Urban rail over blacktop

[Anonymous]

I'm a novice and am fascinated by the exquisite detailing on so many layouts I see in the magazine and books. I see many urban scenes where there is a concrete or asphalt pad and the rails run through it, i.e. think of a streetcar, where you just see rail and asphalt and no ballast. Are there products specifically for this application or is it all hand-crafted? Is there a form or template to use so you when you craft this you maintain enough spacing for the wheels?

Thanks very much.

[nslakediv]

walthers does a street kit, but I make my own out of styrene scribe, cut, paint and install.

[Jetrock]

An NMRA track gauge (available at most hobby shops) will help ensure correct gaps for wheel flanges and such.

The Walthers Street System kit is nice but it is only useful if you use Atlas turnouts, and it is kind of pricey.

Some folks make their streets out of styrene, resting on stripwood or foamcore. Others make their streets out of plaster or something like Durham's Water Putty. This can look really good but is very permanent, and much mess is required if you have to fix the track somehow later!

[cwclark]

I use styrene plastic or Matte board...the secret is to even the road material with the height of the rail...first, glue strips of styrene plastic to the height of the top of the rail in places the road material will be situated to support the road evenly with the rail and the road material...take a piece of tracing paper and lay it on the track and with a pencil scribble with the edge of the pencil over the tops of the rail outlining the rail onto the tracing paper...next, cut out the rail shaped scribble from the tracking paper and carefully mark the outline onto the styrene or matte board with a sharpie pen ...(you may want to tape the tracing paper down to the styrene or matte board so that it stays stationary when you go to mark the lines on the road material)...now, cut the pattern out on the inside of the sharpie pen lines from the road material with a good pair of scissors or a hobby knife and glue it in place on the layout and the inside and outside rails of the track..(check the fit before glueing it down especially on the inside rail sides so that the wheel flanges will clear the road material)...you may need to trim a bit of the road material away so that the wheel flanges will clear the road material...finally paint the road and weather it...Chuck

[Anonymous]

Wow dogmatic66, you have chosen (arguably) the most challenging field in MRing. Not only is "in street" trackage (very tight radii curves, etc.) a "challange" but overhead wiring (and support for same) with the trolly pole gliding (unfailingly) along the wire can be a daunting task. There was an excellent book on this very subject that you may wi***o consult before taking too many steps for the present. "Traction Guidebook for Model Railroaders" edited by Mike Schafer, Kalmbach "k" books (1st. printing) 1974, 2nd. printing 1977). This was printed by Kalmbach Publishing Co. and may still be available if you check the Internet (e.g., Amazon. com) or searching (Google, Ask Jeeves, etc.) for the Kalmbach Publishing Co. URL. This is nearly a bible for those going into modelling "traction." Best of luck to you and I hope will find this info. helpful. Regards

[Anonymous]

Oh yes 66, I failed to mention that if you are in a hurry to "take the plunge," girder rail (in street guard rail) can be affected by using single rail (no ties) turned on its side horizontally) and abuting the running rails (vertical with ties) or use L shape styrene molding (inside running rails) of a proper width (wheel flanges) for the same effect. There are manufactured traction rail products available but at horrific prices. Good luck.

[johncolley]

I have used drywall "mud" for asphalt. It is very easy to cut the flangeways with a hacksaw blade. Street running was not uncommon in industrial parts of town, and don't forget the slow board...5 to 15 mph. Some towns required the bell ringing too!

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot, everyone. I love the look of "in street trackage", not necessarily with an overhead trolley line. Sounds like there are a lot of different ways to execute the work.

[Anonymous]

66, I "rest my case!" Traction is NOT a trivial adjunct to the heavy weight steam or Diesel...oh no. it will require your greatist skills if you are serious. Otherwise, why fool with it?

[Jetrock]

Ted D. Kramer: I am pretty certain that dogmatic66 is talking about in-street industrial trackage, as was found on steam and diesel freight lines, rather than trolley lines in particular. It is perfectly acceptable for someone to model a railroad that ran in the street without being a trolley modeler.

My own layout follows such a theme--actually it currently represents a line that was formerly an electric traction line, but which has since converted to diesel power. Eventually I want to add trolley poles and overhead, but am in no hurry to do so.

An electric-to-diesel transition-era layout can be fun to model--great excuses for super-tight-radius curves (real-world examples featured curves as tight as 50-100 feet in radius), close clearances, lots of atmospheric heavy-urban scenery, and lots of tiny diesels to shove around 40-foot freight cars.

[Anonymous]

Yes, street railroading can take on many forms. The "Dockside" (0-4-0 saddle tank) steam loco was imployed all through the'20's, '30's and early '40's, followed by industrial diesel and or "steeple cab" electrics. I recall the incredibly tight turns around Pratt St. (downtown Baltimore) near the water front. That too, is another variation which adds greatly to builder and viewer alike. Best of luck to you in the challanges ahead.