Pallasti (Pallast)

Ballast. Known as Ballasti until 1939, but genuine Estonian names do not (or should not) start with a B, D or G. Ballast comes in two main types: ship and rail. Historically, it was the heavy material, usually rock, that empty cargo ships loaded for stability on return trips then dumped near port on arrival. This was one of the sources of crushed granite or quartzite that engineers used for the combination of grip and give provided by its rough, irregular fracture lines to stabilize railway beds, hence the name ‘track ballast’. One of a rock-based neighborhood. See Sikupilli.