# Newbie Question 6.0 Roads on Layout



## Capefearflier (Sep 13, 2013)

I'm at the point where I'm starting to look at creating several car/truck roads on my layout. My layout is circa 1930/1940. I have seen different kit's & materials used. I'd like to use the best quality material/kit possible even if it requires me making several practice attempts prior to actually making the roads on the layout. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Mark...


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Mark

Just about everyone of us have a different material or
technique for making layout roads.

Some have used the back of shingles, some put down
fine grain cork. You can use drywall paste and actually
pave your roads, paint them with asphalt 'pavement' color
craft paint from Walmart Craft shop or a concrete color. Some of the
other guys surely will chip in with their ideas.

In addition there are premade and painted roads complete
with striping that you find at hobby shops.

If you are modelling in the 30s and 40s era you'll want
to basically limit your roads to 20 HO feet wide or even
less. There was little striping. Usually concrete highways
had black expansion joints across them every so often 
and a black center line. Black top roads (asphalt) had a
white center line. Less travelled 'county' roads were
often gravel. 

Don


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

I haven't tried it, but I've read that some people use various colored sandpaper of differing grits to make asphalt and gravel roads.


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## Capefearflier (Sep 13, 2013)

Did they do black top road between the 30s & 40s or were they concrete? I've had a had time find which was the most popular at the time.


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

lets see now, i am 73 so if i remember right the major roads were concrete and the secondary were a type of black top. an early type. now i am talking about NY, the bronx.
manhattan was a mix of both. hell my street didnt even have sidewalks till in the 50's when they decided to put in sewers. LOL and 80% of the house's in my neighborhood had to be raised up or the sewer pipe would go in the second floor if you had one. mine didnt so up it went.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

I just did a bunch of searching. From what I saw, in the 30s most major roads were concrete. Some roads were a macadam form of asphalt covering, while others were still gravel. What I read, true hot-mix asphalt was still pretty rare at that time. Another source said "in 1935, more than a third of rural roads were surfaced, and many were paved with concrete and asphalt for motor traffic". I guess you need to just choose how you want to do them.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

During the 30s, the State of Illinois was recognized for it's extensive 2 lane concrete
highway system. The roads were narrow as were the
cars of that day. The roads basically were N/S or E/W and had
extremely tight curves, we called them 'square corners'.

But you did find City streets and some county roads with a
form of black top or asphalt.

Some other states were using a form of asphalt for their highways
back then but the engineering was no where near what we know today.

Don


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## Capefearflier (Sep 13, 2013)

You guy's are terrific. I guess concrete gray will be the color. I'll just need to decide on the material to use.....


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

You can easily create blacktop roads by using non-slip stair tread material. It comes in 10' rolls at Home Depot and Lowe's. It has adhesive on the back, so you simply cut it with heavy duty scissors to the desired width and length, peel off the adhesive paper cover, then press into place.
I then sprayed it with DulCoat lacquer, which gave it a "worn" shade of blackish gray. If you want a white or yellow stripe down the middle a grease pencil does a good job. You can weather it further by rubbing in some gray or brown powders, or dry brushing then with a light touch.
If you opt for concrete, you can also weather with black & gray powders to create tire tracks, oil droppings, etc.
It's all easy, and all fun,
Bob


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*roads on a layout*

I had the darndest time adding roads to my layout. Eventually the routs were figured out, and with some plausibility, I may add I think... What I employed were evergreen plastic sheets cut too~3 inch widths.~2 vehicles side by side. Now these road representations may be airbrushed two colors too represent concrete or flat black(blacktop/tar)/asphalt.
City and Country. respectively.
Regards,
I hope this helps tr1


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