HO Scale Plaster Roads

[TruckLover]

Hi everybody, I just went to Home Depot to get some Grey Primer for a wheathering job that UP SD40-2 gave a tutorial on. Right next to the spray paint was stucco patch and spackeling paste. Well I bout a good sized tub of the stuff for $3.49. What I am wondering is that ok to use for roads??

Also, how would I go about laying the stuff?? What would I use for making a straight line. The woodland scenics roads have that paving tape to keep the stuff from going everywhere and make a nice road but what would I use for this stuff since I don't have paving tape??

Has anyone used this stuff before??

 

[TrainNut]

Don't know if it is exactly the same as your spackeling paste or not but I use sheetrock all purpose joint compound for my roads and masking tape for the edges (sometimes) with great satisfaction. It dries relatively quickly (overnight), takes color well and is easily applicable. As far as that goes, I use that joint compound for perty near everything.

 

[LongIslandTom]

Yep, I love using joint compound to make HO-scale roads.

The stuff is very easy to work with-- You can smooth it out using a wet sponge. Much better scale road material than plaster, IMHO. Joint compound also has a fine grainy texture that looks like perfect scaled-down asphalt especially when painted right.

One of those tubs should last you a lifetime of making HO roads.

 

[TruckLover]

Cool thanks guys, I feel better now noing that you guys have done them and they look great.

 

[TrainNut]

Tape out where you want your roads to go, lay down a nice thick layer of compound, pull up the tape and let dry. Then, come back with sandpaper and sand the roads down to where they meet your satisfaction. Vacuum. If needed, apply more compound to fill any unseen holes or low spots, let dry again. Sand, vacuum. Now paint them. For asphalt, I use a 60/40 mix of black and white with a drop or two liquid to make it easier to work with. Make sure to paint all your roads at once or have your formula set in concrete as it is nearly impossible to come back and match up more later (unless you find a premixed color right out of the bottle). For striping, I use vehicle pinstriping tape. I've seen others cut out templates and airbrush them on.
Notes: I like to tape out the fooprint of my buildings, then tape out the roads and add sidewalks FIRST. This helps drop the building down just a bit and while you wouldn't think you would notice an 8 inch curb, the slight change in elevation really does help. Then after the compound has dried, you can come back with an exacto blade and score 4x4 joints into the sidewalks and cracks into the roads if you like. Hope this helps.
Just my method.

 

[MasonJar]

You can use foam tape for the edging, but I don't know how you'd get it off... In my experience that stuff will stick to anything!

You could tack some cork roadbed in place with map tacks and then pull it off when the compound is almost dry.

Some of the best model roads I have seen (along with a nice explanation of how they were done) on Richard Wakefield's CPR Bruce Sub - Orangeville station.

Andrew

 

[TruckLover]

Thanks Andrew for the link.:thumb:

Hey trainnut, how do you do railroad crossings? I mean what do you use to do the road between the tracks and at grade crossings?

 

[TrainNut]

Again, I use masking tape so that I get nice clean edges at the edge of the crossing and just apply joint compound where the road will be right up to the rails, fill it in between the rails and after it dries, I come back with an exacto blade and score out gaps down to the ties for the wheel flanges. Works great.
I just went back and found a link of one of the tables I did and it kind of shows some of the process.... http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?t=18970
Let me see if I can find some better pics...

 

[TrainNut]

Some things I have learned though is to be very careful when sanding the compound around road crossings as you can score your rails with the sandpaper - not good. Also, be careful when cleaning the track at the crossings as a little rag with alchohol will accidentally remove color from your road and then you have to come back every so often and touch up the road.
Couldn't find the photos I thought I was thinking of. Sorry.

 

[TrainNut]

Here's another link to another table. Again, hard to see how things were done but hope you get the idea. This layout was actually the first time I ever filled in crossings like that with the compound. http://www.the-gauge.com/showthread.php?p=187040#post187040
I've learned a little more since then.

 

[TruckLover]

Thanks for all your help TrainNut!!

I think your table train layouts are pretty cool and I would not mind having one. Mybe I will do 1 one of these days.

 

[Gil Finn]

get a piece of board and play around with it.

 

[TruckLover]

Good idea Gil. I was think about that too!!

 

[doctorwayne]

Josh, here are a couple of links, to roads:

HO Roads

and to crossings:

Do you have a Railroad crossing?

Wayne

 

[TruckLover]

Thanks for the links Wayne!!!!:thumb: :thumb: