Arizona Rock & Mineral Company

06/14/2026

Today we're recognizing Flag Day. We hope everyone in our modeling community has a meaningful day and finds a little time to enjoy the hobby.

Save 15% on us. Use code FLAGDAY2026.

06/14/2026

400 Southwest Chief Desert Plum gives you a natural base for turning an unfinished spot into a complete scene.

Cut a corner off the package and sprinkle it out with a shaking motion parallel with the roadbed. Begin at the base of the roadbed slope and apply in layers as you work your way up to the top.

What kind of railroad or modeling scene does this color remind you of?

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Desert Plum is a real crushed rock powder with soft mauve tones. Great for desert layouts, dry washes, and canyon scenery

06/14/2026

The area beside the rails matters just as much as the rails themselves. 200 Industrial Dirt helps connect the track to the rest of the scene.

Use the natural color as a starting point, then add small amounts of weeds, debris, or weathering to suit the location. Durable red powder for industrial applications. Ideal for construction, landscaping, and ground stabilization in industrial areas.

Choose one unfinished section this weekend and bring it closer to completion.

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Durable red powder for industrial applications. Ideal for construction, landscaping, and ground stabilization in industrial areas.

06/13/2026

101 Red Cinder is an all-natural scenery material that can be used for track ballast, roads, parking lots, paths, terrain, and other modeled surfaces. The fine powder can also add color and weathering to buildings and scenery. It comes in multiple sizes so you can choose the texture that looks right for your scale or model.

Whether you model in N, HO, or O, build dioramas or miniatures, create gaming terrain, or use natural materials for another modeling project, how would you use this color and texture to make your scene feel real?

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101 – RED CINDER is real crushed volcanic rock for model railroads. Adds bold red texture to dry terrain and trackside scenic features.

05/30/2026

Today’s Real Rock Feature is 105 Pennsylvania Gray Ballast.

This is a strong everyday ballast choice for HO- and N-scale model railroaders who want a classic gray mainline look. Because it is made from real crushed rock, it gives the track a more natural color and texture than lightweight dyed scenery material.

It works well for mainlines, passing sidings, yards, and older railroad scenes where a clean gray ballast color fits the layout.

Today it is already marked 25% off on the website, so no coupon code is needed.

105 Pennsylvania Gray Ballast features natural gray stone with subtle variation, ideal for realistic mainlines, yards, and industrial trackage.

05/23/2026

Desert Train
The background rock formation is from a plaster kit we no longer sell, and we stained it with Sunset Orange and Supai Red. The cactus was made from stranded wires, shaped and painted olive green. Trees are Sagebrush armatures, and foliage is our moss material. Ground cover is #1160 and #1163 Apache stone. The cactus is growing out of humps in the train, as found in nature. This website consists of a book that will only be found here. The sagging boxcar was scratch-built and inspired by a John Allen car.

The background rock formation is from a plaster kit we don’t sell anymore and used Sunset Orange and Supai Red […]

04/17/2026

Spring Sale Is Here

Save 25% off storewide during our Spring Sale. This weekend only, take advantage of limited-time savings on real crushed stone ballast, coal, and scenic materials.

Stock up now, finish your projects, and get the realistic results your layout deserves. Once the weekend ends, prices go back to normal.

Shop Now and Save 25%
SAVE25WEEKEND
Save Now Before the Sale Ends

03/22/2026

If you are building a realistic layout, one detail that makes a big difference is how you handle coal. Many modelers overlook it, but the difference between fake-looking loads and realistic ones is huge.

That’s why more modelers are switching to real crushed material instead of plastic or painted substitutes.

👉 Shop real model railroad coal here:

Shop model railroad coal made from real crushed material for coal loads, tipples, bins, mines, and steam-era scenes on train layouts.

03/21/2026

Prices Are Going Up April 1, 2026

At ARM Ballast — Arizona Rock & Mineral Co., we have worked hard to keep our prices as low as possible for as long as possible. However, rising costs for materials, packaging, supplies, and shipping now make a price adjustment necessary.

Beginning April 1, 2026, product prices across the site will increase.

If you have been planning to place an order, now is the time to do it. Ordering before April 1 lets you lock in current pricing and save on the products you already know and use for your railroad, scenery, and layout projects.

We know nobody likes price increases. Therefore, we wanted to give our customers advance notice so you have time to stock up before the change takes effect. Whether you need ballast, cinders, powders, gravel, sand, dirt, or specialty scenery materials, ordering now can help you avoid paying more later.

ARM Ballast — Arizona Rock & Mineral Co. remains committed to offering real crushed rock and high-quality scenery materials for modelers who want realistic results. Even with this increase, we will continue working to keep our products affordable and worth the value.

Order Before April 1, 2026

Beat the price increase by placing your order today. Once the new pricing goes into effect on April 1, 2026, all new orders will reflect the updated prices.

Shop now and save before prices go up.

03/12/2026

118 OAK CREEK ORANGE — On Sale Today
https://www.armballast.com/118-oak-creek-orange-sales-page/