to the length required, apply a very small amount of  white glue to the ballast brick and place between the point  sleepers as required. This method prevents any glue or ballast from  getting into the moving parts of the point and causing operational  problems.