Everything You Wanted to Know about Railroad Ballast

Railroad Ballast 101. Find out all about ballast, what it is, what it
does and where we get it at. Ballast is very important for the integrity
of track structure. No one around here sells washed ballast. We
have talked about in the past setting up a hydrant and washing out
own rock. However there is a stream right beside our ballast pile and
the DEP might not approve of us washing all that limestone dust into
the creek specially with all the fish that is in that stream. There is no
place for the washed dust to go and to build some kind of treatment
holding facility would be way too expensive for the benefits that would
be derived.
Check out my other You Tube channel with more cool railroad and
rail fanning videos along with other adventures Dave has:
/ @thatsdavesotherdoings
Disclaimer: I am an employee of Iron Senergy at Cumberland
Mine. My job is railroad track maintenance. I am very fortunate to
have this job and everyone at the mine is very fortunate to have
Iron Senergy as it's current owner. Our past owners had every
intention of shutting this mine down, but Iron Senergy took
over and have kept this mine alive.
Please understand: I am NOT in any way an official or unofficial
spokes person for Iron Senergy or Cumberland Mine. Any viewpoints,
opinions or anything that I show in the videos, or write in the video
descriptions or any answer to any comment, should NEVER be
misconstrued or interpreted as being in any way shape or form,
any kind of official or unofficial statement from Iron Senergy,
Iron Cumberland, Cumberland Mine, any of the mine's management,
any of the contractors that may be shown in any video, nor of
any of my fellow co-workers.
Any viewpoints or opinions I may make in the videos, in the
descriptions, or in any answer to a comment is strictly that of my
own and NOT an official or unofficial statement or viewpoint that
Iron Synergy or any one at Iron Senergy or Cumberland Mine
necessarily has or makes.
Again, we are very fortunate to have Iron Senergy as our current
owners. Please, when making a comment be respectful of Iron Senergy,
Cumberland Mine, my fellow coworkers and also any contractors
that may be shown. Thank You, Dave
#railroadballast#ballast#ballastrailroad

[@ccrx6700]

Check out my other You Tube channel with more cool railroad and rail fanning videos along with other adventures Dave has: www.youtube.com/@ThatsDavesOtherDoings

[@russellzauner]

I'm sending this video to every "rails to trails" group I know of (there are several in this region) and rail beds are made so nice and durable I think if they understood how they're crafted before tearing them up (which I am sure most of them don't) they'd get the trails done faster and at higher quality by reusing smartly all they can verify is good/solid. If they know.

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

You got another sub. On your other channek

[@ccrx6700]

@@ivoryjohnson4662 thank you 👍😊

[@ccrx6700]

@@russellzauner thank you 😊👍

[@ccrx6700]

@CoalHeaver thank you 😊👍

[@johnmbaer]

You are clearly an asset for your company. You are a walking encyclopedia of all things railroad and you aren’t shy sharing that encyclopedia. If I’m having a difficult day your intro is guaranteed to put a smile on my face and put my day in perspective. Thank you for the knowledge you impart, I now know I know nothing about railroad but enjoy learning. This episode on ballast absolutely rocked (pun intended).

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment John and glad you are enjoying the home movies. This video really "rocked" your right about that.... :-) Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@alishalama3650]

steam train crashes🚂🚃 music🛤🚏

[@alishalama3650]

steam train crashes music

[@roberttrometter5788]

He should be called Railroad Professor. LOL. Must love Dave.

[@farLander1]

A 23 minute long video about BALLAST?!?! Count me IN!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting farlander. Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@billgerhauser3831]

Dave, it’s a pleasure to watch and listen to someone who enjoys their work as much as you do and to watch someone who wants to entertain and inform viewers as you do. It’s a pleasure to watch you channel

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you are enjoying the home movies Bill. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch them and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@lewistodd9242]

Great class on ballast Dave. I always enjoy when you show us the different things that make a railroad operate. Have a great day.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Lewis and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@milwaukeeroadjim9253]

When i was a kid, I walked the Chicago Great Western ROW. Their ballast was some type of slag. It looked like gray rocks with little circular pockets cut out of them. I also remember coal cinders used at sidings. I guess they used anything that was cheap.

[@ccrx6700]

Cinders were used on a lot of railroads back then Jim even for main line track, specially the narrow gauge railroads who liked everything cheap which is usually why they built narrow gauge instead of standard, because everything was so much cheaper. Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@chrisduprey7283]

We haul a lot of quartzite ballast from Rock Springs, WI that has a beautiful pink and purple color to it The quarry used to be owned by the Chicago and Northwestern many years ago and they called it "Pink Lady" ballast. It looks so nice I would use it for landscaping.

[@ccrx6700]

I would love to see that stuff in the track Chris. Quartz is hard and makes an excellent ballast. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@mikemissel7785]

As a firefighter we always trained with the railroads and learned about the blast and how to use it to our advantage. Ballast is hard to shovel by hand and imagine how they did it in the old days.

[@cedarcam]

Theres a knack to shovelling ballast When you begin you wonder how the others get a shovel full so easy as you struggle to dig into it, not easy to describe but kind of have to shake the shovel as you dig in, still hard work and forks are better

[@mansize6622]

I've shoved a couple pick em up truck loads. 1. pointed shovel. 2. Get someone else to do it.

[@fionamichaelpaterson4411]

Historically in the UK ballast was moved manually by forks with lots of tines. That is the way heritage railways still do it

[@cedarcam]

@@fionamichaelpaterson4411 They still use them on the main today as well

[@ccrx6700]

Your right about that Mike, really hard to shovel. We used to use ballast forks, but that still wasn't easy. It's great to hear you guys did training with the railroads, I would like to attend those classes but they don't do it around here. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@beverlymichael5830]

Always the teacher. I know you are so happy that the owners will get what you need.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Beverly. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@RANGER2D]

Dave I love your videos! I've always been a fan of railroads, always been a mechanic, never had a chance to ride but would love to! You are a wealth of information and your laugh makes me smile! Have a great day!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the very nice comment William and glad to hear you are enjoying the home movies. We do appreciate your watching them and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@peteengard9966]

It appears that you are getting 4 inch minus. Everything smaller than 4 inches will go through the screen. Rock that big is usually screened by a punch plate. It's a plate of hardened steel with grousers welded on and vibrating at an angle. The crushed rock is fed at the high side and works down the plate dropping through the holes. The high side of the plate wears first and is usually turned around and steel is welded on to resize or covered completely. Most times the quarry will continue sizing for different products. The company I worked for sized stone from dust (stone dust) , 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch and 1 1/2 inch. We have used a portable screen for a customer that did sea shore reclamation that required 8 inch minus . Before I retired, we were switching from square hole screens and punch plates to octagonal holes. They seemed to last a little longer. We also did all our crushing and screening wet so the stone was not so dusty. Also we ran a stone wash plant that cleaned the stone completely dust free. Concrete and asphalt plants love that. Drainage work customers loved it too. There were some town inspectors that would drop a shovel of stone in a bucket of water to see if the stone was dirty. If the water clouded, the load was rejected.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for sharing that Pete, interesting to find all that out. I've gotten many loads of rock right at the quarry but never been around their crushers other to hear them running. No one washes their rock around here, but your right, it would be perfect for a lot of uses if they did.

[@Sugarmountaincondo]

I remember way back in the late 1970's when I was an active model railroader, I read an article about how it cost a Class-1 Railroad $1-Million a mile to build a new main line including everything from grading to signaling and everything in between. I imagine it's 2-3 times that now.

[@ccrx6700]

That used to be the price for building new track Eric, but your right I would imagine it's well over twice as much now. Thank you for watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@PatrickSBellSr]

Ah - Geotex! I haven't thought of that in a while. Great stuff, and 'breathable' we used it to cover the field at Joe Robbie (now Hard Rock) Stadium when we had to cover the grass to put concert seating on the field...which was about 10,000 folks on the field for The Who in 1990, for example(!) We could keep it on the field for 2 weeks max, and the turf would be in decent shape for the next football game.🙂👍🏈

[@ccrx6700]

I saw The Who in concert in the mid 1970s at the Civic Arena in Pittsbugh Patrick. Other bands had concerts at 3 Rivers Stadium we went to but that was astroturf. That's really interesting they would cover a field like that with the stuff. We use the geo clothe a lot in our excavating business. It's really good stuff. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@PatrickSBellSr]

@@ccrx6700 Very cool you caught The Who in concert! To this day, that is the best concert I have ever witnessed!!

[@ccrx6700]

@@PatrickSBellSr 👍😊 tgat was a long time ago

[@PatrickSBellSr]

@@ccrx6700 Oh my, yes! Have a great day today, Dave.

[@chrisquinlan3012]

Dave,great presentation on ballast for the folks .We had a random problem with the lining on a Electromatic Tamper back in the day.The tamper used a modulated red electric light beam for lining and it was leaving poor track alignment after tamping .Of course electrical wiring was chased etc etc just couldnt find this intermittent fault.Then someone thinking outside of the box worked out it happened when the wind was blowing straight across the track and dust was drifting across the light beam when the tamping heads cycled .Normally this is not much of a issue but the lightbulb moment was when it was worked out that the ballast had come from a mine site that had high Iron Pyrite content,the ground up shiny Pyrite particles in the dust were diffusing the beam all over the place ! Thats RAIL ROADING! Cheers mate .

[@ccrx6700]

Now that's an interesting thing to learn Chris. I can certainly see where those particles would interfere with the light beam. Glad you found it, stuff like that can be a troubleshooting nightmare. I've heard of cars on a highway their headlights would shine in the receivers and cause the track to be jacked way up. Really appreciate your sharing that with me and for watching. May you have a very good day my friend.

[@cheryltysver4819]

You might want to look into the amount of radiation being emitted by the limestone versus granite. Some of the softer lime-rock that originated from mines here in Florida had pretty high levels of emission!

[@ccrx6700]

@@cheryltysver4819 👍😊 intetesting to learn that

[@raymondsprengelmeyer1278]

Thank you for the class on ballast Dave, it was very interesting. I was starting to think I knew something about railroading, but realized I don't know much at all! It is really a complex profession!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and glad you found it interesting Raymond. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@ronaldmorrison6013]

He's a jolly guy! Very entertaining! 👍🏽👍🏽

[@mansize6622]

He's like a ballast scientist.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Ronald and glad you find the videos entertaining. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch them and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@espeescotty]

A lot of interest information in ballast. It's good to have such a knowledgeable instructor. Thanks, Dave! 🤠👍

[@ccrx6700]

Your right about that Scotty, lot involved in a simple thing such as ballast. Thanks so much my friend for checking it out and may you have a very good day.

[@charlescoghlan2855]

Thank you. Good information to know. Little known fact about granite and highway paving. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia have many highways paved with granite aggregate in the mix. As a result, the roadway driving surfaces are much tighter and will wear a set of tires out much faster than a softer aggregate like limestone. Best job to have in those areas is tire salesperson!!😃

[@ccrx6700]

Now that's pretty interesting to learn Charles. Our asphalt here is limestone based, guess I better not drive in those southern states if I don't want to buy new tires.... :-) Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@mackfisher4487]

Wow never realized the differences in railroad ballast, just look like white stone to me. That's why you're a professional Dave

[@ccrx6700]

They tell me some railroads out west have pink ballast Mack. Must be a feminine RR..... :-) Thanks so much for visiting with us tonight and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@wtfbuddy1]

Nice video and explanation Dave, just got back from a small trip, walked in and turned on the computer and there was your video, up here they used slag from the nickel mines and way up North it is Granitic from the Canadian shield - some of the oldest, hardest rock on earth. Cheers and take care.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Pete. This video really "rocked" ...... LOL We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@scottleidenberger4401]

Great video Dave. That track is looking pretty good as well.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Scott. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@daveadock2874]

I like the idea about widening the ballast amount on the outside of the curve to hold the ties to prevent heat kinks. Keep up the great videos!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Dave and glad you are enjoying the home movies. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@tomedgar4375]

Love the maintenance of way technical education, would like to know more about road fabric. Didn’t even know there was such a thing. Really enjoyed the content today. Thanks Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Tom. The Geo Textile road fabric is a fairly thin woven plastic type of clothe. It cuts with scissors or a razor knife, it allows water to drain thru, but will stop mud from coming up thru the bottom. Good stuff. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@briandonovan9560]

Grew up near the Chicago and North Western line which used a purplish color rock called "pink lady". Back in the late 60s to about 1985 they did a great job maintaining the roadbed.

[@ccrx6700]

I would love to see that stuff Brian. Pretty cool and they tell me it's pretty hard stuff too. Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@3henry214]

Thank you professor Dave!! I absolutely love these explanations of the nitty gritty aspects of railroading. I live near BNSF mains, the next time I have to traverse a crossing, I'll be looking at the track bed with a different eye.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting 3henry214. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@Jim-jh79fb]

Love the videos I grew up with B&LE and Union RR in my backyard kinda always fascinated by trains I guess that's why I love the channel

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Jim. When we started our mine in 1977 we barged coal to Pittsburgh where Union RR took it to Erie to go across the lake to Ontario Hydro. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@nolankaplan6646]

Great video on all things ballast! The sizing is particularly important as you explained. It stabilizes the track and with the issues you have with the coal dust dropping down into the ballast, well, you have your hands full!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Nolan and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@tommyzcat]

PA limestone fields in particular have the 2 types of limestone. It's pretty cool when you can find the boundary veins where they meet - calcite and other cool crystal formations can often be found.

[@ccrx6700]

That's interesting to learn Tommy Z Cat. I never knew that about where the seams meet. Never thought about it. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@trenamerritt5344]

Thanks for going over ballast basics 101 with us! You may not give an everyday thought as to how important it really is in most cases. Makes sense about the sharper edges giving a grip for the ties to keep them from slipping. Cool ballast pile you have there! Thanks for sharing!😊

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and glad you found it interesting Trena. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@peteengard9966]

When they built the Cape Cod railroad. They used sand and sea shells. When they tore up a section of the rail trail bike path to install a bridge they found a layer of crushed sea shells about two inches thick. Crushed down to powder.

[@chrisduprey7283]

@peteengard9966 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula they used old coal cinders from the steam engines as ballast. Tracks are gone but the cinders are still there for the trail.

[@ccrx6700]

I can imagine that stuff would get crushed rather easily Pete. Interesting to learn about them using that for ballast. Thank you for watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@eddiekilby]

Your a good teacher Dave Thanks.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Eddie. We do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Fantastic video about railroad ballast. Enjoyed watching dave and have a great upcoming Tuesday.(Steve)

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Steve. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@ccrx6700 you're very welcome and yes indeed. Thank you very much also.

[@SteamfanScott]

Very informative! One just looks at it as rock to hold the track but is so much more to it than that.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you SteamfanScott and your right, there's more to ballast than meets the eye. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@PlanetMojo]

All of the tracks in our area (Wisconsin) have a purple/pink quartz ballast . We actually got a load on one of our dry lots. Incredibly hard stuff! We have limestone on our roads in our area, and it disintegrates pretty quickly.

[@ccrx6700]

Your right that quartz is hard stuff Mojo and makes great ballast, we just can't get it here. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@earllutz2663]

I enjoyed this video as I have enjoyed all of your other videos that I have seen. After you replied to a comment I made about being a Stationary Boiler Fireman I guess we have a little in common except the Boilers that you worked on were on a much grander & larger scale. I do enjoy your videos and I hope that you will continue to make them. Much success to you and your family.

[@ccrx6700]

When I was at the power plant in the early 1970's they had a crew of B&W boilermakers still there working on the boilers. Those were some tough guys and hard workers Earl. Glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate your watching. May you have a very good day my friend.

[@thomascardinal6192]

Thanks Dave your always teaching us something new.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Thomas. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@philabbey3315]

Dave I had no idea of what goes into railroading. Thank you for sharing, I have a lot bigger appreciation for the railroads.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Phil. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@AlexanderMoniak]

Fun facts, as always, thank you.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Alexander and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@Christiane069]

Thank you for sharing your time on this very interesting video.

[@donaldfaris4798]

Dave I was told years ago that the 3 important rules of railroad ballast was Drainage, Drainage, and Drainage thanks for the awesome information great job brother keep them rolling!

[@ccrx6700]

I was told the same thing by an old railroader Donald and i've never forgotten it. Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@4everdc302]

Great show, Dave. Here in Ontario CP,CN&GO Transit use Trapp Igneous Rock.Will have to float a barge over lol👷‍♂️🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲

[@ccrx6700]

We could use a couple of barges Doug. That is pretty hard stuff, just not available to us. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@__Dave__]

Interesting how as you go north on Chestnut Ridge the rock being mined gets harder. Pretty cool

[@ccrx6700]

I don't know why that is David, whether Coolspring is deeper or just the vein? They mine underneath the Summit Mountain. Really appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@michaelcase8574]

Ballast101. A college level class, Dave. Nicely done! When is or was the first anniversary of your new owners? I remember you being very happy when they took over. Thanks Dave!!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Michael January first 2021 Iron synergy took over. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@generost5435]

Always enjoy your content, very informative and I learn things about railroading, thanks for sharing.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you are finding the home movies interesting Gene. We really appreciate your taking the time to watch them and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@ricmeister73]

Thanks for the ballast lesson very interesting. You do a great job maintaining the track. Have a great day.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Ric and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@aleu650]

Excellent video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you liked it Aleu650. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@francisschweitzer8431]

61 years old and today I learned more about a railroad in 30 minutes than in my entire lifetime

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found this interesting Francis. Happy birthday to you and may you have many more. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@fredschroyer584]

Very informative, Dave! Thanks for the ballast education, more than I ever knew! I love your informal presentation style and high-quality videos!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you liked it Fred. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@briankemp5206]

Rockin with Dave! Thanks for educating us Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Your right Brian, this video "rocked" .... LOL Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@RIKPANKIEWICZ]

Dave, very interesting regarding ballast. Keep the Vedic’s coming

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Rik and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@robinroberts3335]

Hello Dave 👍🏻. Great and very lnteresting video 👍🏻😎 Thxs Robin out

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you found it interesting Robin. Thank you for watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@zillboop4687]

Another great and informative video Dave keep them coming 👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Zillboop . This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@MartinQuinn-i7f]

This video was incredibly easy to follow and understand.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Martin and glad you liked it. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@danherrmann8755]

Number 2. Rock. Thanks for video. How much top soil is the train track sitting on. Weight and vibration on heavy wet soil will Will cause dips in tracks. Glad to hear you have alot of experience on track build and maintenance. Pay the bill on the rock. Quarry will sell you more, ballets stone. Suprise. A mechanics lean was not placed On stone not payed for. Take care. Carry on be safe. Plannning on seeing big boy Union Pacific largest steam train. Nokomis Illinoise. 3:00 pm central time. Steam power is different. Later.

[@ccrx6700]

When they built the track all the top soil was supposed to have been taken off Dan. Your right about the heavy weight over time and wet causing dips in the track, I have a lot of issues with that, the water not being able to drain away but stays in the track bed. Awesome for you getting to see 4014! Thank you for watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@billclements3879]

A great video brother, thanks for sharing this 😊😊😊😊

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Bill. This video really "rocked" ...... LOL We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@TheBenzKid]

Thank you for posting this video I have always been curious about ballasts on a railroad.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome and glad you found it interesting TheBenzKid. We do appreciate your stopping by to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@frodbolf]

Thanks for explaining a bit or two about this topic!

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome frodbolf. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show you have a very good day my friend.

[@AlanMullen-w1f]

Clean balist is A Happy railroad!

[@ccrx6700]

You are certainly right about that Alan, happy and healthy. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@jeffstull2534]

Very interesting. Thank you so much for teaching us about ballast. Have a great day.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome Jeff and glad you enjoyed. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@ianhughes7805]

Great description Dave thank you and the top and line on the track you showed looks superb

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Ian. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@ianhughes7805]

@@ccrx6700 Your “rock” stops your train from “rolling”

[@randydobson1863]

Hi Dave & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Dave & Friends Randy

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Randy. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@clarklindquist8137]

Heya Dave. Good seeing you. Thank you so much for another awesome video Stay safely blessed my friend

[@ccrx6700]

Your always welcome Clark. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@tomgates3390]

You seem like such a fun person. Like your videos

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Tom and glad you are enjoying the home movies. Really do appreciate your taking the time to watch them and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@TriGogglin]

Holy wow Dave, definitely a lot of info in this one.. Ballast ... the glue that holds it all together.. good stuff. Love the info videos.. 👍👍👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Pappy. This video "rocked"..... LOL Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@renebatsch2555]

18:11 I remember, attending a working on right of ways for contractors, that shoulder ballast is critical for resisting sun-kinks, and that one must not walk along the outside of the tracks and push outwards and away this feature. Also, I grew up in Leaside, Toronto, Ontario, and the ballast along the CPR main was crushed slag from Hamilton's steel mills.

[@ccrx6700]

Your right shoulder ballast does help prevent heat kinks,. we have a problem with 4 wheelers running along side our track and pushing the shoulder ballast away. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@quick65filly]

Good info Dave. Always more to it than meets the eye.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting quick65filly. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@broadwayltd1]

Every time I watch one of your videos I get inspired to go down to my model rr and do more track work I’m not kidding. I am a perfectionist like you We had the cleaning crew out today and the equivalent of HO scale tamping. You produce very good educational videos about railroading. By the way we move a lot of coal too😂

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment broadwayltd1. Glad the home movies inspire you and always happy am I to see coal moving on the tracks, HO or 1 to 1 scale. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@derrickanderson4932]

Thank you for the class on ballast Dave, Great Video.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and glad you found it interesting Derrick. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@cedarcam]

I found this very interesting Dave. I remember you mentioned before about the old company not paying the ballast bill, a shame they are still not supplying you with the better ballast. We used to use cinders on lighter track and blast furnace slag on heavier track. the line that closed behind my house had a mixture of both and we got loads of it in wheelbarrows to put our shed and paving slabs on. Networkrail use washed granite 1 1/2 to 2 inch it conforms to a British Standard for railway ballast BS EN 13450-1 Aggregates for railway ballast. When privatised Jarvis who got a lot of the contract for maintenance and did not like paying for anything bought cheap stone because to them stone was stone if it looked the same, the stuff they got absorbed moisture and caused loads of track circuit failures, that would not matter on your line but is one reason we use granite.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Cedarcam. Thanks for sharing about what you guys use. Some of the old anthracite mines used that coal for ballast, but it's a lot harder than the bituminous coal we mine and doesn't have the fines in it we have with our coal. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@cedarcam]

@@ccrx6700 That coal is real hard yes. I would not of thought of using it as ballast though. I was given a bag of anthracite for a model steam locomotive I was building years ago, that project never worked out though.

[@davidfarrell7318]

really interesting information about the ballast Dave I enjoyed that.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you found it intersting David. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@schadowolf]

Another great video Dave! You are a wealth of knowledge and information and help us modelers relate to real railroad operations etc.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you found it interesting schadowolf. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@kevinkwiatkowski7197]

This video was way more interesting than i could of imagined, ty Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you liked it Kevin. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@kevinkwiatkowski7197]

@@ccrx6700 😀

[@Southernshaker]

Keep that coming boys, momma likes her electric.

[@ccrx6700]

We are trying our best to keep the coal moving so your momma doesn't lose here electricity Southern Shaker! Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@noleftturns]

Wow - everything I wanted to know about railroad ballast but was afraid to ask! Thanks..

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting No Left Turns. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

A general rock comment: I got involved one summer as a helper pouring concrete. The only cement truck driver to our area saw that I was green and started giving me an education about concrete. One of the things he mentioned was that his company only used crushed rock for their mixes. He explained that one could pretty much walk on top of a wet pour without sinking because the jaggedness kept the rocks from sliding past each other. I was on a job where another suppler used round rock and shur nuff, the mix seemed a lot wetter and I sunk to the bottom. Also, sea shores are sometimes protected from erosion by using "tetrahedron" shaped blocks that interlock to protect the shore and withstand displacement by the pounding waves.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for sharing that Obsolete Professor, I did not know that about concrete mix, interesting to find out. Really appreciate your taking time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@MikesGarage-zj7vf]

Very interesting Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Mike's Garage. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@dkd1228]

Great video. Ballast forms part of the train's suspension.

[@ccrx6700]

Appreciate the nice comment DK and glad you enjoyed. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@A3Kr0n]

You know you've been clicking the "not interested" button too much when KZbin gives up and starts recommending ballast videos for you. Thumbs up for that!

[@ccrx6700]

Good thing YT doesn't give up this time and you got to watch a ballast video.... :-) Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@davewallace8219]

Rock...n roll dave! Be safe! Thanks!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and yep this video rocks Dave..... :-) Really do appreciate your taking the time to check it out and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@kd1841]

Thanks for another great video!❤

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and glad you found it interesting K D. This video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@liquidsnow1]

Your always so happy and cheerful ... 🙂🙂👍👍👍👍 Keep it up👌👌

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Liquid Snow. We really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@bobsminkey1018]

Excellent and interesting show! Keep up the great work!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Bob. This video really "rocked" ...... LOL We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@mikefightmaster]

You could probably get some cheap gravel from Pitcher Oklahoma. Only problem is that it's all contaminated with Lead. Pitcher is a major cleanup site, that will never be remedied. Another great video, thank you.

[@ccrx6700]

Don't think we are interested in that stuff right now Mike.... :-) Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@MTHDCS]

Here in the upper Midwest for years they used Pink Lady Quartz from Wisconsin but I think that mine shutdown awhile back. Also when that crushed rock comes off the conveyor belt the big stuff always rolls down to the bottom of the pile around the outside. The loader guy could mix it up a bit before loading it out...if he has the time.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you fo sharing that MTH DCS. Quartz is a very hard rock and excellent for ballast. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@lyndonfoster1090]

Wonderful Dave, I have always wondered and learned something like I always do with your videos love it!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Lyndon and glad you like this one. Appreciate your watching and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@richardaustin2640]

Great topic Dave! A lot of interesting information shared that shows how important it is to understand all that affects the track. Keep those trains rolling!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Richard. This video really "rocked" ...... LOL We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@danielsee1]

Thank you. You answered a question I have had for a while. It's harder to walk on the tracks than it used to be. I knew it had something to do with coal because I remember it on the tracks, but now it all comes together. I didn't realize the coal was leaking from the cars, I thought it was put there on purpose. There used to be lots of coal cars.

[@ccrx6700]

Your right, it's from leaking cars Daniel, we seem to have an excess amount of it too. sigh..... Really appreciate your taking time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@juergenamlinger4410]

Thanks Dave it did help . With putting balast on my switches.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Juergen. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@richardbrobeck2384]

that also why you see gravel like that used in road beds at my home the area just in front of my home is smaller gravel like that and after years of compacting it's makes solid service !

[@ccrx6700]

You are right about that Richard, this ballast makes a perfect base for roads, specially when there is heavy truck traffic over it. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@markmonroe7330]

Excellent presentation. Thank you. On a side note, made the trip to Carroll Iowa (17 hours one way) to chase UP 4014 through Sunday when they were stopped for the day at Rochelle Illinois.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Mark and glad you enjoyed. Funny you should say that, I just watched the Virtual Railfan video of 4014 in Rochelle. Awesome it was. Glad you got to see it in person. Really do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@JK-zx3go]

Hello from Scotland Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Great to have you join with us JK. I don't get many viewers from Scotland. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@earlschmitt884]

Great show as always. Around here, the Chicago and North Western, which is now the Union Pacific, use the red granite for their Ballest. Even back in the 70s when they still ran passengers through here, they used the same red granite. Now Sheboygan is an end of the line freight only section, as the U.P. discontinued it's main line service through here to Green Bay. But they still use the red granite Even at the slower speeds of the trains.

[@ccrx6700]

Nice to hear that Earl. I've never heard of red granite, learn something new every day. Thanks so much for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@garygraham6020]

I want you to know, you answered every question I had about ballast. Where I live N/S rail uses primarily granite. Mostly I have been told comes from North Carolina. Can’t swear to that.

[@ccrx6700]

I'm pleased to hear that Gary and glad you found it interesting. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@Alasdair-Morrison]

Blue Metal stone is used as ballast of various sizes in Australia

[@ccrx6700]

I'm assuming it's blue because of it's color Alasdair, never heard of that but thanks for sharing what they use in Australia. I like to learn stuff like that. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@iiigraghu]

Excellent Presentation 🌹

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you found it interesting Raghu. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@6777Productions]

Very rocking video

[@ccrx6700]

Your right Sam, this video really "rocked" LOL. Certainly do appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@robamaral9089]

Brilliant. Greetings from New England. We have THE best ballast. Granite. It’s awesome. We have a working tunnel in our town from 1840 ☺️

[@ccrx6700]

Your absolutely right about that Rob, granite is the best. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@mikerundall2456]

We use granite from Dell Rapids South Dakota.

[@NOS2022]

Hi Dave. Thanks for your clear explanation!!!! In the Netherlands we use quartz but due safety regulations there are a lot of discussions about the dust of quartz.

[@ccrx6700]

Quartz is an excellent rock for ballast M J. It's not available here where we are at tho so we gotta use what we can readily get. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@SuperMAZ007]

Very well self explaining video. Where I live we use local lime stone cause granite is just too expensive. We use on the railroad a similar fraction ballast than shown in the video. Some of the old ballast gets reused elsewhere. Harder stone is better but if your local geology dose not make it feasible to mine for it. Your left to use what is available.

[@ccrx6700]

Your right about that The Hoarding Hermit, have to use what is available and affordable. Thank you for taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@w.rustylane5650]

Thanks for another great video. I didn't realize there was that much of a difference in ballast. I guess the Central of Georgia used granite ballast due to the close proximity of Stone Mountain, a huge granite mountain east of Atlanta. Cheers from an ex-Georgian in eastern TN

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Rusty. This video really "rocked" ...... LOL We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.