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Materials for streets

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  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Saskatchewan
  • 2,201 posts
Posted by last mountain & eastern hogger on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 11:50 AM

Whistling

My asphalt highway is made from a strip of rolled roofing, cut to width and laid on it's face and using the back side of it for the asphalt. It is striped using very thin automitive pin stripping tape. Any cracks etc. can be made with a thin tipped permanet marker.

Works for me.            Thumbs UpThumbs Up

Johnboy out..........

from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North.. 

We have met the enemy,  and he is us............ (Pogo)

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 8:42 AM

I used foam board. 

 

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Georgetown, Maine
  • 573 posts
Posted by herrinchoker on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 12:50 AM

I have tried Imperial Black Furnace Cement, when it dries it resembles a sun faded asphalt road. I have applied it with a 1" putty knife, it spreads easily, and can be worked with a knife that has been wet with water. I have just started using this, so do not know if there are any elfs hiding in the bushes, so far--I am pleased with how it works.

Any hardware store that sells stove pipe should have this, or a similar product, in stock. Hope this helps.  herrinchoker

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Bakersfield, CA 93308
  • 6,526 posts
Posted by RR_Mel on Thursday, March 30, 2017 9:11 AM

Sorry for the slow response!  I’ve been working on my camera car project and things went astray.  Thanks for catching my fat finger problem Dave, I corrected it.
 
I use the Arizona Rock & Mineral Concrete Power #1260 for my concrete.  I don’t do much concrete on my layout, my layout is early 1950s country style living.  I have poured a few walkways, streetlight footings and the bases for my signals and signal cabinets.  Same process, 8:1 mix to a paste and do it to it.
 
I fell into the Arizona Rock & Mineral stuff by accident.  My local hobby shop stocked it and I just picked up a bag to try.  It turned out so easy to do and looks so much better than anything I had tried in the past that I've stuck with it ever since.  I really like the way the dirt roads turnout with the realistic looking ruts.
 
Edit:
 
If you noticed the asphalt between the tracks, that was not planned.  The realistic darkened asphalt was created from my CMX Track Cleaning car over many years.  That section of my highway is roughly 24 years old.  The patches are real, I’m a very sloppy model railroader and it does help sometimes to be a bit sloppy.
 
Didn’t mention it but once the asphalt has fully dried you can put different finishes on it using sandpaper.  I have a very old Craftsman three disk mini rotary sander that works great for finishing roads.
 
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Thursday, March 30, 2017 2:18 AM

Hi Mel:

Your roads look great!

RR_Mel
I use their Asphalt Power #1030

One tiny point. I think you meant to type the word 'powder' instead of 'power'. I was a bit confused (it doesn't take much to confuse me) until I checked their site.

https://store.rrscenery.com/

Regards,

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    January 2016
  • 70 posts
Posted by jlehnert on Thursday, March 30, 2017 12:26 AM

Looks good Mel. What do you use for concrete? 

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Bakersfield, CA 93308
  • 6,526 posts
Posted by RR_Mel on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 11:27 AM

I've used Arizona Rock & Mineral materials for about 25 years and it makes great roads.  I use their Asphalt Powder #1030 for my paved highways and urban roads, CSX Southern Pacific Wabash Ballast #138-2 for gravel roads and Tan Granite Power #123-0 for dirt/mountain roads.
 
 
 
 
I apply the material to the working surface then spray it with a white glue/water 8:1 mix until saturated to a paste then trowel (1” flat blade trowel) it to a smooth finish.  Before it totally dries I run a vehicle over my dirt roads forming ruts.
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: California
  • 2,388 posts
Posted by HO-Velo on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 11:20 AM

Hi Rick,  So many methods and materials, but so little time. I'm leaning towards styrene and or Sintra board for my city streets and sidewalks.  Both are available in large sheets which can help avoid seams. Sintra board is softer than styrene and has a bit of inherent texture.  But as you mention there is the drawback of material price and shipping.

Did a little test piece with Sintra board, added some texture by borrowing Ray Dunakin's method of randomly imprinting the surface with a stone.  Paint, weathering and striping done by following Lance Mindheim's website technique.

good luck with your street paving and regards,  Peter

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 10:23 AM

hbgatsf
...Joint compound would be easy to sand...

While it's easy to sand, it's also easy to scratch, and the patched pavement-look in the photo below actually has been patched, pretty-well after everytime someone places a camera on the road to take a photo...

Wayne

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 10:01 AM

hbgatsf
How hard is it to sand Durham's Water Putty if the surface doesn't come out the way you want? Joint compound would be easy to sand - why use Water Putty insead?

This is the one I use.  When I put down a road, I expect to spend the next hour or so smoothing it while still wet, using a foam brush and constantly dipping it in a cup of water to keep it clean.  I get a good but not perfect surface that way, which I think looks better than a sheet of plastic.  It can be sanded, too, but it is pretty tough once it's hard.  That's a good feature, as it will not chip easily.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    February 2017
  • From: Harrisburg, PA
  • 660 posts
Materials for streets
Posted by hbgatsf on Sunday, March 26, 2017 10:22 AM

I have read many posts and watched videos describing the different methods to make urban streets.  I was hoping to get a few answers to help me make a decision on which method to use.

Does EVA foam deteriorate over time?

Where do you buy PVC foamboard?  I found it on Amazon but shipping is high.  With this method how do you seal seams from one piece to another?

How hard is it to sand Durham's Water Putty if the surface doesn't come out the way you want?  Joint compound would be easy to sand - why use Water Putty insead?

Thanks for your help.

 

Rick

Rick

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