What started out to be a simple new layout with a loop of track, inspired by the one-town layout design concept, has morphed into a railroad that I have become very excited about building. It is still a basic loop that will start and end in a four track staging loop and pass through the town of Waipahu (pronounced “why pa who”) where cars will be left for the branch line. 

I hope y'all don't think I'm strange. (I may be, but that's another issue). Has anyone ever successfully ballasted without glue? Is there any kind of ballast that could "possibly" be used that 1>won't blow away 2> isn't magnetic? The reason I ask is simple. Most of us get a layout to the point of running. And want to do so for a while to make sure the track and wiring is trouble free. Then, we consider ballast. And once that ballast is glued (Elmer's being the preferred glue), it is more or less permanent.

I have several sections of old brass track and turnouts that I need to remove from my layout and replace with nickel-silver track.

Help is needed. I admit to being stubborn. Also, contrarian. But I'm stumped by a novice problem. PECO code 83.The joiners are too tight, too long, and extremely difficult to use. I have ruined several flex tracks and one turnout because: When trying to connect two pieces of track, the joiners are not helping. All the YouTube videos I see make it look so simple to "just push the joiner on one rail and then push the next rail onto the joiner". It just isn't doing that for me.