Grade crossings

[Anonymous]

Hi,
Does anyone have an easy do-it-yourself method of modeling a standard North-American grade crossing? I have an HO layout, so I need something that will work in a small workspace. I thought about using 1/16 in. balsa wood. What do you think? [tup] [tdn] If you have any methods, I'd gladly appreciate the help.

[conrail92]

Well if u didnt want to use wood another way would be cut out the ties in the middel of where the crossing is supose to go then i cut a piece of Ami roadbed painted it too look like wood brick ect... then place it where the cut ties where.u just haft to be careful all the cars and locomotives will pass over. You can always buy prebuilt ones aswell. and the wood idea also works i just never tried it. i dont have many grade crossings

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I use poster paper cut to fit and painted. Some fitting is needed to determine the flange clearance. It's placed on strip wood to give it body then glued to the ties. Looks fairly decent.

[conrail92]

that would work but is there enough room for the paper wood and the ties. i wood think it be kinda high

[selector]

You could use painted or pre-coloured plaster or hydrocal up to the tracks, and then make a wooden crossing, a plank one. Most LHS's have a good selection of "lumber" in scale that can be painted up nicely after cutting to fit between the rails. I'm talking stuff that, in real life, would be 4" X 10", so pretty beefy. I did that on my late lamented layout, and it worked quite well. At a straight crossing, i.e.- not on a curve, flange paths need only 1/16" for correctly spaced wheelsets, so you can make it look quite realistic.

[Anonymous]

I've used very thin sheet styrene. I just paint it gray and weather it to look like asphalt. It looks great, is cheap, and is easy to trim and shape. It also allows for clearance of the wheel flanges.

Good luck...

[Mailman56701]

QUOTE: Originally posted by aspenexile

I've used very thin sheet styrene. I just paint it gray and weather it to look like asphalt. It looks great, is cheap, and is easy to trim and shape. It also allows for clearance of the wheel flanges.

Good luck...

Me too. Works great, using .030 myself.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

That's why I use strip wood. It comes in many different thicknesses.

[jfallon]

I found a few boxes of sandwich toothpicks at a dollar store. They have a square cross-section of about 1/16 inches. I cut them to about 12 scale feet length and secured them at the grade crossing with tan latex caulk. The next day I sanded them down to track level with a fingernail emery board (another dollar store item) and weathered them. Ihave done three grade crossings so far and have used only half a box of toothpicks.

[conrail92]

thats a good idea never thought about it, i might try it some time

[Anonymous]

I used rail of the same size as the running rail on eather side. Filed the base until I got the correct flange way then glued it to the ties. Then filled the center with approprite size planks between the rails. Some fileing may be nesessary at the ends of the crossing rails so the flanges dont pick them.

[nobullchitbids]

Depends on the lengths to which you are willing to go:

An Athearn rerailer will do for a plank crossing in a pinch -- just insert it.

For better results, a variation on the previous post is good -- take some rail of smaller code than your running rail, turn it on its side, and solder it into the web of the running rail, so that the rail head becomes the guard rail. Make certain this sideways rail is set close to the foot so that your flanges (which are oversized vs. the prototype) don't nick or ride on the guard rail's web. You then fill the interior space either with plaster (asphalt or concrete road) or wood strips (gravel or dirt road) as required and level for effect.

For this latter idea, you may have to go up a code for that portion of the running rail actually in the crossing (to prevent the mechanical fouling mentioned). This should not be that noticable since the rail size will be disguised somewhat by the guard rail and the filler. [8D]

[Anonymous]

I've used Gyproc joint compound in the past for road construction. It's just a matter of placing some masking tape on the inside of the rails (folded over towards the outside) with a toothpick between the rails and the tape. Apply the joint compound, make sure it's as level as you can get it (makes for less work and dust after it dries). After it dries, it will develop small cracks that look like any real road.

[John Todd]

I use picture frame matt board. It is the right thickness and stiff enough to hold up well.
While matt board comes in many colors, I painted mine primer gray and then weathered it. I use it for my city streets as well.

[pcarrell]

The easiest way I can think of is this;

http://www.foxvalleymodels.com/hoscale.html

[nobullchitbids]

Impressive!

Add the guard rails as I suggested, and one has a pretty prototypical model.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

QUOTE: I used rail of the same size as the running rail on eather side. Filed the base until I got the correct flange way then glued it to the ties. Then filled the center with approprite size planks between the rails. Some fileing may be nesessary at the ends of the crossing rails so the flanges dont pick them.

I've seen a similar process used in that the outside area was made of rail and the inside filled with modeler's clay and painted. It looked quite convincing.

[babefluff]

Try this. posted here a while ago.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=59786&REPLY_ID=678977#678977

Scott

[ezielinski]

Styrene trimmed to 3/8 inch by the width of the road and painted to match your road. Otherwise, Accurail as well as other companies, sell ready made grade crossings.