This picture shews an experimental length of double track to 31mm gauge with a 1:8 C10 crossover.  Steel rail was used with mostly ABS chairs and part-made crossings and blades from C&L.  Wooden timbering and parts from Exactoscale so that the switches and crossing are of soldered construction.  The plan was drawn up using Templot and full sized (i.e.: 7mm:1ft) templates were printed out and used to build the track.

The ballast was glued down using thinned PVA and heavy weights lain on top until it set.  Two problems arose:

1.  The granite ballast took on a definite green hue.  Therefore, find another material for ballast.

2.  When I took the weights off the track was bright orange with rust!  It was not 7mm scale rust and would have been a continuing corrosion problem.  I painted the rails liberally with Kurust, having first cleaned the rail tops.  The result was fairly prototypical gunge that will take paint or weathering powders easily.
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