The Little Rock Line

[Bendtracker1]

I needed a highway near the town of Ruston, LA.
So again I followed the method Mr. Foxx used with styrene, it seemed to work pretty good for the scrap yard entrance I made earlier.

Using the same cork I used for roadbed, I laid down the base, then used a plastic "No Parking" sign that I got at Menards for the highway.



After getting it painted to my liking, I used masking tape for the striping and stippled TCP White and Yellow so it wasn't a completely solid line.




A friend printed me a Crossing stencil. I sprayed it using TCP white and touched up the stencil lines.




Then I grabbed my Pan Pastels to weather it and used a calligrapher's pen and black ink for the cracks and tar lines.
The oil spots were made using some Rail Center wash in a stiff brush.  I used a dental pick and pulled the bristles back so they'd splatter the wash near the crossing.





 

[shark_jj]

Looks really good Allen.  If you have the eye for colour its hard to beat styrene that is beautifully painted and weathered and you clearly have the artists eye.  I notice you mentioned on the blog the fading issue with Pan Pastels once they are Dullcoted, and I totally agree.  Painting is the right approach if you can seal the masking tape so you don't get bleed under.  The problem with the grout approach I used is the rough surface of the grout prevents a good seal when you tape.  Great job.

[NorthWestGN]

Nicely done, Looks great!

Brent

[Bendtracker1]

Looks really good Allen.  If you have the eye for colour its hard to beat styrene that is beautifully painted and weathered and you clearly have the artists eye.

Thank you John!

I notice you mentioned on the blog the fading issue with Pan Pastels once they are Dullcoted, and I totally agree.

Yup, at least the lighter colors anyway.

  Painting is the right approach if you can seal the masking tape so you don't get bleed under.  The problem with the grout approach I used is the rough surface of the grout prevents a good seal when you tape.  Great job.

I agree.  I used Tamiya tape and tried to burnish it down after I sealed the base paint.  Seemed to work just fine?
I originally planned to try the pre-mixed grout like you have done just to try another method, but didn't feel like making a mess at that particular time.  I still plan to give it a go on another road though.

Plus like you said, being rough might be tough to keep the lines crisp with Pans or paints.  I did however, give some thought about using Frog Tape to see if that would work to help seal things?

[Bendtracker1]

Nicely done, Looks great!

Brent

Thanks Brent!

[OldEastRR]

Really great-looking roads. And they LOOK like they're old and used, not fresh-laid asphalt. Pan Pastels are powder?

[Bendtracker1]

Been awhile since I updated the thread.

After getting the road installed, I worked on the depot scene at Ruston, I wanted to make a county road and parking lot for the depot and unloading spur.  I cut out some cork and got it glued down.   



While it was drying one of the new bottles of 90% alcohol that I used for weight decided to spring a tiny leak and it dripped on the road.  It wound up attacking all the paint and weathering with the exception of the automotive primer I used for the base color.  I thought about trying to blend it in and decided it would be easier to patch it instead.








Next I used some old ballast to make the sloped shoulders on all the roads and covered the entire area with dirt made from grout.







Once dry, I glued down some ground foam for a scenery base like I've done elsewhere.



I was trying to decide what to do with the area in front of the tracks and to the left of the road.  I thought about making a depression, or maybe have another small trestle bridge, but didn't like the lack of space in the area I had behind the tracks.  Scratched my head for a bit and then came up with an idea:  A bog.
I sketched something up to see if it would look ok.

 

Then I set about the task, I removed the 5/8" ceiling tile and inlaid a section of 1/4" MDF for the bog bottom and used Sculptamold to give it some shape.







I got the track ballasted, backdrop painted and a shoulder applied to the bog side of the road.
I ordered some scenery material for the bog and I have been making a crap load of weed tufts over the last week.

[OldEastRR]

Bog looks good. I suggest the tiniest hint of a small stream coming from the backdrop, under the track through a small culvert or timber frame, and into the bog. Even just a gulley, with green grass in it to indicate water below the dry streambed.