A basic rule I follow is before 1950 I ballast first to get the unkempt look of railroad tracks back then. After 1950 I ballast last to show the "neat" look that modern railroad track have these days. If you want to really go 'backwoods' there is the NO ballast option shown in this photo. Best of luck, Jim
Scenery first, just like the prototype...but if any scenery is far from the tracks, it doesn't matter.
I always ballast first. Of course I always use cork roadbed as well. If you're laying your track directly on the sub-roadbed then you might want to complete the surrounding scenery first. When it comes right down to it, there really is not a right or wrong way to do your scenery and ballast work. If you do ballast your track first, make sure to protect it with blue painters tape while working on scenery, to prevent any accidental spills.
I have always ballasted first on my previous layouts and will do so on the next. As somebody here pointed out earlier, if for any reason you have to go back and adjust anything it is a lot easier to do it without structures and scenery in the way. That said the next layout is going to be somewhat of a challenge in that I will have a well ballasted mainline, the transition to a yard and dock trackage with some track set into the docks themselves, and then the logging area where there will be minimal ballast.
Its harder to cover ballasted track with masking tape and the washes get into the ballast. So - I do the rock work first and ballast before the trees and ground foam go in. Then again maybe its just procrastination - ballasting is my least favorite part of the hobby.
I ballast first, then complete the surrounding scenery. The reason is that I use a 50/50 white glue water mix to hold the ballast and it seems to stain / darken the scenery. I use scenic cement to hold scenery and it does not affect the look of the ballast. Brad Myers Peninsula Ntrak / AsiaNrail My Blogs: http://www.n-scale-dcc.blogspot.com/ http://www.palisadecanyonrr.blogspot.com/ http://tokyo-in-nscale.blogspot.com/
The EGG! I have always painted the ties and rails first, scenery second, and ballasted last (since the scenery is there first in the prototype and the ballast comes later). This also keeps scenery materials from growing over and getting mixed into the ballast and has the ballast going over the surrounding scenery.
Actually the scenery is not there first on any prototype. New construction starts with bare, bulldozed ground, just as we start with bare wood or foam surface. The scenery encroaches afterward, growing back up to the roadbed edges.
I do scenery first. By that, I mean I install my groundcover layer. Whether that be earth, ground foam or whatever. I find it helps keep the ballast corralled and a nicer, more controlled edge. Once I've ballasted, I'll go back and add more groundcover, shrubs, trees, rocks or whatever else fits the scene. I don't plan to have 100% scenery complete prior to laying ballast, that is for certain.
The day dreamer in me would love to first scenic the entire space and then cut away space for track, buildings and such. It would be 'fun'. Maybe on a 2'X4' area? just for grins? Hmmm.
It has been done. Both deliberately planned, or necessary by remodeling an area. Why don't you give it a try using that 2' by 4' area? Maybe let us follow along in a new topic, with progress photos?
IMO, the bare bulldozed ground, (dirt), is part of the scenery. The ballast should look like it was placed on top of the ground, not next to the dirt.
It is. This is where my comparison comes in. After ballasting, which is atop that ground, then by seeds and root networks, grasses, weeds, brush and even trees come back in, working their way up to and into that ballast. That new ground cover coming second, post-ballast. This can also be observed, by time lapse, after a ballast regulator or a spreader has been through the area.
Ya, know? I took the 4yo to the grocery store which overlooks the depressed subway and commuter rail lines. I was thinking they were not always like that. What's more is that the commuter rail then climbs from there up over the base of 'Peter's Hill' in less than a mile. I'm very tempted to have a separate commuter rail line on level one completely separate from the freight. Yes, I would start my own thread for that. After all I want the attention focused on me. That said, it won't get started till after four other home projects are done.
