09-25-2011, 09:20 PM
If you don't glue it down it will never stay in place. A shirt cuff can do extensive damage. When the time comes that you need to use a vacuum cleaner on the layout your ballast will go up the tube. 
I use a 50/50 mix of Elmer's white glue and windshield washer solvent applied by dripping from a squeeze bottle (an old craft paint bottle is great)
I spray the ballast after I have it in place with Windex to make it wet then thoroughly saturate the ballast. It takes a day or two to dry and then I clean the surface of the rail, then paint the rail web and base with rust or blue grey depending on the location of the track.
Charlie
I use a 50/50 mix of Elmer's white glue and windshield washer solvent applied by dripping from a squeeze bottle (an old craft paint bottle is great)
I spray the ballast after I have it in place with Windex to make it wet then thoroughly saturate the ballast. It takes a day or two to dry and then I clean the surface of the rail, then paint the rail web and base with rust or blue grey depending on the location of the track.
Charlie