roads,streets

[Anonymous]

[?]How do build roads and streets for ho layouts with a track in the middle like a trolley line?

[Anonymous]

A search under the forums using "in-street tracks" brought back a few of the other threads that addressed your question. One of the threads is here:

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11933

[#welcome]

[Jetrock]

A lot depends on how much work you're willing to put into it. Are you actually building a trolley line, or just in-street trailroad track?

If the latter, Walthers produces a "Street System" that you can glue to the track, both on straight track and curves of 15", 18" and 22", and several types of switches. The only hitch is that it isn't cheap, and you are limited to the type of switches and curves that the kit is made to fit. Also, you are limited to concrete slab type streets rather than asphalt or other street surfaces.

You can also make street track with a styrene strip cut for the middle (with enough clearance for flanges) and either cardstock or styrene on the outside. It's quite a bit more work but it looks good and you can match it exactly to your specifications--you hold it off the track with bits of stripwood on the inside and foamcore on the outside. It's pretty inexpensive, too, especially if you can find a bulk source of .020" styrene. You can use flex track or snap-track for the track itself, and any brand of switch you prefer.

Trolley modelers will often use a special type of rail, called girder rail, which includes an inner flange to protect the flange of the weel from coming into contact with the street surface. They bend this stuff to shape and tack it directly to the subroadbed, then pour plaster or other hardening compound in between and outside of the rails. They also use single-point trolley switches, which have a radius as tight as 6" in HO. It's a lot of work, and requires that you also hang trolley poles and power them from above (the girder-rail switches are one cast piece, both rails must be the same polarity.) But it is the most realistic for trolley applications.

More information on the girder rail method can be found at www.customtraxx.com (who sell Orr components) and at www. eastpenn.org (East Penn Traction Club, in their PDF section.)

[ndbprr]

I do it the same way I do station platforms that abut the rail. I mix a watery plaster mix and pour it in the outside. When the water evaporates it will be lower than the head of the rail. I have done the same thing on the inside with a mix closer to regaular plaster and then keep running a truck with deep flanges through it until it sets up. Most trolley tracks I've seen have brick or cobblestones in the center which can be carved in after it sets with an Excato knife.

[Jetrock]

I'm tempted to try pouring some streets myself, at least for the areas not around switches--my experiment with using foam roadbed didn't work out as well as I thought (the foam has a tendency to rise above track level, derailing cars, and creep over the rails, shorting out engines.) Maybe Sculptamold will be good for this sort of thing...