Does anyone have any suggestions for modeling rails embedded in pavement e.g. streets? Plaster, spackle? Thanks to any responders.
Bill
bill1224 wrote:Does anyone have any suggestions for modeling rails embedded in pavement e.g. streets? Plaster, spackle? Thanks to any responders.Bill
Sheet styrene is probably less messy and should work just fine. Maybe something useful for you in one these thread:
http://cs.trains.com/forums/854900/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/1493145/ShowPost.aspx
http://cs.trains.com/forums/172153/ShowPost.aspx
Smile, Stein
I don't have a picture of any of my street running tracks, but it's the same technique I use for grade crossings. This crossing (sorry, not a great picture) was made using Durham's Water Putty for the roads on either side of the track, and then styrene between the rails. The styrene sheet is pretty thin, so there's actually a second, narrower strip underneath it, sitting on the ties. That brings the top piece up enough that the spike plates don't interfere with it.
I use gray acrylic paint for both the road and the strip between the rails. That provides a good color match, and by using a common, unmixed color, I can easily touch it up if it gets nicked or scratched.
Another option - cobblestones or bricks. This is a station platform, not a street, but once again, it's the same principle. I used a home-made mold to create this Hydrocal cobblestone pattern.
There are some nice-looking brick street systems that would be a lot easier than these cobbles. (I was just being stubborn, but as I realized how difficult it was to get this right, I reduced the scope of the cobblestone project by quite a bit.)
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi!
I have successfully done this on a previous layout and the results were satisfying. I built a set of forms with basswood - just as a real contractor would do. I put strips next to the insid of the rails, and around the outer edges of the proposed "concrete". I thoroughly mixed plaster, with a little grey latex paint added, until it was a very smooth but not too runny consistency. I poured it in the forms, being careful not to get to much. The hard part is the waiting - you don't want to hurry the removal of the "forms". The end result needed a little light sanding to get rid of any rough edges, but it sure looked good. And the latex paint didn't show chips, and IMHO helped hold the plaster from cracking/shrinking too much.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
There are eight articles on this subject at Trolleyville Schoolhouse...
http://www.trolleyville.com/school.shtml
See "Room 2: Track Construction & Operation" and Paving Streets under "Room 6: Modeling Tips."
There are various techniques to use sheet styrene, Durham Water Putty, and others will use plaster. Note carefully how you can have the option "to crown" streets for drainage if you are not using sheet styrene.
Check out Interurban's "Building a Traction Layout" with over 41,000 views at...
http://2guyzandsumtrains.com/Forums/viewforum/f=8.html
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
It would depend on how much track you have that is going to be in the streets, how well a modeler you are, and how long you plan to keep the current layout.
I have a foot or two of track in the streets plus a couple of turnouts. i chose to use the Walthers kit they have for street tracks. It has the peices necessary for inbetween the rails and just outside the rails with various curves and turnouts. After that I used foam-core, then painted everything the same color. For plain straight sections, styrene is the way to go.
There are other ways such as plaster etc, but they can get messy. (And neatness counts!!)
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
WOW! Lots of info for me to consider. Many thanks to all who took the time to respond to my question.
I've used plaster and made a tool from car weights.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
John Pryke's book "Building City Scenery for Your Model Railroad" goes into a great amount of detail of running rail in the street. Overkill for just a grade crossing but very interesting if you want to run down the street of an industrial area. Its based on a series of articles that appeared in Model Railroader in 2000 for the "Union Freight" project layout.
Regards,
Chris
I use styrene "for sale " signs from wallyworld cut to fit between the rails. It's the right thickness and is very cheap. If I can EVER figure out why Photobucket won't show my pics, I'll post one.
Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
saronaterry wrote:....... If I can EVER figure out why Photobucket won't show my pics, I'll post one.Terry
....... If I can EVER figure out why Photobucket won't show my pics, I'll post one.
Terry, if you click on the "img" line beneath the enlarged photo, it will automatically be "copied". When you come to the MR site, just click on "EDIT" in your toolbar, and hit "Paste" to place it in your post.
Wayne
wedudler wrote:I've used plaster and made a tool from car weights. Wolfgang
This is a really neat tool template.
Note how crowning is built into the tool template. Also, the top of the pavement crowning between the rails is not higher than the top of the rails which is also addressed in the Trolleyville Schoolhouse articles.
Hi Wayne!
The site, when I pull it up, WON'T show ANY thumbnails as it usually did.IOW, I've no idea what I'm looking at, since I never titled any of my pics.
Any help is unbeleivabled appreciated. Or something like that.
saronaterry wrote:Hi Wayne! The site, when I pull it up, WON'T show ANY thumbnails as it usually did.IOW, I've no idea what I'm looking at, since I never titled any of my pics.Any help is unbeleivabled appreciated. Or something like that.Terry
Do you mean to say that you've logged in, but see only the written data that goes with each picture?
I've been looking through their FAQs, and if you look under "Troubleshooting: General", you may find some help: after you click on that sub-heading, the second to last item that appears ("What happened - my page is too small to read") may be the answer to your problem. Otherwise, click on the "Contact Us" option. Sorry that I can't be of more assistance.