Question about yard tracks

[foulrift]

Although my track is all ballasted and I am happy with the results,I do have a question. I have seen many pictures of rail yards both prototype and model and have noticed that in some cases the yard tracks are either in good shape or there is a lot of dirt between the rails covering the ties.Is this condition something that is up to the railroad? How many modelers do this with their yard tracks? The reason I am asking is this-my layout is a switching layout and I'm not sure how much of a plus it would be to the overall look.Also if I chose to do this effect to my two yard tracks and industrial spurs,is there something commercially available that I could use or should I use real dirt? Thanks for any help/suggestions.
Bob

[eightyeightfan1]

Since yard tracks, as well as industrial sidings aren't really well maintained, visually it would be alright to have dirt covered ties, with little patches of ballast mixed in. You can use real dirt, after you sift it, you should run a magnet through it in case there are bits of metal, then microwave it for a couple of minutes to kill any little buggies that might be living in it. Don't go overboard using dirt, just patches of it should be fine.
Hope this is helpful.

[Selector]

I used sifted garden soil mixed liberally with Plaster of Paris. I sprinkled it everywhere, except from the points rail hinges or articulations to the throwbar inclusive, and rolled it flat with a small glass baby food jar. I then spritzed it with a light yellow glue solution containing a couple of drops of dish detergent.

[Charlie B]

Bob, I have actually used the old black cinder ballast found along the right of ways of the old railroads. I run it through a screen and then use the magnet for the metal, then I spread it and use wet liquid white glue to keep it in place. I've used this for ballast on side tracks and branch lines too. You probably have some old abandoned lines you could get cinder from. I always like to think about the 1/1 scales than ran over them too.
Charlie

[foulrift]

Thanks for the replies guys.Some good tips.Once I figure out what I'm going to do I'll be sure to post some pictures of the results.
Bob

[doctorwayne]

Simply varying the colour of the ballast can suggest the relative importance of various tracks. My main lines are mostly ballast atop cinders, but the loco servicing area is mostly cinders (Woodland Scenics), with a few "weeds" thrown in. The industrial sidings are ballasted at the entry switch, but that quickly deteriorates to cinders, dirt, and weeds.
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None of the ties is actually buried, but the change in ballast colour from that on the main line suggests that some are - the addition of a few weeds helps to enhance that effect.
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Wayne

[ocalicreek]

   

Here's a picture I resized for this thread. It was originally for an article destined to be published in the 1:64 Modeling Guide but alas, the editors/publishers dropped the ball. Hey, maybe I'll submit it here as a how-to. Anyway, it shows the trackwork down at the end of Murdock's Landing.

Ties are real wood that has been stained a dark brown, rail is code 70 painted a rusty color. Individual ties have been singled out with a lighter shade to represent older ties fallen prey to the harsh sun and wind along the river, and darker to represent newer ties. Note also the 'sidewinder tracks', the greasy black down one side of the ties outside the rail, drippings from the shay that sees duty out there occasionally.

Balast is WS Cinder Balast. The subroadbed is actually yardsticks...hey, they're free at most lumber yards...so track is not that high above the ground level. Scenery base between tracks is lightweight spackle tinted with crafters acrylics then covered with WS ground foam. I have since added 'prairie tufts' from Silflor between the ties as weeds.

There will be other places where I will bury the ties with dirt, cinders, etc. but what you see here is my 'basic' trackwork for sidings & light trackage.

Galen

[doctorwayne]

Very nice work, Galen.

Wayne

[foulrift]

Galen & Wayne,Thanks for the replies.
Galen-I like the way you did the ties.
Wayne-You make some good points. Great looking photos also.
Bob

[eightyeightfan1]

Well, Since everyone posted examples, really nice looking examples at that, I'd thought I'd throw one out there also.
These are the leads for my rail served industrial park.

[foulrift]

NICE! Now I can see what you were talking about in your earlier response.
Bob

[doctorwayne]

Good-looking scene and effective use of ground cover, Ed, but I'm curious as to why you didn't paint the rails. :?: In my opinion, that simple change would lift that scene right into the realm of "Wow!!" I also like the look of those crossings in the distance - any chance of a closer view?

Wayne

[eightyeightfan1]

Thanks Doc.
Not a big rail painter. Tried it a couple of times, and had operational problems after cleaning the rails real good.
Sooo....I don't paint the rails.

Here's a couple of pics of the crossing. Its actually part of the parking lot of the industrial park. But i didn't like the way the paint color came out.
Any suggestions?

[TCWORLD]

find an airbrush and water down some black acrylic paint (alot like 4 parts water, one part acrylic). Then spray the concrete area unevenly. You can add more on some areas than others - maybe highlight small spots where oil has been spilt - lines along the edges of where the rails meet the concrete (If you have steam engines running on the layout).

[doctorwayne]

Thanks for the additional views, Ed. I really like the way that you've positioned those buildings. Is that road surface done with plaster? I've found it to sometimes suck up the paint too quickly, resulting in a blotchy appearance, especially if applied with a brush. TCWorld's suggestion about thinning the paint should help, although I'd go much thinner: maybe one part paint to 20 or 30 parts thinner. This will apply as a wash, so it'll take multiple applications to build it to the intensity that suits your eye.

Wayne