Ballast to match Kato/Tomix Track?

[katoftw]

What ballast have people used to match their Kato/Tomix tracks?  Brands?  I see lots of stuff like different greys, browns, iron ores.  I'm assuming a grey blend.  But fine, medium, course? Other?

Edited January 18, 2016 by katoftw

[kvp]

For Kato tracks, Kato sells a plastic based ballast of mixed gray/black/white particles, which has mostly grays in it. Using Woodland Scenics granite gray with some black and light gray added (around 8:1:1) is also an option, but it will be much less shiny than the Kato tracks.

 

For Tomix, i think the same Woodland Scenics stuff should work. (i used their black and light brown ballast so far for Maerklin and Peco tracks and it's great, just get the finest size for N or Z)

Edited January 18, 2016 by kvp

[katoftw]

Okay.  Thanks.  I had read some old website about the pre-mixing colours to make a blends.  But Woodland Scenics sells a blended gray product that I'm sure is the same as the Kato blended grey ballast bag.  Guessing maybe the blended grey didn't exist 4-5 years ago?

 

I'm happy to sprinkle a little brown over the top when I get a little more advanced with my skills.  Just wasn't sure which way to go on the ballast size.  No real info out there for N scale.

 

Thanks.

[Eurostar25]

Hi Katoftw

 

If you check out the 6th picture of my finished Fuji river bridge module on page 4 it shows the woodlands scenics ballast I used. I played a bit with hornby ballast on my first station module but realised now it looks a bit too pink for my liking. The ballast on my river scene i'm 99% sure was the woodland scenics fine gray ballast. I should've kept the package to confirm as I'll definitely use it again if I can come across it. I'll get a closer photo of it in natural lighting tomorrow and you can see what you think.

[katoftw]

Thanks mate.  Just the answer I was looking for.  In this post of your second module.  A Woodland Scenics ballast shaker can be seen in the background.

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/9889-my-tokuyama-station-module/?p=124248

 

Was it the blend?  As in 3 types of grey/black?

 

I have ordered the large shaker size of the fine blended grey from a online shop I just found here in oz.  $30.19 AUD for the big shaker delivered to my door.  Hopefully it is the right one.

Edited January 18, 2016 by katoftw

[inobu]

You have to watch out for the granule size. Kato ballast is misleading. It looks different but it cover a broad range. I still haven't figured out the secret.

I ended up buying 10 bags from model train stuff.

 

 

http://www.raildig.com/useful-tools/kato-unitrack-ballast-for-ho-n-z-scale/

 

 

This article is called imitating Kato ballast.

 

http://thomas.tuerke.net/on/mrr/?thread=1289869264

Edited January 18, 2016 by inobu

[katoftw]

The fine blended grey ballast I brought looks like the mix shown above.  It will look like this:-

 

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by katoftw

[inobu]

You have to double check. The granules seems to be larger in the image you posted. We may need to ask eurostar what did he use. I'm going to check tomorrow.

 

The product used in the article had B1374 - B1375 - B1376.

 

 

 

Inobu

Edited January 18, 2016 by inobu

[kvp]

Fine or super fine is ok. The corase one on the O gauge picture is clearly not.

[katoftw]

Example photos were for colour reference.  Has decided and after further google searches that fine size is the way to go.

[inobu]

katoftw,

 

I don't think gray blend is correct. You need the three different types to mix and blend. I will pick up the three and post the results. I also will compare the results with

my Kato bag. I think it is worth looking for myself. I will post the results.

 

Inobu

Edited January 18, 2016 by inobu

[katoftw]

I look forward to your results.  The issue I had with the fine grey blend is that it might not have enough black in it.  But the only pictures I can find a stock low res photos.  So it is difficult to tell.  Will know when it arrives.  At worst, I'll have to add 1 part cinders to it.

Edited January 18, 2016 by katoftw

[Eurostar25]

Hi katoftw, yes Inobu is correct, I haven't blended any other ballast to create the colour I've got on my layout. The Gray is as it was out of the bag.

 

The big shaker in the background is the course grade one which I had leftover from my HO scale days and thought the size was correct for the river bed stones so that's what it was used for.

 

For the ballast Im sure I used one of the small woodlands scenics fine Gray ballast bags, however like I said I've since rubbished the package which is a shame as the ballast in the photo is the one I want to use for the rest of my modules.

 

I should explain too, my technique is to cover almost all the kato trackbed with ballast anyway and then weather it the way I want to, so my ballast doesn't have any black stones mixed into it like the kato ballast bed.

 

I've attached photos in normal room light so you can see the ballast up close. I then weathered all the rails and ballast with a woodland scenics rail marker to dirty them up a bit.

 

Hope this all helps.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Eurostar25

[katoftw]

It does help.  I have a feeling the product I brought is the same as you used.  I'm pretty sure I see some black specs in your ballast.  Or they are larger gaps in the ballast with shadows.  Either way it seems to have worked.  We'll find out in a few days anyway when my product arrives in the mail. Hopefully I'll have an answer for you also about your ballast used and can buy again.

Edited January 18, 2016 by katoftw

[Eurostar25]

Thanks Katoftw, I'd be interested to know if it is the same kind.

[inobu]

This blend is based on a 1-1-5

 

Woodland Scenic - Cinder Fine        1

Woodland Scenic - Light Gray Fine  1

Woodland Scenic - Gray Fine           5

 

WS Blend

Kato

 

 

WS Left - Kato Right

Edited April 12, 2020 by inobu

[katoftw]

Not much difference between all of them.  Thanks for taking the effort to try them all out.

[inobu]

Here is the math. I pulled my invoices and I bought

 

 

Kato Unitrack Ballast

 

8 Kato Unitrack Ballast for $50.32 this yielded 56 oz.

 

If I bought WS

 

Woodland scenic "Kato blend"

The formula is 5:1:1 -  Fine Gray, Light Gray, Cinder respectively.

 

4 - B75 Gray          32oz Shaker 9.75  - $39.16

2 - B74 Light gray  10oz bag $3.79     - $  7.58

2 - B76 Cinder       10oz bag $3.79     - $  7.58

Total                                                       $54.32

 

Compairson

 

WS Kato blend 168 oz cost $54.32

Kato Unitrack Ballast 56 oz cost 50.32

 

Well , I guess I jumped the gun. Oh well

 

 

Inobu

Edited January 19, 2016 by inobu

[katoftw]

Glad someone else learnt that lesson for me. haha

[Eurostar25]

I just realised how marked up the prices are by the time we get them in NZ! We pay up to $24 NZD ~ $15 USD for the big shakers.

Might have to pack an extra suitcase for all the scenery items next time a trip to the states is on the cards!

Edited January 19, 2016 by Eurostar25

[katoftw]

$20 AUD / $14 USD here in oz.

[katoftw]

So I'm back to the drawing board for the moment.  The company I purchased off had to back order.  Then supplier had to back order. Blah blah blah.  But after 8 weeks I was still waiting.  So an angry email requesting refund was sent.

 

So off to find options of where to buy now.  Forgot all of them as I look 8 weeks ago.

[Eurostar25]

Hi Katoftw I was actually in a hobby shop when I opened my phone to see you'd replied to this thread so went hunting in their ballast section and found what I'm 99% sure I used. It's the woodland scenics medium gray, I looked closely at the fine gray but it was a different shade to what I used. The medium gray though doesn't have the black fleck through it but it's the closest I've found to the Kato shoulder without buying the stuff Kato sells themselves.

[katoftw]

The price ain't bad.  We pay $9.99 AUD for the 8oz bag here in oz.

 

So said company gave me my refund.  And then the next day had the ballast in stock at $5 more than the original price I ordered it for.  Bummer. haha

[katoftw]

So the fine grey blend ballast arrived today.  It is just a little too fine, I might be anal on this aspect.  And it also needs cinders as an addition.