Found this photo on this site. I would like to 'pave over" the track in my large lumber distribution center. Any ideas on how this is done without using a bunch of say cornerstone kits? I really like the look below.
thanks for any input.
Sheet styrene. (go to a plastics distributor and for $20 or less buy a 4'x6' or so piece of .040 or .060 sheet styrene)
Poster/mat board. (go to a hobby/craft store and buy some rigid mat board)
Plaster. (use balsa wood to make forms and flangeways, then pour a soupy mix of plaster in the forms and use a straight edge to screed off the surface)
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Another option is Proto 87 girder rail.
This is their "Electric Avenue" product. http://www.proto87.com/page7.html
The rail sections are short, about 4 inches, and this is essentially hand-laying. You have to worry about gauge and avoiding kinks with smooth installation. They have a good variety of brick and cobble pavement. In the picture, I used cobbles. The gray sheet to the right is painted while the tan ones are out of the box.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I use thin model aircraft plywood, 1/32" usually. It's easy to cut to follow a curve. The texture is rougher than would be strictly scale appropriate, but like ballast sometimes a little larger than life actually makes a better impression on the eye on the layout unless you very close.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
A sidebar article, and I do not recall if it was MR or Great Model Railroads or Model Railroad Planning, showed how a guy used shirt cardboard for his streets -- the cardboard from cereal boxes would seem to be just as useful. It would be a good idea to seal it with shellac (true shellac) which has no water in it, or paint it gray with solvent based paints rather than water based paints, to prevent moisture issues--I usually do my rattle can painting outside .
Cardboard would seem to be an inexpensive source of uniform-height material that could be cut into regular sized pieces to model the expansion joints in concrete, or in larger pieces for asphalt.
Dave Nelson
The plywood I use is OK to get briefly damp, but you don't want to let it stay wet even if painted. Cardboard may work for some, but it'd be too iffy to use around my "wet" scenery methods. One would have to remember that issue, although the cost and availability are certainly right for cardboard. These sort of factors are important to consider in choosing the right materiel for a particular application, though.
I've used Durabond for dirt crossings and such and suppose it would do well for paved areas too using a straight edge. It takes paint well for coloring/weathering, and can be carved for sections or to put in "cracks". I've used an old freight truck with pizza cutter flange wheels rolled back and forth when it sets some to clear the flangeways, then clean the rails.
Singletrack100,
I've used your way,,many times,without any problem's,,,,fast and easy...
Cheers,
Frank
One club I belonged to had a concrete-surfaced street with track in it. The concrete was real - Portland cement. The track was flex, and the turnouts were hand-laid single-point type. Girder rail flangeways were faked with strip styrene.
I will admit that nothing looks more realistic than the genuine article.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Chuck,
Your post brings back a memory of what I once did,,,,I used that Mastic Glue,that one would use,to glue,the bricks to a Fake brick wall to represent the Mortar..I wanted to change the track arrangement and forget about it,,,could have used a real life Jack-Hammer,to remove it...
tomikawaTTOne club I belonged to had a concrete-surfaced street with track in it. The concrete was real - Portland cement. The track was flex, and the turnouts were hand-laid single-point type. Girder rail flangeways were faked with strip styrene.I will admit that nothing looks more realistic than the genuine article.
Portland cement,is a name brand,,it also come's in different sand grades..
Jersey Southern RR Any ideas on how this is done without using a bunch of say cornerstone kits?
Any ideas on how this is done without using a bunch of say cornerstone kits?
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
chutton01Isn't real portland cement too grainy and rough for scale usage (e.g. HO scale)? I recall several recent articles recommending, IIRC, Anchor Cement (nominally for securing bolts and other hardware into concrete structures) as it is a finer mix, less coarse (but still cement texture).
I recently made a headstone for one of the household cats who departed to the happy hunting ground this summer (RIP, Kuro ). I used countertop cement. It's used to make, yep, countertops, if you haven't kept up with how the rich and famous build their homes now. It's very fine-grained and has a very slick surface when set.
Made one heck of a fine marker that I embedded decorative tiles in. The way it was so effective in binding to things when set, it makes me think it would work really well for the thin sections we typically use on our layouts. That's good, because it'd sure be hard to use tiny scale rebar, although a partially poured foundation or roadway could make a neat model in itself.
mlehmanThat's good, because it'd sure be hard to use tiny scale rebar, although a partially poured foundation or roadway could make a neat model in itself.
chutton01 Isn't real portland cement too grainy and rough for scale usage (e.g. HO scale)? I recall several recent articles recommending, IIRC, Anchor Cement (nominally for securing bolts and other hardware into concrete structures) as it is a finer mix, less coarse (but still cement texture).
Isn't real portland cement too grainy and rough for scale usage (e.g. HO scale)? I recall several recent articles recommending, IIRC, Anchor Cement (nominally for securing bolts and other hardware into concrete structures) as it is a finer mix, less coarse (but still cement texture).
Technically, Portland Cement (PC) is a powder, and is used as the binder in concrete. The concrete that is made using PC is often referred to as "Portland Cement Concrete" (PCC) as opposed to "Asphalt Concrete" (AC) which is what prototypically-sized roads are paved with (of course, PCC is also used for paving). The main ingredients in PCC are typically Portland Cement, water, sand, and gravel. Various grades of sand and/or gravel are mixed in (or not) depending on the specific application. Other ingredients called admixtures are usually added to modify the working properties of the wet concrete mix, or the finished properties of the cured mix.
You could use straight PC and water as a slurry mix in thin layers for making paved areas on your Model Railroad. If it's too thick, it might crack as it dries.
I could be wrong, but I think unsanded tile grout is basically plain PC with some coloring and other admixtures. Anchor cement is probably basically the same, but without the special coloring and probably contains some kind of epoxy in the mix.
Dan Stokes
My other car is a tunnel motor
chutton01mlehmanThat's good, because it'd sure be hard to use tiny scale rebar, although a partially poured foundation or roadway could make a neat model in itself.Hmm, thin layer of cement, a section of rust-color painted window screeniing sticking out on top of that, cover it all with the top layer of cement - I could see that. You better fire that idea off to MR Workshop tips now...
Probably not. I hate pouring cement, even scale cement.
That poor dead cat, he really got to me, though...
Mike,
As a Lover of Animals,,,I can attest to Your feelings,about the Cat....I would rather have an Animal,for a friend,than most Human's out there...
I've used plaster tinted with cheap craft paint with good results. The thing I don't like about sheet materials, is you can often see the ties in the gap for the flanges. I pour plaster over the track, ties everything, then start pushing it around. It's not as bad as it sounds, even when the plaster starts to set up, it can be shaved down and flange ways can be cleared...it takes overnight to a couple days to set up hard (add a little vinegar to lengthen setting up time). Keep the surface below the rail head (both inside and outside the rails) to facilitate track cleaning. After it's set up, it can still be manipulated by sanding or scraping...it never gets hard as a rock, but is plenty tough enough to rest tools or other activities that shouldn't be done on it (bad habits die hard.lol). If it does get scratched, it's easy to disguise as a crack or expansion joint...real concrete or asphalt is rarely perfect for long, especially with heavy trucks or trains shaking the ground). If you're not sure, try it with a piece of track off the layout first, an old piece of brass sectional track will work fine for this purpose. One place on my plaster parking lot, I pressed down intentionally cracking the thin plaster a bit to make realistic cracks. An internet search will yield days (maybe weeks) of reading of what others have tried...literally dozens of different methods/materials.
http://delray1967.shutterfly.com/pictures/5
SEMI Free-Mo@groups.io
Here's how I'm doing one of my industries:
The track, code 83, ramps down from the cork roadbed to sit directly on the foam. The 'n' scale cork fills the area in between the tracks and butts up to the ends of the ties. Putting .030 styrene on top of the cork puts the top of the styrene just below the top of the rails.
Doug from Michigan Here's how I'm doing one of my industries: The track, code 83, ramps down from the cork roadbed to sit directly on the foam. The 'n' scale cork fills the area in between the tracks and butts up to the ends of the ties. Putting .030 styrene on top of the cork puts the top of the styrene just below the top of the rails.
Nice work! This is what I was thinking of doing for my intermodal yard. What are you using for adhesive/glue to attach the sheet plastic to the cork?
Well done!
Happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
EMD.Don Nice work! This is what I was thinking of doing for my intermodal yard. What are you using for adhesive/glue to attach the sheet plastic to the cork? Well done! Happy modeling! Don.
Not quite sure yet. I was thinking that a thin layer of adhesive caulk, or a few drops of CA in the appropriate places should do the trick. The thing I liked about doing it like this too, is that with the building sitting on the cork, the styrene hides the bottom edge of the building and kind of locks it in place.
This part of the job has easy so far (i.e. straight track). The tricky part is going to be filling in that wye on the right.
I used Contact cement,the original solvent one,put on with a paint brush,both surfaces,let dry,press on,,,you will have to coat the cork,twice though,the cork will suck up the first one..I put mine on a Homasote surface though..I used the Walthers,Brick sheets..And the Walthers,concrete crossing kits for the Turnouts..
Would love to show pics,probably this winter,have yet to get a new camera,that I like..
I use wallboard plaster. When it's dry I sand it until it's just below railtop level and then paint it to simulate asphalt. My paint is a mixture of the grimy black and concrete model railroad paints. I then rub the painted surface with some real dirt to weather it. Before doing all of this, I glue in thin styrene strips to simulate metal flangeway guards seen in street trackage.
EMD.DonWhat are you using for adhesive/glue to attach the sheet plastic to the cork?
My adhesive-of-choice is Aileen's Tacky Glue, available from craft store for a few dollars. It spreads easily, has a reasonable working time, dries firmly and doesn't attack the surfaces. It will stay in place, but if you need to you can still separate things without damage. I find it works very well on paper surfaces, like thin white foamboard, and even the card stock I use to line the walls of structures with printed interiors.
And, it's great for attaching figures. If you have to move them, you don't have to leave their feet behind.
I have used several methods for rails in the street. My favorite is styrene with either Orr rail or the new stuff from proto 87 stores.
I am not fond of the cast/pour methods using plaster etc. because I have found them to be very fussy about depth and they take lots of sanding to get the levels right with a smooth surface.
The styrene should be one continuous piece to avoid having to disguise joints. I buy in big sheets and cut it up.
Here are some shots of rails in the street under construction on the Willoughby line.
orr rail soldered to copper ties
Styrene showing shims etc
styrene in place
Good luck with the project,
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
Well done Guy ! A question that is open to anyone, where does one find large sheets of styrene/plastic and does it come in different thickness? My LHS carries Evergreen, but not in any sizes larger then about the size of a standard sheet of printer paper. Thanks in advance.
Don,
Look up "plastics supply" in the Yellow Pages. They have stuff in 4x8 sheets. If you ever needed plastic in quantity, that's the way to go price-wise, too.
mlehman Don, Look up "plastics supply" in the Yellow Pages. They have stuff in 4x8 sheets. If you ever needed plastic in quantity, that's the way to go price-wise, too.
Thank you...much appreciated !
If you don't want flangeways you can print a concrete texture onto paper and use that between the rails. If you trim it to the right width you don't need any glue or shims. Pressing against the web of the rail is enough to keep it in place.
This probably looks better in N scale, where the fact that it's just a printed image won't be so noticeable. You could try it in HO and see how it looks. The pic below is N.
You could also try Depron foam. It has a texture to it that would look good for concrete. The downside to Depron is that it dents easily and over time it would probably show some wear and tear.
Steve S