One thing that sticks out to me is the abrupt transition from the roadway surface to .the rest of the scenery. The road shoulders are missing. While a city street transitions at the curb, a country road will be bordered by a shoulder of gravel and grass/weeds. There alo may be a drainage ditch.
Jan
ToledoEd posted:Td, no problem. Actually, the only area I've completed so far using the ballast technique is the short road by the Coal Tower. I'm starting another short road and parking area tonight. I intend to video it and post it to my YouTube channel. I'll keep you posted.
Okay Ed, that sounds great...So looking forward to seeing what and how you put it all together.
In spite of all the roads I've constructed using different techniques, I'm not completely satisfied with the ones on my layout. These were the first roads I built and now years later gaining experience I want to replace the originals....
Anyone know when they started painting the center lines yellow and adding the stripe at the edge. When I was a kid they used to be white?
Scotie posted:Anyone know when they started painting the center lines yellow and adding the stripe at the edge. When I was a kid they used to be white?
You can find everything you want to know about such things and more here:
pete
A great resource. It looks like they settled on yellow center and white right edge with no options in 1971. Many of us are probably mis-marking our roads.
In my continuing efforts to keep things simple and inexpensive, I have used 220 grit sandpaper that I affixed with 3M Super 77 Spray 
Adhesive. The dustier it became, the more realistic it appeared.
I use used up sanding belts off my shop belt sander. Looks very realistic.
Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions, white separates traffic moving bin the same direction, so on one line roads yellow down the middle and white at the edges. Multiple lanes would be yellow down middle and white for each lane plus the edges. For those of us with enough space for divided highways yellow on the left, white for each lane and right edge.
Scotie posted:pete
A great resource. It looks like they settled on yellow center and white right edge with no options in 1971. Many of us are probably mis-marking our roads.
We sure are. Have seen 40's-50's color images with yellow stop signs rather than red ones.
Another error in modeling 40s/50s is our mail boxes. They were green, not blue until the 60s. STop signs were white and yellow also. Red came in late 50s.. The yellow lines were also reflective as they replaced the white that were not'...
BobbyD posted:Scotie posted:pete
A great resource. It looks like they settled on yellow center and white right edge with no options in 1971. Many of us are probably mis-marking our roads.
We sure are. Have seen 40's-50's color images with yellow stop signs rather than red ones.
Yellow with black letters. Recall well, this was the color of the only Stop sign I missed and ran in my life. I, we were very lucky a very busy road.
Ron
Quarter Gauger 48 posted:Another error in modeling 40s/50s is our mail boxes. They were green, not blue until the 60s. STop signs were white and yellow also. Red came in late 50s.. The yellow lines were also reflective as they replaced the white that were not'...
Black letters as I distinctly recall!
Ron
Ed, your foam roads look great...if you read my post above, I plan to go ahead with the foam product purchased at Hobby Lobby. What marker or paint did you use for the yellow center lines...full and straight
Are you applying ballast to all roads, or just a limited number?
Quarter Gauger 48 posted:Thanks Ed for posting the additional photos'.. I appreciate you taking the time to do so'... Actually ED, my bad, I should have been more clear. I am really more interested in seeing the black ballast streets, parking areas, driveways, or whatever you have created . To Me, the ballast looks the most like real black top... The results you've achieved, is the look I'm looking for. So I thought a few close ups would be instrumental in seeing exactly what I have obtain.... Sorry to be a pain in the...^&*()@#$%....
Td, I hope to have my YouTube video showing how I did this up this evening. Here are some photos of the finished road.
The road between the tracks is a strip of that Foamie, flexible foam covered with a thin layer of fine ballast, secured with scenic cement. Well, hope this helps if not let me know.
Capetrainman posted:Ed, your foam roads look great...if you read my post above, I plan to go ahead with the foam product purchased at Hobby Lobby. What marker or paint did you use for the yellow center lines...full and straight
Paul, Thanks. I used a striping tape you can buy on the Bay from “RedLion Train Depot”. They have a variety of products. Somewhat tricky to use. The seller has a video, on YouTube I believe that demonstrates how to apply it. Good luck, and keep those trains moving!
ToledoEd posted:Quarter Gauger 48 posted:Thanks Ed for posting the additional photos'.. I appreciate you taking the time to do so'... Actually ED, my bad, I should have been more clear. I am really more interested in seeing the black ballast streets, parking areas, driveways, or whatever you have created . To Me, the ballast looks the most like real black top... The results you've achieved, is the look I'm looking for. So I thought a few close ups would be instrumental in seeing exactly what I have obtain.... Sorry to be a pain in the...^&*()@#$%....
Td, I hope to have my YouTube video showing how I did this up this evening. Here are some photos of the finished road.
The road between the tracks is a strip of that Foamie, flexible foam covered with a thin layer of fine ballast, secured with scenic cement. Well, hope this helps if not let me know.
Wow Ed, the close ups look great'.. you've been busy'... I appreciate the time you have taken to shoot these. I look forward to the video as well. I love the look of these rodes Ed'.. very nice work'... 
Thanks! I finished the video, now YouTube is processing. Just like the Lunar Lander Eagle, the video should land NLT tomorrow. Maybe tonight.
Quarter Gauger 48 posted:ToledoEd posted:Quarter Gauger 48 posted:Thanks Ed for posting the additional photos'.. I appreciate you taking the time to do so'... Actually ED, my bad, I should have been more clear. I am really more interested in seeing the black ballast streets, parking areas, driveways, or whatever you have created . To Me, the ballast looks the most like real black top... The results you've achieved, is the look I'm looking for. So I thought a few close ups would be instrumental in seeing exactly what I have obtain.... Sorry to be a pain in the...^&*()@#$%....
Td, I hope to have my YouTube video showing how I did this up this evening. Here are some photos of the finished road.
The road between the tracks is a strip of that Foamie, flexible foam covered with a thin layer of fine ballast, secured with scenic cement. Well, hope this helps if not let me know.
Wow Ed, the close ups look great'.. you've been busy'... I appreciate the time you have taken to shoot these. I look forward to the video as well. I love the look of these rodes Ed'.. very nice work'...
Td, here's the link to the YouTube video. Feedback most welcome.
Wow Ed, that is a great instructional video'... Very well done and informative. Nice job. And the roads look perfect'... I can't wait to give it a shot using your technique'.... Thanks very much for the great video', and photos as well.......
Gred, thanks for the kind comments. Most appreciated. Good luck and if I can be of any further help leave a message here or go to my profile. My email address is there. Take care and stay frosty!
ToledoEd posted:Gred, thanks for the kind comments. Most appreciated. Good luck and if I can be of any further help leave a message here or go to my profile. My email address is there. Take care and stay frosty!
Ed, I watched the video again. The fine ballast top coat finished it off perfectly'.. Great job with the camera'. I wanted to ask you, what brand and model camera are you using, as it delivers excellent image and sound quality'...
Gred, it's a Panasonic HC-V 550. I've had for years. Also uses an App by Panasonic to control the camera via WiFi.
Capetrainman posted:Ed, your foam roads look great...if you read my post above, I plan to go ahead with the foam product purchased at Hobby Lobby. What marker or paint did you use for the yellow center lines...full and straight
Paul, i didn't answer your second question. I'm not sure. It will depend on results of the cinder ballast street I'm working on now. QUARTER GAUGER 48 and I have been exchanging ideas. What I've found is markers don't work and the decal/tape for striping I used from Red Lion Train Depot will not adhere to the ballast. I'm going to try using an acrylic clear coat or lacquer to the top of the ballast followed by Dulcote as QUARTER GAUGER 48 suggested. Hopefully it will then have a surface to which the striping will adhere. I'm also thinking of using office correction tape QUARTER GAUGER 48 suggested. Short answer, when I solve the striping challenge then I'll decide if I'll cover my current Foamie roads. I'll let you know. Thanks for your comment and interest.
Ed, and Paul, here is a pic of the white out correction tape via roller applied to cork roads... Works pretty good , by not looking perfect and a sort of worn look like real roads....
Thanks Gred. It does look very real. Those are very impressive realistic scenes. Once again, I see you are very innovative. The clear plastic base for your figures is exactly the solution I've been looking for...Two questions: Are the figures from Arista and did you glue them to the clear stand or use wax to secure them? Are they pre-painted or did you paint them? Would you mind posting a few more pics of your layout to include a few wide shots? Thanks.
I will offer a technique passed on to me from my friend, Pay Whitehead, AKA Trumptrain, an active OGR forum member and master scenery modeler. Pat uses roofing shingles for roads. Several photos Pat's layout, taken by Pat, himself, are below,
ToledoEd posted:Thanks Gred. It does look very real. Those are very impressive realistic scenes. Once again, I see you are very innovative. The clear plastic base for your figures is exactly the solution I've been looking for...Two questions: Are the figures from Arista and did you glue them to the clear stand or use wax to secure them? Are they pre-painted or did you paint them? Would you mind posting a few more pics of your layout to include a few wide shots? Thanks.
Hi Ed, thanks very much for the accolades'..... I have a mix of figures from all the many brands available. I particularly like Artista, and Prisher the best. But even those have to be re-touched. I have very fine tip markers and give all my figures a face job. I use a # 2 mechanical pencil for eyes. the markers for brows, lips, and hair duos. I also have many completely hand painted figures from China. I enjoy doing the figures and try and get them to look somewhat lifelike. Some are held down with wax. The ones I usually don't move around. The ones on plastic bases I move around and use for different scenes for modeling photos. If look at this thread. >
Re: TRAIN THEME THURSDAY : close up shots around the layout......
You will see much of my layout in close ups. It is a great thread, with many excellent photos from the many talented O Gaugers on this forum..... Also, here is another very good thread I think you will enjoy as well..... Take a look and let me know what you think'...
Re: Automobiles/ Trucks 1/43-1/50 scale let’s see them
Lots of little people on this one'.. I'm really big on the small details ''(oxymoron)'' even if the scene is not so terrific, if the details ar well done, it will look interesting'.... to the naked eye'... Our eyes will actually see and put things in order that the brain tells us should be in the scene...There is a word for it, but it escapes me at the moment...ALlhamers (lol) creeping in'..
Quarter Gauger 48 posted:ToledoEd posted:Thanks Gred. It does look very real. Those are very impressive realistic scenes. Once again, I see you are very innovative. The clear plastic base for your figures is exactly the solution I've been looking for...Two questions: Are the figures from Arista and did you glue them to the clear stand or use wax to secure them? Are they pre-painted or did you paint them? Would you mind posting a few more pics of your layout to include a few wide shots? Thanks.
Hi Ed, thanks very much for the accolades'...
Re: TRAIN THEME THURSDAY : close up shots around the layout......
You will see much of my layout in close ups. It is a great thread, with many excellent photos from the many talented O Gaugers on this forum..... Also, here is another very good thread I think you will enjoy as well..... Take a look and let me know what you think'...
Re: Automobiles/ Trucks 1/43-1/50 scale let’s see them
Lots of little people on this one'.. I'm really big on the small details
Gred, I think you are looking for the word “apophenia”. 😊. Thanks for the info and the great links. I’ll peruse them tomorrow. Your tip to use a clear coat over the cinders followed by dulcote worked very well. Thanks. Test patch is drying. The clearcoat gave enough surface for the striping tape to hold. I also used a paint marker for the side of the road and it looks pretty good also.
Ed, thanks for the info and response above. Looking forward to seeing more of your road project. Just about to start mine on the Main St. area of the city. I've got a few switches to wire and then on to the scenery. After being away from the hobby for a few years, it's almost like learning some of the particulars over again. The forum has been a great help to me...
ToledoEd posted:Quarter Gauger 48 posted:ToledoEd posted:Thanks Gred. It does look very real. Those are very impressive realistic scenes. Once again, I see you are very innovative. The clear plastic base for your figures is exactly the solution I've been looking for...Two questions: Are the figures from Arista and did you glue them to the clear stand or use wax to secure them? Are they pre-painted or did you paint them? Would you mind posting a few more pics of your layout to include a few wide shots? Thanks.
Hi Ed, thanks very much for the accolades'...
Re: TRAIN THEME THURSDAY : close up shots around the layout......
You will see much of my layout in close ups. It is a great thread, with many excellent photos from the many talented O Gaugers on this forum..... Also, here is another very good thread I think you will enjoy as well..... Take a look and let me know what you think'...
Re: Automobiles/ Trucks 1/43-1/50 scale let’s see them
Lots of little people on this one'.. I'm really big on the small details
Gred, I think you are looking for the word “apophenia”. 😊. Thanks for the info and the great links. I’ll peruse them tomorrow. Your tip to use a clear coat over the cinders followed by dulcote worked very well. Thanks. Test patch is drying. The clearcoat gave enough surface for the striping tape to hold. I also used a paint marker for the side of the road and it looks pretty good also.
Aha ha, there it is'........ The old conspiracy theory'...Apophenia definition is - the tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things (such as objects or ideas).
Better know as seeing things that are actually not there'...
I have used 1/8 inch Masonite for my roads. It is
1. Inexpensive, 2. can easily be cut, 3. You can stand on it without denting it, 4. It can be painted and
striped and 5. the 1/8th of an inch is a perfect 6 scale inch measurement for o gage streets
Moonson posted:Capetrainman, I have used (and am very fond of) 3M Stairway Tread, which comes
in rolls, with plenty of length on them. They come in different textures. These examples show you its use in situ as a variety of "pavements," as roadways and parking lots, etc. This photo...
...shows you an unfinished area where the 3M Tape has been put into place as a rural roadway, leading out from the tunnel portal. I'm including the photo to give you an idea of the thickness of the tape as roadway. It is atop a strip of Masonite used as a base for the tape.
These is, of course, paper backing on the tape, but once you have removed it and emplaced the tape, it is very unforgiving and will not be peeled off too readily - it's pretty much permanent. So, when I have used it, I do all the configuring and scissor-cutting before I remove the backing to press the tape into place.
FrankM
Came across this product at Home Depot over the weekend and was ready to post it... until I realize that it had been posted 2 months ago by Moonson. Mine was only 2-feet in length though.
That being said, my two photos here are an additional thumbs up on the 3M product. I'll just trim off the side with the yellow line.
I recently came across a video where the modeler demonstrated making roads using the 3/16" foam board product (mentioned above by a few posters) and gluing a 60 grit sandpaper to the foam board. His next step was to spray either a gray or black paint over the sandpaper. The final step was brushing a whitewash of sorts over the paint to create a weathered look.
Anyone ever try this approach to making roads for the layout?
After some delay in getting the project moving, I've finally begun to start the scenery beginning with "Main Street." For the road base, I decided to use Darice "Foamies" with a thickness of 6 mm. The 6 mm, rather than the 2 mm, brings the road up higher against the curbing of the Main Street buildings in the picture. I've experimented with using Rustoleum "Aged Iron" spray paint as a surface paint over the foam. This application gave a realistic road surface...a little raised and rough. Once the road construction moves out of the Main Street area, away from the MTH buildings with high curbs, I'll use the 2 mm Darice Foamie product. I'm gluing it down with the least expensive Liquid Nails product, without issue.
I'm testing a second road covering suggested in a video found on line, where the hobbyist used a product from Wal-Mart labeled "Apple Barrel" Matte Acrylic Paint in the color "Pavement." According to the hobbyist, after applying with a brush, the next step is to run a fine sandpaper over the "Pavement" color to rough up the surface. After the first coat and before sanding, the road resembles a newly paved road before the wear...flat black color and smooth surface.
The Apple Barrel paint goes on smoothly and dries quickly. I purchased the striping product from Red Lion on E Bay. The striping appears to be adhering better to the Foamie painted with Apple Barrel Pavement, rather than the rougher Rustoleum spray. I'll follow-up more later.
Many thanks to HMORGAN posting above for guiding me toward the correct Darice product and all the other contributors on this thread noting many different approaches and methods for road and highway building
...all looking great.
I've been using gray, anti-skid tape (6" X 10' rolls) for my current project.
Painted,scribed foam core:
Just paint.
David Minarik posted:Just paint.
Dave, I really like your color combination... Do you have any additional pics of your roads? We'd like to see more'.... of your work'''...
wbg pete posted:Painted,scribed foam core:
Great looking structures and roads Pete'... Are they scratched'... They are quite unique looking'... 😀
Quarter Gauger 48 posted:David Minarik posted:Just paint.
Thank you. Here is a different module.
The first photo is just the base with roads, sidewalks and foundations.
The second photo has the buildings sitting on the foundations. You can see that the street is not flat. There is about 1.5" rise from one end to another.
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