ashes to trains

[Daylight4449]

i just obtained a bag of ashes from a campfire, can i use that on my layout in any way?

[rustyrails]

As the owner of a fireplace and a pellet stove--both of which get a serious workout during winter--I am very familiar with ashes.  I would be reluctant to try to use ashes as scenery material.  Most scenery techniques today are water-based.  Take a few of your ashes OUTSIDE and spray water on them...like you were wetting them down prior to glueing them in place.  It should become immediately obvious that water and ashes make MUD.  I didn't have anyone to tell me this and tried using ashes on an ice covered sidewalk.  sheesh...I didn't think I'd ever get the foyer clean.   Hope this helps. 
Rusty

[SteamGene]

Ashes are carbon.  Do a search of carbon and electricity.
Gene

[Santa Fe buff]

http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=178&o=0&l=dir&dm=&q=does%20carbon%20conduct%20electricity

All that means no ballast for track...

Joshua

[Jim Banner]

Gene, I think you may be confusing charcoal with ashes.  Charcoal is mostly carbon, conductive, and would be a disaster as ballast.  Ashes, however, contain little or no elemental carbon and unless wet, are a relatively good insulator.   There is a short article on ashes at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_ash

That still does not make ashes a good candidate for model RR ballast.  Add moisture, even humidity from the air, and they are likely to become corrosive.  I suspect the best use of ashes in model railroading would be making soft soap to wash your hands after doing a dirty job.

Jim

[wjstix]

I seem to recall that John Allen's GD Line ashpits (where steam engines drop out their ashes after a run) had real ash in it, perhaps cigarette ash?? He also had a red bulb hidden in there, so when a model engine "dropped it's fire" the pit would glow red as if hot coals and ash had been dumped in there. 

I suppose you could try crushing it up and applying it as weathering to freight cars and buildings. I don't know what would happen when you spray it with flat finish like Dullcote, but it should be OK. I use powdered charcoal from the art supply shop for weathering, and seals in with no problems.

[rogertra]

I used cigarette ash in my ash pits.  I'm a nonsmoker you I just put up with the nauseating stink and went into the then smoker's room at work (Smoking since banned in all work and public places :-) ) and raided the disgusting ashtrays.

The things one does for realism on one's model railway.

[Yampa Bob]

You're lucky Roger, my wife want lots of horses on our layout. 

[rustyrails]

I don't know, Bob.  You might have to say "neigh" to that one.
Rusty

[Yampa Bob]

That's pretty clever. Of course if I said neigh I might be sleeping in the stables. Guess that's better than the doghouse.

[sparkyjay31]

That's pretty clever. Of course if I said neigh I might be sleeping in the stables. Guess that's better than the doghouse.

Oh I don't know.  No matter what I say or do, the dog still loves me!

[Yampa Bob]

Man's best friend is his dog, my wife's best friend is her horse. Problem is, there's not enough "horsing around". 

The stable is 18' X 36', danged horse has larger sleeping quarters than I do. When I suggested making the stable into a train room, I got the old "horse laugh". 

http://tinyurl.com/lxp83h    (That's not my wife)    What can you expect from a horse named "Gus".