Need input on '50s highway yellow center lines...........

[CentralGulf]

Yes, the various US states had their own rules. Other countries may have been as diverse back then, or they may have been uniform. You will need to local research.

I spent the 50's in three different countries, ending the decade in the US, California to be specific. I don't remember the Golden State as having any yellow lines, only white, but maybe I am just misremembering.

I do remember the frequent highway signs exhorting us to Keep California Green and Golden, to which we jokingly added Bring Money and Blondes.

CG

 

 

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

This has been discussed before, a search might find some other threads, but as a 50's modeler, I have researched this.

In the 50's there were less uniform standards for this, and most roadway centerlines were white, not yellow, in that time period. It varied from State to State.

Here in Maryland, even when I was a child in th 60's, most all highway lines were white.

Sheldon

[SouthPenn]

Here in rural Pa, our 'country roads' are blacktop with no lines. Some do have double yellow lines down the middle. I would presume that the line style has not changed in 75-80 years. There is even a sizable population that still uses horse and buggys here.  

[Phoebe Vet]

Yellow lines mean that traffic on the other side of the line is opposite direction.  Yellow should always be to your left.  If you have yellow lines to your right you are someplace you shouldn't be.

[DS4-4-1000]

You need to check on what colors were used in the area you model.  I lived in Pennsylvania in the 50s and the center lines, when there was any, were white.

[zstripe]

I don't remember ever seeing dashed yellow concrete highway lines on country two lane roadways. White dashed lines and solid yellow in Your lane for no passing zones. That is in Illinois in the 40'/50's era! Some black-top roads in the country, secondary roads, had no lines at all and no shoulder.

Take Care! 

Frank

[mobilman44]

Hi,

I'm laying a 7 ft long highway on my 1950s era HO layout located mostly in the rural countryside.  The highway is two lane "cement", and intended to be old and somewhat worn.

My intent is to have a "dashed" yellow line for the length of the highway separating the two lanes.  My question is, how long should the "dashes" be, and how far apart, and how wide? 

Picked up a yellow Sharpie paint pen yesterday, and that should work pretty well to stripe it...............

Thanks!

Mobilman44