Description
The Ballast Mate takes the fiddle out of ballasting N gauge track. Fill the hopper, sit it on the rails and pull it along: ballast flows down through three slots onto the track and the profiled underside leaves it level with the sleeper tops and neatly shouldered at the sides, ready for brushing, settling and gluing.
- Designed for N gauge (9 mm) Peco code 80 Setrack and Streamline track, as used by Graham Farish; on Peco code 55 it rides on the sleeper tops instead of the rail heads and works just the same
- Grooves underneath ride on the rail heads, so the finish is referenced to the track, not the baseboard
- Three drop slots (one between the rails, one over each shoulder) meter the ballast automatically – no gate to adjust
- Works in either direction; just lift straight up at the end of a run to avoid spillage
- Hopper holds roughly 15 g of fine N gauge ballast
- Rounded, easy-grip body, approx. 26 × 32 × 31 mm
- 3D printed in tough PLA here in the UK
How to use
- Place the Ballast Mate over the rails with the grooves on the rail heads.
- Fill the hopper about three-quarters full with fine N gauge ballast.
- Holding it low on the body, pull it along the track in one smooth, steady motion. Refill as needed.
- Lift it straight up at the end of the section, brush off any stray grains with a soft brush and tap the rails to settle the ballast.
- Points and crossings are best finished by hand with a teaspoon.
- Mist with water and a drop of washing-up liquid, then apply diluted PVA or your usual ballast glue.
Suitable for standard wooden- and concrete-sleeper flexible track and Setrack.
