10/9/12
In recent years Unitrack has become very popular with N
scalers to use as their track of choice for permanent layouts. Unitrack is easy
to use and modelers can set up and try many layouts before making a final
decision on a track plan. Unitrack is relatively “bullet proof” as trains run
flawlessly for hours at a time on a Unitrack layout.
Ballasting and weathering the Unitrack really makes the
track look outstanding and makes it difficult to notice that it’s Unitrack.
Kato Unitrack is code 80 rail that sits on a plastic gray
road bed. (Photo 1) The performance of locomotives, both steam and diesel on
the track is outstanding and trouble free.
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| Photo # 1 N Scale Unitrack With Gray Plastic Roadbed |
Another interesting
feature of the Unitrack is its ability to stay clean and free from dirt and
debris. Unitrack rarely has to be cleaned when compared to other brands of N
scale track. This is due to the alloy Kato uses in the track rails which no other company uses. On the "New" JJJ&E, the Unitrack hasn't been cleaned in over two years. The trains run beautifully every day. I try to run trains for at least an hour each day on the "New" JJJ&E. I followed the same practice on the "Original" JJJ&E for over nine years when that layout was in full operation.
Many modelers object to the appearance of the plastic gray
roadbed of the Unitrack. Weathering the
rails, painting the road bed and applying ballast to the roadbed can
dramatically improve the Unitrack. This takes quite a bit of time and is well
worth the effort ( Photo's # 2 & # 2A ).
I’ve been in model railroading for almost sixty years. I was
first introduced to model railroading by my dad in 1947. After many layouts
that included very large O scale and HO scale layouts, I decided to try my hand
at N scale nine years ago in 2000. The track I chose to use was Kato Unitrack because
of its bulletproof operation. So, the "Original" JJJ&E was born in an area 4x11’. Over
the next few years, the layout grew in size to 10x15’ on multiple levels with four
expansions.
Initially I accepted the way the track looked with the gray
roadbed. I used red rock ballast that approached the base of the gray Unitrack
roadbed initially. I then decided to hand paint all the gray roadbed a grimy
black or dark gray. This improved the appearance of the Unitrack to some degree
but I was still basically unhappy with its appearance. I then decided to hand
paint and weather the rails of the Unitrack.
I was at first apprehensive to paint the rails as the "Original" JJJ&E was run
by DCC, and I wasn’t sure what effect the hand painting of the rails would have
on the electrical conductivity of the track. I tested a three-foot section of
track and found that painting the rails to weather them has no effect on the
performance of the DCC system. You must make sure that no paint finds its way
on the tops of the rails when you do paint the rails (See Photo #4 ). If paint does cake on the top of the rails, you can remove the excess paint with a Q-Tip dipped in Iso-Propyl Alcohol. Do not use any abrasive material on the top of Unitrack rails. Scratched rails will result which will accumulate dirt and debris.
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| Photo # 4 Painted Unitrack Rails With All Paint Removed From The Top Of The Rails |
I developed a formula for weathering the rails of the
Unitrack. You can first spray all the Unitrack dark gray or grimy black . Then
wipe the paint off the tops of the rails before it completely dries. I weather
the rails with Polly Scale mineral red, grimy black, dark gray, burnt umber and
burnt sienna. The individual ties of the track were hand painted Rail Tie
Brown. The spike heads were individually hand painted with the tip of an 18/0
sable brush raw sienna. As I said initially the gray roadbed of the Unitrack
can first be painted a grimy black or SP dark gray. This dark roadbed will mask
the light gray color of the roadbed if the final ballasting in certain areas is
spread thinly (See Photo's # 4 and Photo # 5 ).
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| Photo # 5 Unitrack On The "Original" JJJ&E Completely Weathered And Ballasted |
On the "New" JJJ&E I first used Neolube # 2 to blacken the rails of the Unitrack. I then hand painted Polly Scale Mineral Red to partially cover the Neolube # 2. This gave me the desired effect that I was looking for.
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| Photo # 6 Unitrack On The "New" JJJ&E Completely Weathered And Ballasted |
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| Photo # 7 Unitrack On The "New" JJJ&E Completely Weathered And Ballasted |
The "Original" JJJ&E was in operation for over nine years and operated flawlessly. In February 2009, I moved from Florida to Texas and the "Original" JJJ&E had to be completely dismantled. At the end of February 2009, the "New" JJJ&E was born. The "New" JJJ&E is a inverted "U" shaped around the room layout. Before all the Unitrack was in its final position, I started to weather the Unitrack. I first applied Neolube # 2 to all the rails. Then I applied a wash of mineral red on top of the Neolube # 2. I hand painted all the ties with Rail Tie Brown. The track was held in place with small amounts of glue from a Hot Glue Gun in the four corners of each track section. I tested the layout for many weeks before I started to ballast the Unitrack with Arizona Rock & Mineral Natural Rock Ballast.
The beauty of Unitrack turnouts is that they operate
flawlessly and there are no switch machines showing trackside. The wiring to
the Unitrack can be hidden with ballast and fine ground foam. Each section of
Unitrack on the "New" JJJ&E has feeders soldered to each rail using 22-gauge
solid copper wire. Switches/turnouts have three pairs of feeders, one pair of feeders for each leg of the switch/turnouts. Double crossovers need four pair of feeders to operate flawlessly. One Pair of feeders for each arm of the double crossover. The same holds true for the 90 degree crossover and 15 degree crossover.
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| Photo # 8 All The Unitrack, 32 Switches/Turnouts And Two Double Crossovers Have Been Completely Weathered And Ballasted With Arizona Rock & Mineral Natural Rock N Scale Ballast. The Switching Yard Is 18 ' Long. |
One can also use Color Canyon Materials or High Ball Ballast ( See Photo # 9 ). These are very
high quality natural rock ballasts as well. Below Is a photo of Color Canyon Materials Natural Rock ballast
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| Photo # 9 Color Canyon Materials Natural Rock Ballast. |
To ballast Unitrack you’ll need the following materials; a ¼
inch flat brush to spread the ballast, a very fine 18/0 sable brush to paint
the ties and spike heads, a mixture of white glue and distilled water (50% glue
and 50% water), a medicine dropper, some dental instruments to remove excess
ballast and a small jewelers screwdriver which also can be used to remove
excess ballast ( See Photo #10 ).
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| Photo # 10 Instruments And Small Brushes Needed For Ballasting Unitrack |
Ballasting between the ties of the Unitrack isn’t difficult
at all. It does take time and the end result is worth all the work involved.
I sprinkle small amounts of ballast on each section of the
Unitrack. I usually work in three-foot sections. You must remember that the
distance between the top of the ties and the roadbed is minute so very small
amounts of ballast are necessary to fill in this space.. Arizona Rock & Mineral Ballast is small in size and this ballast works well for N scale layouts..
I then spread the ballast with a small ¼ inch flat brush.
The ballast is spread so that it doesn’t cover the ties. The Arizona Rock & Mineral very fine N scale natural rock ballast makes this all happen due to the small
size of each piece of natural rock ballast. When each three-foot section of
track is ballasted, go over and fill in any areas that aren’t completely
covered by the ballast. I use a mixture of 50% white craft glue and 50% water
to the glue the ballast to the Unitrack roadbed using a small medicine dropper.
You must be very careful not to flood the ballast with the glue/water mix. You
must remember that the glue/water mixture will not seep through the solid
plastic roadbed. If you happen to add to much glue/water mix to the ballast,
the ballast might move slightly due to the fact that the glue can’t drain through the
roadbed. Let the ballast dry for at least 24 hours. If some of the ballast is
loose or misplaced after 24 hours you can apply more ballast and a second
mixture of glue and water using the medicine dropper. When the ballast is completely dry take a small instrument or a
jewelers screwdriver and scrape off any ballast that has dried on the inner
rails. If this step isn’t done, derailments will occur. So run some trains over
each completed area that you ballast to make sure there are no pieces of
ballast adhering to the inner side of the rails (Photo's # 11 & # 12 ).
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| Photo # 11 Closeup Photo Of Newly Spread Ballast On The ":New" JJJ&E |
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| Photo # 12 Newly Spread Ballast On A Section Of The "New" JJJ&E |
When ballasting the switch/turnout, you must be very careful not
to place the ballast on any moving parts of the switch/turnout or near the points.
Extreme care must be taken when ballasting the switch/turnout. The glue/water mix
must be very carefully placed so that the glue doesn’t seep into the mechanism
of the switch/turnout. If this happens the switch/turnout will bind up and you’ll have
problems loosening up the mechanism of the switch/turnout.
Here are some photo’s of the completely ballasted
Unitrack on the "New" JJJ&E (Photo’s # 13 – Photo's # 15A ).
Weathering the rails of Unitrack and ballasting the track
with very fine natural rock ballast greatly enhances the appearance of the
track. If you do have a Unitrack layout I suggest trying this technique out.
You will be very pleasantly surprised and pleased with the results.
Stay cool and run steam….
This is really great, thanks
ReplyDeleteE.E.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you find this info helpful.
PSG1790