Ballasting with Cat litter

[AhmadKane]

I read an article once in the Model Railroader of using cat litter as Ballast. cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/244705.aspx

 

https://www.tokopedia.com/badboyspets/pasir-kucing-pasir-zeolit-zeolite-1kg-s?src=topads

 

I've read it being used in HO scale and it certainly kept costs down. But I wonder if it could work if I were to ballast the KATO Unitrack N scale with it. Also, I'm no cat owner, but I heard that cat litter has some smells on them?

 

Any thoughts or alternatives for the ballasting?

[Cat]

32 minutes ago, AhmadKane said:

but I heard that cat litter has some smells on them?

Typically that's the used cat litter.
: 3

The inexpensive brands of cat litter are made of clay and are very dusty.  The dust would be my concern, but it could work.

At least around here, the big bottles of Woodland Scenics ballast are a good price and cover quite a lot of track length.

[cteno4]

Cat litter will probably be large even for ho scale. It also is called and will swell a bit when you wet it and not sure how that will look once it shrinks back down. coloring is a problem as it’s usually a uniform gray and only contrast can be secret things they put in for odor control (read a fragrance probably) that don’t look like anything natural. You could try to grind and sift it to get it smaller. Like cat said it’s usually pretty dusty for the plain stuff and you need to get rid the dust by sieving.
 

If you know someone with a cat get a scoop full and experiment.

 

other options are to look in craft stores for sand used in making candles and also some mixes are around n scale and usually a lot of shades so you can mix. May need to sift. They sometimes sell small sample bags at the Mason shops. Many you just wet and it sets, but it sets rock hard and doesn’t soften with water like white glue does on regular ballest.

 

jeff

[cteno4]

Just remembered some cat litters will change color when they have gotten wet to show where it’s been used and where to scoop.

 

jeff