Excellent!

Love the charcoal grout in the ballast and ties. Really makes it look older.

That is something I want to do better.

If you look at older photos many railroads don’t have ballasts under the ties, even industrial trackage on the class 1’s. The maintenance budget is focused on the mainline. 

It doesn’t take much to hold a freight car at 5 mph. The track is part of the landscape rather than cutting through it.

I love the severely under capitalized railroad look contrasting with a well maintained mainline. The trolley system around here also had unballasted track (&8-10% grades!). One day I hope to model the other end of the branch I have and it will need a similar treatment to convey the feeling of a lightly built railroad. 

Pretty sure

I used earth coloured grout of the same brand mixed with real dirt on this:

Method?

Do you just dust it onto the finished balast, and then mist with water?

Great work

Nice Dave...!!!

Mike, yes I rubbed it in with my finger and then brushed off any major excess and then misted it.

Charcoal

Don't ever use grout but charcoal.

I brush on my N scale track when ballasted charcoal dust in the middle and on the side, this give a used track and kill the uniformity of  the whole ballast colors.

I also use charcoal dust to simulate tires spots on concrete roads  made of plaster.

After the dust is in place, I seal it with a dull varnish spray, the head of the track is polish as usual after paint job.

Grout

Wet Water

I definitely did, but I also likely sprayed or dropped some dilute white glue with it just to keep everything (dirt, grout and weeds) in place.

. . .

" Don't ever use grout but charcoal. "

Can you elaborate ?  sounds like you are saying don't use grout other than charcoal.

Marc

. . .

"Wet water" is the act of adding a drop or two of detergent to diluted glue is it not ?

Marc

Charcoal...

I think what he meant is that he has never used grout himself, but that he has used charcoal to good effect. 

Randy

Wet water

Wet water is water that has had any wetting agent added to it.  That is, anything that reduces the surface tension.  Could be dish soap, alcohol, or one of the commercial wetting agents.

Your grout effect is very effective

Thanks for the ideas.  And I followed that link for more info.  Grout is available in so many colors, if straight charcoal is too intense for me (I tend to overdo the weathering), there is probably a slightly lighter dark grey tone.

I seem to remember ballast was much darker in the 60's and earlier, probably from leaked oil and re-used cinders.  Am I wrong? 

Another grout user...

I'm with Sancho

Unsanded Linen is great for mixing into darker materials like sieved dirt to get a lighter color ground cover and dirt roads. Good stuff.

Following

Following so I can remember this.

looks good...

I think I will try this....

Unsanded Linen

Thanks for the tip on the unsanded Linen for dirt roads. I'll be giving that a try here this week sometime. Still trying to decide on what color what look best for tracks that are buried in soil. I'm leaning on trying the earth color first and seeing how that goes....

https://www.custombuildingproducts.com/products/grout-materials/cement-grout/polyblend/polyblend-sanded-grout.aspx

Thanks

Thanks for posting.  Using grout in a lighter color to represent 'long gone ballast' really has me interested.

I need to see what colors are available locally.  Great thread!  Excellent photos.

Gary

Polyblend Earth is non-sanded

Polyblend Earth is non-sanded grout.  Is that what you used?

Looks very good!

Nicely done OP!

SBrooke, Your use of grout

SBrooke,

Your use of grout looks good.

I find a lot can be done with grout, just not for tracks,

but also scenery.

Nice Deemiorgos...!!! In your

Nice Deemiorgos...!!!

In your first photo track on the right, is that using grout only? And if so what color and any other info you'd be willing to share...

Ben,The track on the right

Ben,

The track on the right (lead track) is ballasted, but is covered in oyster grey non-sanded grout; same brand you are using. After the grout dried I rubbed some Pan Pastel chalk on it and later stained it with various shades of grey and black Then sealed it with a wash of thinned white glue.

The track on the left (coal dump track) is ballasted also and I used charcoal dust mixed with watered down white glue to create the crud between and on the ties. I sealed it with Dullcote.

On the tracks in front of the depot except for the mud covered siding, I used a light wash and when it dried, I applied Pan Pastels and sealed it with Dullcote.

Here we see a blend of real dirt, sanded-grout, non-sanded grout and gravel dust used for ground cover.

Here is a link on how I created the mud covered siding to show evidence of a recent spring flood in the area.

https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/30693

Cheers.