Solutions for Asphalt Shingle Roofing

[PAL_Houston]

I have finally gotten around to considering working on replacing the printed cardstock roofs for Savanna and Oregon depots with something with more realism (texture, color).  The photo below shows a potential solution using Pikestuff HO shingle roof panels trimmed to size (and painted with brown primer).  Before I start in serious with cutting all the complicated angles for the other roof panels, however, I thought it would be good to solicit your ideas for alternative solutions.



I've tried the GCLaser shingle strips, for example on the pig barn for the Oregon stock pens, but didn't really like the way they build up so much, as shown below.   Also, undoubtedly it would be a real pain to get the complex angles all clean and tidy with this approach.

[wazzou]

I like AMB shingles for a 3 tab look.

[Philip H]

I like AMB shingles for a 3 tab look.

+1

I have also used Northeast shingle sheet sin a pinch - but they do better for cedar shake then anything else.

[Roger Holmes]

I think it looks good. It doesn't catch your eye like the other roofing on your station does. My goal is that fungible features that look "right" don't attract your eye--save that for the unique details. 

My problem with roll shingle strips is that they are so difficult to put on straight--particularly with a complex roof like yours.  I also agree that the overlap can make an N scale roof look too thick.  Crooked and thick draws the eye to something that shouldn't be a focal point.

Bottom line--I think you have a winner.

[wazzou]

Roger -
I solved that problem by creating a simple template with rows of horizontal lines that I laminate to the sub-roof with a very thin layer of 3M double sided tape.

[PAL_Houston]

Hi, Bryan.  Thanks for your replies.
I am wondering how much the AMB shingle strips differ from the GCLaser ones I have?
Have you got some pix that illustrate what one can do with the AMB shingle strips?

Thanks.

[LIRR]

I built a few small structures where asphalt shingles were appropriate, but I wanted a simple, fast and cheap solution.  What i did was go online and get a photo of the shingles....the manufacturer site or Home Depot will have a small photo showing the various colors, only a half dozen or so shingles high by a few wide. I copied and pasted into a word document, piecing it together until I had half a page or so, then printed it on regular printer paper. Cut to size and glued to a styrene roof. There is no texture at all, but after weathering, and from normal viewing distance, it does the trick and looks just fine.  I will take and post a better photo.

[Alaska Railroader]

I have etched shingle patterns into sandpaper and scored it at the fold and it makes a convincing asphalt shingled roof. So far I have only used it for Z scale kits and have not offered it as a side accessory. I would think a decent scratchbuilder could use a ruler and run lines across sandpaper with a scribe then add the verticals in no time flat. Wha-la, you have an asphalt shingled roof. You don't need to worry about the color because you can paint it but you want to get around 600 grit give or take.

[LIRR]

this doesn't look so bad....it looks even better from the normal viewing distance of about 12"

[PAL_Houston]

I have etched shingle patterns into sandpaper and scored it at the fold and it makes a convincing asphalt shingled roof. So ...  I would think a decent scratchbuilder could use a ruler and run lines across sandpaper with a scribe then add the verticals in no time flat. ....You don't need to worry about the color because you can paint it but you want to get around 600 grit give or take.

So taking this idea one step further, I tried running some 220 grit red resin sandpaper through an inkjet with the same tan shingle pattern on it as the cardstock.  That gave me the lines, but not the color, so I oversprayed that with brown primer.  The shingle lines are pretty subtle, so the next try will be to paint the sandpaper or red resin paper, then try running it thru the inkjet.

Might work.  We'll see.

Pix later, assuming any of these are worth showing...

One thing I can say is that if it works it'll be really cheap since I usually have this stuff in the garage.  And easy to cut too!!

[MVW]

this doesn't look so bad....it looks even better from the normal viewing distance of about 12"

Those are your "Photoshopped" shingles? Looks damn good to me.

Jim

[peteski]

I've also photoshopped some shingles for Spookshow from a photo he provided. He printed out a sheet on his color laser printer and used them on the model of a church in that photo.



Full writeup: http://www.spookshow.net/layout6g.html

[wazzou]

Hi, Bryan.  Thanks for your replies.
I am wondering how much the AMB shingle strips differ from the GCLaser ones I have?
Have you got some pix that illustrate what one can do with the AMB shingle strips?

Thanks.

Sorry for the delay.  Don't mind the quick phone grabs.  These are roofed with AMB shingles.
This building was being scratch built as a sales office for a sawmill on a previous layout.





This is a scratch built garage for a 1920's Pacific NW home on the same layout.

[PAL_Houston]

... These are roofed with AMB shingles....

That looks really nice, Bryan.  I especially like how clean the joint in the valley is.  Any tricks & tips to share about how you do this?