Laying Flexible Track Part 4

[@brucewoods9377]

Love your videos Charlie, as I find them very informative

[@pim1234]

Almost unbelievable..I used Humberol paint when I was a child to paint my models....and now I am 63 and it is still the paint to go ...

[@ianker7143]

An easy way of rusting plain track is to use a 1mm bullet-point paint marker (Uni POSCA in Australia) - you can run it along a metre of track in no time at all - and virtually nothing gets on top of the rails. It also tends to pick out the rail chairs, which also rust in real life. A bit more fiddly for pointwork and you do get a bit more on the rail top, but it still does the job with far less mess than using a paintbrush - the only piece I haven't been able to do is a single-slip (and the same would go for a double slip, of course) because of the complexity and closeness of rails.

[@ianker7143]

There are much faster ways of applying ballast using a ballast-spreader. There are a number on the market, or you can make your own by cutting rail-sized (width and depth) slots at the correct spacing in a short piece of PVC pipe - the pipe acts as a hopper and basically allows the ballast to drop out between the sleepers - both between the rails and on the outside as well. Choose PVC pipe that has an internal diameter a few mm larger than the sleeper length and you'll get the shoulders forming, too. You'll still need to do a bit of tidying up to expose sleeper tops, as the 'hopper' tends to glide over the rail chairs, but overall a very easy and fast way of applying ballast.

[@stardust5379]

You could also use a Fairy washing up liquid bottle. Remove squirty cap, fill dry bottle with ballast, and then pour ballast out of wide top. You can do a few feet at a time then.

[@stevecoster322]

Hiya, nice video, thank you. A question where the hell does Network Rail get a paint brush and thumb that big???

[@stardust5379]

You can also use a trulla spatula to lay the ballast. Narrower and more curved with an open end rather than a dish shaped spoon. They are cheap. Wider one end than the other.

[@workingboatwoman]

Could you please tell me what number Humbrol paints you used in the video?

[@Synthematix]

Brill videos but i wish peco would lose the music its very annoying!