Ballasting Border Loop

I thought I did not have enough concurrent projects on the go, so I decided to start another one.  I began ballasting Border Loop Crossing Loop yesterday.  Today I checked it out and there were just a couple of places where the ballast still had some play in it so I hit those areas with some more diluted white glue.  I think what has been done completed has come up quite good at least to my eye.  However, I ran out of the main ballast colour I was using and I still have the Border Tunnel end of the crossing loop to ballast.  So I might try and make a trip to a local hobby shop tomorrow and see if I can pick up some more Chuck’s Ballast.  I think I will have to buy a few more packets at the upcoming May Exhibition in Brisbane.

Looking North from the southern tunnel portal towards the signal box.

Looking towards the southern end of the crossing loop.

A close up view of the signal box, with the various pieces of infrastructure that make up the facilities there.

 

Because I had a large area to ballast, including the two tracks, the run off tracks at either end of the loop and the space between the tracks, I decided to lay some cork between the two tracks which was thinner than the cork under the tracks.  I think this has worked out quite well once covered with ballast.

 

This morning I decided to hit the shed for about an hour before I was told we were heading out for the arvo.  I started adding strips of cork into the area around Cassino Station between the various tracks on both sides of the platform as that area might be the next location to be ballasted if the ballast fairy comes through.  Now come to think of it, as I sit here writing this blog, it occurs to be that I have a great big 5 litre bucket full of ballast sitting under my work bench in the shed.  I might have to investigate that tomorrow as I continue down the ballasting path.  I know it will not be the same quality as Chuck's N scale Ballast, but it might be able to be used in a few places around the layout.

 

I also started assembling one of the bents for the road over rail bridge that will be placed on the Club layout next weekend.  Tomorrow I will assemble the second bent and maybe some other components for the top of the bridge.

The first bent assembled.

 

The bent sitting upon its concrete abutment.  These need to be quite high as we have a rather high clearance required at the Club given that we have some members that run double stacked American outline.