road beds

[Anonymous]

I wonder whether using asphalt shingles as a roadbed instead of cork etc. would be a good alternative. shingles are relatively inexpensive==approx. $10.00 per bundle and are heavy, and in colors used for ballasting. i would think they would be a good sound proofer also. I have not tried this yet but am requesting feedback as to what you might think. shingles could be cut easily to any width you desire.

[Javern]

never thought of using a shingle, dont have one in front of me and can't recall how large the grit is on a shingle, also how toget a shingle to conform to a grade as a modern rail roadbed is. Interesting

[Anonymous]

Roll roofing (not the thinner building or tar paper) would give you the same material in a roll form, without the grit.

I would look into the health risks in bringing petroleum-impregnated products into a heated living space. Seems there are lots of other benign products that might be used. I'd keep looking.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

ron k ; that's seems like a good idea , just not sure how prototypical it would look. Probably don't have too much to worry about as far as health /fire risks, it's more of a matter of cutting it properly, and the final look.

[CNJ831]

The idea of using cut up asphalt roofing shingles for roadbed dates from the 1940's and early 50's period in the hobby,...a time when modelers had few choices. It was most commonly seen in association with Lionel 0-guage layouts. The results were more or less acceptable in that era, looking better than track on bare plywood, but certainly not today, some 50+ years later. What you end up with following this route is track that looks like its been laid on cut up asphalt shingles ;-).

The time and effort put into making cut up roofing shingles look reasonably OK for use on an HO layout (they would still have to be covered with some sort of ballast product to partially bury the ties) offsets any savings you might anticipate. Do a proper job with cork (or a similar modern product) and packaged ballast. You'll be much happier with the end results.

CNJ831