The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

Are those the ones that have removable nib?  If so, you could soak the nib in lacquer thinner to dissolve any hardened or thickened paint.

Woodland Scenics' pens have removable nibs.  In fact, they come with one spare nib in the package.

DFF

[davefoxx]

As I wrap up the bridge and road area on the layout, I want to move on to the sidings at the north end of Aberdeen (near the bridge).  I have never built a gravel parking lot that suits me, and I need some guidance.  Here's the goal, including buried track, and perhaps folks can suggest some unsanded grout colors that would be useful, as well as some online sources to show how to install it:



Thanks,
DFF

[Steveruger45]

I do recall soaking the pen nib end in thinner but not by removing it.   I will give those options a go and see how it works.

[Bob]

I just ordered some Gundam markers on Amazon.  I've tried cleaning the WS nibs, but it just does not work for me.  Sometimes paint just does not flow through the nib, or it does not flow evenly, or more commonly for me the darn thing links.  The first time I used a new yellow marker it worked great, but I could not get it to work a second time, and a second new WS marker just did not work well at all.  I really butchered the stripes on my most recent road. Ugh!

[Steveruger45]

I just ordered some Gundam markers on Amazon.  I've tried cleaning the WS nibs, but it just does not work for me.  Sometimes paint just does not flow through the nib, or it does not flow evenly, or more commonly for me the darn thing links.  The first time I used a new yellow marker it worked great, but I could not get it to work a second time, and a second new WS marker just did not work well at all.  I really butchered the stripes on my most recent road. Ugh!

Yep, pretty much the exact same issues for me with those pens from Michael’s. 
On my next attempt I’m thinking to mask off with automotive pin striping tape then painting the lines. But I also think the pin striping tape will have too sticky a glue and remove the base road color.  I was wondering if that Tamiya (washi) tape is “bendy” enough to get curves.   I see some experiments in my near future.

[CRL]

As I wrap up the bridge and road area on the layout, I want to move on to the sidings at the north end of Aberdeen (near the bridge).  I have never built a gravel parking lot that suits me, and I need some guidance.  Here's the goal, including buried track, and perhaps folks can suggest some unsanded grout colors that would be useful, as well as some online sources to show how to install it:



Thanks,
DFF

I stumbled upon what has been (for me) the perfect dirt/gravel road/parking lot material & technique many years ago, but it might be dependent on the type of dirt we have here which can have a sizable caliche component. Basically, I  first paint the area with my base ground color, followed by a layer of white glue. Then, while the glue is wet, use a fine tea strainer to sprinkle the dirt over the layer of white glue. Wet the surface with a mist of rubbing alcohol followed by diluted white glue and more finely sifted dirt. Allow to dry throughly. Then take some fine Emory cloth and wrap it over your finger and “sand” the surface lightly until the surface glue is removed and the surface is evenly dusty. You can even use a bare finger to do this. Sanding the dirt to dust is critical to achieving the final effect. Now, blow the dust off... done.

This last step (blowing the dust off) will also perfectly dust-weather any structures adjacent to the road or parking lot in a very natural way, so you should wait until all those structures have been placed. Finish by evening the dust off with a very soft brush. Since the dust contains glue also, it seems to stick nicely to everything nearby... just like in the real world.

Like I said above, it might only work with the dirt I use. I claim no huge breakthrough in modeling here... it was all a happy accident the first time I did it and I sanded the dirt because the freshly glued dirt surface didn’t look right to me.

The final effect looks like your photo.

[Bob]

I have thought about taping and painting as well, but like you I worry that the tape will remove the base color if I adhere it too much, and if I don't do that then the paint might seep under the tape.  Also, I just don't think I could get the lines nice and even with regards to thickness and spacing - I don't trust myself to do this well!  I'll report on those new paint pens I ordered. 

[Point353]

As I wrap up the bridge and road area on the layout, I want to move on to the sidings at the north end of Aberdeen (near the bridge).  I have never built a gravel parking lot that suits me, and I need some guidance.  Here's the goal, including buried track, and perhaps folks can suggest some unsanded grout colors that would be useful, as well as some online sources to show how to install it:



Thanks,
DFF

Do you have any leftover N scale ballast?

[davefoxx]

Do you have any leftover N scale ballast?

Good idea, but, sadly, I don’t think so.  I’m cool with grout, but I don’t know which colors. In the case of the photo in my previous post, I see (I think) gray, a sandy color, and white.  I wonder what they’re off loading.  Am I far off on the colors?

DFF

[davefoxx]

I added a couple of more line poles.  I haven’t yet attempted to paint the insulators (the poles are not glued in place), and it’s probably obvious that I haven’t strung the lines.  Funny thing is that the lines that I strung on the Seaboard Central 2.0 with EZ Line were invisible in photos. 



DFF

[milw12]

I added a couple of more line poles.  I haven’t yet attempted to paint the insulators (the poles are not glued in place), and it’s probably obvious that I haven’t strung the lines.  Funny thing is that the lines that I strung on the Seaboard Central 2.0 with EZ Line were invisible in photos. 

DFF

Dave, fantastic scene! Even though you model spring time, but this Minnesotan can already feel the overwhelming southeastern heat and humidity in this image. I'll be grateful now for the cold and snow we have coming tomorrow- you can keep that swamp heat down south!

As for gravel, my first thought was the Home Depot brand "Fawn" color sanded grout that I've used before. I'll see if I can find an image. It's may be more tan than you need in your proto image, but perhaps it could be faded into a more whitish-tan?

Great progress- the road looks great too.

Lucas

[packers#1]

You could probably avoid stringing lines if you wanted to, as those poles can be out of service and give more of a feel to the passage of time. Then again, a sheet of kudzu pulled out along one like a stage curtain is not only common, at this point I almost expect it  :

DFF, you’re doing an absolute fantastic job on your scenery! Whenever I see the new post button on your thread I get extremely excited!

[chuck geiger]

Esquire - For road lines - I have used regular thin masking tape and stipple dry bushed yellow and white paint on the test square of new techniques and pull the tape up
and no problem on the painted styrene. See Railfan220 on YOU TUBE - That's where I saw the way he brushed the lines.

[davefoxx]

You could probably avoid stringing lines if you wanted to, as those poles can be out of service and give more of a feel to the passage of time. Then again, a sheet of kudzu pulled out along one like a stage curtain is not only common, at this point I almost expect it  :

DFF, you’re doing an absolute fantastic job on your scenery! Whenever I see the new post button on your thread I get extremely excited!

Thanks a lot, Sawyer!  That means a lot to me, especially from you, since you live near the area I'm modeling and are familiar with it.

My thoughts on the wires were exactly what you were thinking, in that they could be abandoned poles.  I was even considering knocking at least one line pole way out of plumb to accentuate that lack of maintenance.  That said, I did like the Kudzu Jesus on the Seaboard Central 2.0, and I can't do that without the lines.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Esquire - For road lines - I have used regular thin masking tape and stipple dry bushed yellow and white paint on the test square of new techniques and pull the tape up
and no problem on the painted styrene. See Railfan220 on YOU TUBE - That's where I saw the way he brushed the lines.

I think that's the key to making masking tape work- stippling, which also provides immediate weathering in addition to not bleeding under the tape.  I would try that next time, if I could find the correct size tape for between the double yellow lines.  But, I do have to note that when I applied masking tape to the road to mask off the patches, the tape left marks on the road surface.  Thankfully, most of the marks were minimized when I weathered the roads.  I suppose a recommendation would be to stick the tape to a piece of glass before sticking it on the road, to get rid of some of the stickiness, so as to not pull paint or leave marks.

Thanks,
Dave