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From: "Joseph A DOT Braun" joebraun AT optonline DOT net
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:14:32 -0500
Subject: Ballast
"9EM_exErie_c.MP112_1976-10_JoeBraun.jpg" - image/jpeg, 1000x682 (24bit)

[Tue, 19 Jan 2010. Ballast that had been in track for a while on the NY
Divn. turned brown from iron brake shoe dust, largely from commuter trains.
It remained gray for a longer time on primary freight routes like the Cutoff
and the Graham Line. EL had a very aggressive shoulder ballast cleaning
program, so sometimes the shoulders had a different color from the ballast
in the gauge of the track. We also dumped some fresh ballast with the
ballast cleaner train, so there were stretches of fresh gray ballast along
with the brown. Gordon Davids]



Gordon's response above was in response to Pat Moore's question, which was
generated by some photos I shared with him. We are both in search of
realistic ballast colors for our model railroads. Gordon, your response
really helped explain the color variation in the photo I am attaching. Thank
you.



In fall of 1976, our family was camping along the Delaware north of Port
Jervis. For history's sake we walked some of the old Erie main. I took a
photo of the track every hundred yards or so. At that time, the track was
in really impressive shape. From the one photo I attach, you can see all the
coloration boundaries that Gordon speaks of: the brown under the train
footprint, the cleaner ballast away from the train line. Where the second
track was taken up, you can see the remaining ballast pretty fresh looking,
I guess cleaned by the rain. But even in the clean ballast, if you look
carefully, there is much color variation even with the gray spectrum. Even
rock from the same quarry would still have variations in coloration. Also,
in line with Gordon's observation about dumping fresh ballast, there are
shots in this same stretch of track (MP 111-113) where even the ballast
directly under the trains was a nice and clean gray.



Joe



9EM_exErie_c.MP112_1976-10_JoeBraun.jpg

Image EXIF Data:
Image Creation Date   2010:01:20 10:34:25
Make   Nikon
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YCbCr Positioning   Center of Array
Exif Image Width   1000 pixels
Exif Image Height   682 pixels
EXIF Version   0220
FlashPix Version   0100
ColorSpace   sRGB
Component Configuration   YCbCr


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