General Discussion (Model Railroader)

I'm trying to create a gravel road (in a southwestern setting) and I can't seem to get it right.  I'm using sand sifted through a tea strainer to ge the approximate size but it just doesn't look right.  I've tried different colors and highlighting the well traveled parts of the road but it still doesn't look right.

Here's what I'm trying to do.

Any information, guidance, suggestions, or criticism will be greatly appreciated.

Tom 

You can try mixing some real dirt (ground to the consistancy of dust) with plaster. Mask off the grade crossings. Spray the road with water mist until its damp. Sift on the plaster/dirt mix. Once it's dried then use an eraser (or finger tip) to rub the dirt/plaster where the wheels would be running over it.

Experiment someplace other than on the layout where you can do it over.

Another possibility would be to get some granite powder from Arizona Rock and Mineral and sprinkle that over 50/50 diluted white glue painted on the road. Rub with finger, etc.

Regards,

Charlie Comstock 

loathar wrote:

Try this. Find a gravel parking lot. Scrape some of the big stones away till you get the crushed up finer stuff underneath. Scoop up a coffee can full of that and try running it through a sifter to get the size you want. It's real gravel. Just smaller. I've done some parking lots that way.

Loather, that would be called "Crush and Run" around here. As for a fine gravel if you have a quarry near by stop in and ask for a little "Wash Screening", but be forewarned they may laugh a little if you tell them the amount and the planed usage. As they deal in tonnage.

BTW: "Crush and Run" sells for about $10.00 a ton but you have to be able to move it. Thats what costs so much.

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

Charlie, your road looks fantastic but not for the southwest.  Back in 2003 my wife and I took a trip through New Mexico, taking over 600 pictures.  Oc course, I only found one pic of a gravel road.

NDBPRR, your idea about delineating the road with vegetation is good but as you can see, there is little if any color variation between the road and the surrounding terrain.  Although it doesn't show in the picture, the road itself is built up to the top of the rail.  The coarser rock along the edges was an attempt to separate the road surface from the surrounding area.  Here's a picture showing this from a different angle.

Again, good suggestions everyone.  I will keep wroking on this.

Tom 

 Charlie, that's a good lookin' pile of junk and barrells in the background.  Are they styrene or cast metal or what?

Jarrell 

BCSJ wrote:

You can try mixing some real dirt (ground to the consistancy of dust) with plaster. Mask off the grade crossings. Spray the road with water mist until its damp. Sift on the plaster/dirt mix. Once it's dried then use an eraser (or finger tip) to rub the dirt/plaster where the wheels would be running over it. Experiment someplace other than on the layout where you can do it over. Another possibility would be to get some granite powder from Arizona Rock and Mineral and sprinkle that over 50/50 diluted white glue painted on the road. Rub with finger, etc. Regards, Charlie Comstock

I dunno Tom, that last shot looks pretty darned good.  Seems all you would need is some bushes etc off to the side.

JaRRell 

fiatfan wrote:

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Charlie, your road looks fantastic but not for the southwest.  Back in 2003 my wife and I took a trip through New Mexico, taking over 600 pictures.  Oc course, I only found one pic of a gravel road. NDBPRR, your idea about delineating the road with vegetation is good but as you can see, there is little if any color variation between the road and the surrounding terrain.  Although it doesn't show in the picture, the road itself is built up to the top of the rail.  The coarser rock along the edges was an attempt to separate the road surface from the surrounding area.  Here's a picture showing this from a different angle. Again, good suggestions everyone.  I will keep wroking on this.   Tom

I'd guess that a gravel road would have perhaps 3/4 minus gravel on it? In HO scale that works out to pieces of gravel about .009" and smaller. How big is the gravel you were using on your road? WS fine ballast is just too big.

You last picture did show signs of starting to look fairly decent, but the road wasn't really up front and personal so its hard to tell.

Would there really have been fully timbered grade crossings there? Or just a pair of timbers next to each rail?

How wll are those roads maintained? Unless they had a grader out there all the time I'd expect they might get a bit wavy and lumpy. I found that using dry wall spackle for the final contour surface of the roads worked pretty well. After it dried I'd rub on it with a wet sponge until the rough edges smoothed out.

Perhaps the idea of Arizona rock and miniral granite dust wasn't such a bad one?

And perhaps it will all start to look better on the layout when you have scenery next to the roads in place? 

Keep posting to show us what you discover!

Regards,

Charlie Comstock 

jacon12 wrote:

Charlie, that's a good lookin' pile of junk and barrells in the background.  Are they styrene or cast metal or what? Jarrell

The 'junk' was a combination of WS cast metal details, chooch cast resin stuff, grandt line 50 gal drums, preiser (I think) pallets, and other odds and ends I had left over from building other stuff. Oh and some distressed discarded ties.

Regards,

Charlie Comstock 

Been trying a few things.  Please advise on my rogress.

Tom 

I went with a little darker color and while the surface was still damp, I dragged a small wire brush across the surface very lightly.  Then as it dried some more, I used my fingertip to soften the grooves created by the wire brush. 

Tom