Search Tips

Tips categories

Latest Tips

How do I glue balsa wood?
Posted in: Assembling and gluing, Best practices
17th July 2019
That would very much depend on what it is you are trying to glue the balsa wood to, if you are gluing it to another...
Read more
What is an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement?
Posted in: Rolling stock
22nd November 2021
In the UK, an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement was used on some early designs of diesel railway locomotives, most notably...
Read more
How to fit drivers in locomotives
Posted in: Model Railway, Best practices
26th November 2020
Installing a driver or fireman into your locomotive can really bring it to life and add realism. After all, in real...
Read more
Do cambers help model trains traverse a bend?
Posted in: Tracks
23rd May 2022
In real life, railway tracks tilt slightly as they negotiate curves. The tilt is known by many names, including a...
Read more
Is modelling in N gauge cheaper than OO gauge?
Posted in: Model Railway, Rolling stock, Scenery
27th May 2020
Although N gauge is very popular (and for good reason), it can't be denied that the most popular gauge on the UK...
Read more

What coarseness ballast should I use for my OO scale railway?

Ballast comes in varying degrees in coarseness, fine medium and coarse.

For OO scale the most realistic would have to be medium. OO gauge is 1/76 scale so measure a few ballast stones and multiply the size by 76 to check whether it would be correct in real life.

Although there is nothing to say that you cannot use any of the others on your layout.

You could use coarse ballast in your quarry scene to represent ballast to be broken down and fine ballast on the quarry floor to represent fragments.

Use all three types of ballast to create wagon loads.

Posted in: Model Railway, Scenery

Click here to receive the tips weekly in your mailbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.