Sidewalks and details

Chris,

I would consider making sidewalks out of 1/8-inch thick styrene sheets. You can make them to any width and length you want to since you can buy sheets as big as 12" x 24". You would have to cut the sidewalks off of the existing buildings. Each one would have to be looked at to determine how to cut them. Since most of the buildings are plastic, an Exacto knife should work well. I actually use a "box cutter". I got used to them from my days working at a supermarket.

The styrene sheets can be sanded, chalked, scribed and painted to produce a nice sidewalk.

 

Alan Graziano

Ameritown buildings available from OGR have sidewalk parts available.

 

Department 56 made a beautiful cobblestone sidewalk. I used it extensively in my winter scene city, but since it does not have factory applied snow, it can be used in any season. Please click on the photo to get a closer look.

 

 

Brian; I love that shot.

Chris!

I sent you an email, but the serves say that it is incorrect.

Andre.

Chris,

 

I agree with you on the side walks all being different, and need some attention.

 

There are a number of solutions, however I invite you to check out the Korber Sidewalks, many modelers have found ours to be easy to use, and very realistic.

 

Here is a link

 

http://shop.korbermodels.com/K...ale-sidewalks-67.htm

 

Here is a link to a post with pictures of the sidewalks in use

 

https://ogrforum.com/t...12#10722205498151512

 

 

 

Thanks for the excellent ideas, guys! I think I will see how difficult it will be to cut just the sidewalks off the MTH buildings and leave the base intact. Plug any gap and maybe add a step up.

 

Andre, Thanks for the heads up on the email address. We changed ISPs, and I thought I had fixed this one too. Obviously not. I have it corrected.

 

While we are on the subject of buildings, I'm planning to add a bunch of the Miller
Engineering signs to the roofs. I have the supports glued to the backs of the signs, and have some of them glued to portable bases for stability. What do you do for the electrical cable? Cut a slot in the roof and thread it through?

 

Chris

LVHR

Thanks, Spence.

 

I use 3/16 inch thick basswood.  Its relatively cheap, easy to work.  I shape it to fit, then coat it with a thin layer of the pink-dries-white spackling paste to fill the grain and sand, prime, and paint, then scribe seams and such.  

 

I'm a fan of Dennis Brennan's suggestion in his Kalmbach book Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains - A Hi-Rail Guide.  The photo-figure 5-11 on page 45 of the book sez it all...start with common wooden yardstick, prime, paint, scribe, cut to length, install.  Talk about inexpensive, common base material, easy-to-do!.....

 

B'sides, I have a fistful of these sticks from political candidates...some successful, some who should've kept their day job of making yardsticks!!  Dennis's use for the sticks will be more fruitful than theirs!!!

 

FWIW, always.

 

KD

 

I would like to be able to find brick sidewalks that are laid out in a herringbone pattern as that was what was used in the towns that I sample from for modeling my version of the CVRR, and continues to be maintained.

 

Anybody got any realistic thoughts or suggestions for this type of sidewalk?

C'mon Martin, you have my email!

Well....Plastruct has a sheet called "Interlocking Paving" that looks herringbone-ish to moi.  Their item PS-141 (p/n 91671). 

 

Plastruct Link

 

FWIW, always....

 

KD

Pattern is good, but those appear to be pavers that are a good bit larger than old fashioned red bricks.  Closest so far....

Okie-dokie. 

Then how about PS-140??  It's the HO version of the same pattern??  Too small?

 

BTW, PSP-95 is a paper version of the same pattern.  It is, unfortunately by your assessment, in O scale, 1:48, and apparently without equivalence in HO.

 

OTOH, you could get the PSP-95 and get a color copy+reduction to the size you want. 

 

Hey, just trying to help.  Sometimes I'm like the dog who chases the car and finds the teeth embedded in the rolling tyre!

 

Ciao.

 

KD

I use 1/8" Masonite, scored with a Zona saw, and painted with a few coats of acrylic craft paint.

jackson

 

 

I think I'm going to see what Andre can create with his laser and some MDF,

 

Chris,

 

   You can do both.  

 

You can build a road with Masonite and raise it up (shim it), then butt the MTH building sidewalk up against it.  Shim it so the MTH building sidewalk is 1/8" above the road.  1/8" is equivalent to 6" scale which is the height of a sidewalk.

 

You can also remove the sidewalk base from the MTH building and place it on a scratch built sidewalk, again made from Masonite.  You will have to shave off the small pins at the bottom of the building so it lays flat.  If you do you will still be able to put the sidewalk back if you want to sell it later. 

 

I prefer the second method.

 

My videos, in particular, part III shows how to build the sidewalks.  Check out the previews here:  DVDs

 

I'm also running a special visible only to OGR members through this link here-> Special

 

Here are some photos of the custom sidewalks, some of these are screen shots from the videos.  The video shows how everything is built in detail.

 

 

 

 

Rich

www.toytrainsontracks.com

 

 

Lasers?  MDF?  Sounds like the opposite of Tums and Prilosec....a lot of 'burning' in order to get some 'relief'!! 

 

Would be fun just to watch the table step through the herringbone pattern.

 

Remember to vote today.

 

KD

We used both MTH buildings and Woodland Scenics. Since the mtH buildings have an actual 1/2" base we used 1/2" mdf and made bases for the Woodland Scenics sso they would be the same.

Next we are streets out of 1/4" mdf. This make the curbs 1/4" high - 1 ft in scale - not perfect but close enough.

1/8" artist MDF board.   Cheap,  easy to rip into strips any width, takes paints well and easy to scribe. I get mine from Dick Blick supply.

I like the thought of a herring bone pattern! Brick roads and sidewalks, much more common a hundred years ago, are something some people might not even think about today. Modeling small country boardwalks might be more common.

 Being open to PW style, I settled on rubberized rolls of brick for holiday displays bought at the one of the "one buck outlet". Similar to old dry rotted stuff I have & have seen packaged at shows as A.Flyer supplies. Some new bought rolls came with "fuzzy" bottoms (and I think have somewhat larger bricks that the AF rolls). Bought um out anyhow, 8 rolls. The fuzzies sit higher than the plain ones, so fuzzies are to be cut for all sidewalks. I'll likely just use wood or plastic doll house trim strips for curbs. Scored for mortar gaps maybe? The chunks of old dry rotted AF rubber brick were still got used too. Made a distressed walkway at one home, and the smallest "crumbs" went down the center & in the wheel paths of the bay entrance to an old shop.    

Rich and all,

I decided to go with what amounts to Rich's Plan B: Remove the sidewalks and use 1/8' Masonite. I found a 2x4 sheet quickly at my local big box store. Two of my MTH buildings gave no trouble. I quickly unsoldered the wires from the lugs and tied each pair back together before they got mixed up. I also added pig tails to them. The 2 PC boards were relocated to unused studs inside the ceiling of the first floors.

 

The building which is giving the most trouble is a drugstore corner, like the one you have. (See below.) For this one, the pins extend into the base. Additionally, there is a small lip beneath all the sides except the door. I think I will mark for holes in the Masonite and table to match the studs, and recess them into the Masonite rather than cut them off. I'll cut the lips off and glue a small block to the Masonite as well. That should prevent a light leak at the bottom. Lastly, the floor of the store is visible through the windows. I'm making a black and white checker board in Excel, which I will cut and glue to the board. I decided to remove the small frosted windows and frames, since they interfere with a tight fit with the adjacent building. I'll put a light block in the openings just in case. 

 

Did you repaint the corner store? It looks very nice.

 

Chris

LVHR

 

PS I liked the idea of leaving the sidewalks attached and then raising the street to an appropriate level. The problem in my case is I have a dog bone of EZ Streets which is already recessed into the street. I'm not really up for filling it all back in!

Lee

 

then coat it with a thin layer of the pink-dries-white spackling paste to fill the grain and sand, prime, and paint, then scribe seams and such.

I like the curbs that you formed partway into the street as gutters. I will steal this method from you and add some curb sewer drains.

 

"theft is the greatest complement to the prior owner"

 

Lionel Grandpa,

 

This shot shows just how much real estate can be taken up by even a small town scene. Nice job planning for parking as well as traffic. What are the dimensions? I'm guessing about 4x6ft.

 

Chris

LVHR

 

Thank you for the complement.  When scribing the lines, I have learned to use a sharp knife point (I use X-acto #11) upside down (non blade side of tip), or the point of a sharp nailp.  It cuts into the wood and makes a good line.  If use use the sharp side of a balde it tends to want to dig into the soft wood and then go off on the line it wants to take, not follow your guidance.  I'd suggest practicing.  Off course, if you mess up, a little spackling, time, and paint, and fix it for a second attempt.

 

Good luck with it.

 

Chris,

 

   No I did not repaint, only slightly weathered it.  I chose that one in particular because of the deep red brick color.  This is the building I used: http://www.mthtrains.com/content/30-90061.

 

B.T.W. good idea about putting holes in the Masonite and leaving the pins.  It will help keep the building from sliding around.

 

Rich

Indeed.