Stripe Self
Roads are usually an integral part of the scenery and landscape on any model railway layout. Often the roads are not modeled as well as the other scenery on the layout, and when this occurs the entire effect suffers. Yet when you know how to go about it, modeling roads is easy, fun and reasonably inexpensive to do. In fact, you probably already have many of the materials to model a realistic road or freeway in your workshop.
There are several different methods, but here is one I like. The main ingredient to use is joint compound or it's sometimes called drywall mud. You need to get the 'lightweight' version of this product, because it works better. The reason I say this, is because, it has less shrinkage which results in fewer "mud" cracks when it dries.
However lightweight joint compound can sometimes be hard to find at the hardware store, so you can use regular joint compound as an alternative if need be. Because it takes longer to dry, joint compound is generally a better material to work with than plaster. The slower drying joint compound gives you more opportunity to shape, form and smooth out the road before it sets hard.
You'll also need some white bead-board Styrofoam (also called polyfoam) for the base surface of the road. Styrofoam is inexpensive and the product is easy to carve out features like culverts and ditches at the side of roadways. You'll find that by using this material, it will be easy to make natural dips and rises just like on a real roadway.
Another suggestion is to think carefully about what is the best width for your roads before marking them out or laying the road surface. When you've made your decision, the first thing to do is to start masking the area. Remember that not all roads are the same configuration.
Rural roads are not usually as wide as the roads in the central city. It is a good idea to position some scale vehicles alongside the roads you are building. This will help you determine the correct width before getting started. A two-lane road in HO scale would normally be 3 to 3.5 inches wide as a bit of a guide.
A quick tip is to let the roadways/pavements dry before applying grass as the grass may stick to the road.
If you look at the surface of a street or freeway in real life you'll notice that it will have imperfections. Road colors do vary depending on what they are made of and this can affect the appearance in real life. Other factors affecting the appearance include how much they are used and the weather conditions they get exposed to.
Asphalt roads tend to lighten in color as they age. Concrete roads tend to turn a bit darker with age. Keep it simple; from my experience, duplicating an asphalt surface is usually the easiest option. Colors tend to dry a different shade so it pays to test a small area first.
You'll then be ready to add the center-line to your roadway and any painted parking bays. Scale Scenics make several different styles of self-adhesive road stripes, or check with your local hobby store as they might have something different. The stripes generally come with a self-adhesive backing, however a light coating of spray adhesive helps them stick to the road a little better. Take care not to peel the paint if you have to reposition the stripes. Laying the stripes in 2 foot lengths will usually be easiest method of application.
To add more realism you can "weather" the road to make it look like there's been some traffic on it. Use an airbrush filled with Floquil grimy black diluted with paint thinner (1 part paint to 4 parts paint thinner.) You can also utilize the same paint to create a darker stripe down the middle of the road.
If you want to get really professional, then you can use an airbrush to achieve subtle tonal effects. Remember, it's easier to add more paint than to take it away if you've overdone it. So, go lightly on the weathering process and have fun creating an amazingly realistic road that will enhance your layout wonderfully well.
As I said this is just one method - there are several others.
Robert Anderson has an online Model Train Club for the Model Railroader. Robert is also author of the best-selling Model Train Help ebook.
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