Evening fellow modelers, I am wondering what year did the highway dept. start using yellow paint to mark the center and out side lines on public highways. If it makes any difference I am in Okla. Mike
Although earlier used in some states as an alternate to white striping, yellow was not officially called for as the correct color for highway center lines until the issuance of the 1961 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Even so, for quite some years following that directive, many locations simply retained the white lines until it was their time for regularly scheduled repainting. In my area of NYS this was not until well into the 1960’s. Lines marking the outter edges of the pavement were (and are) white.
CNJ831
White lasted well into the 1970s in Virginia and North Carolina. All I remember about OK is, I know there was a lot of white lines around the Fort Sill area in 1969.
I used a decal sheet of Conrain Quality lining for my Transition-era road-centre lines
Jon
All of the outside lines I have ever seen are white, not yellow. Yellow is used for some center lines, and to designate no passing zones here in Arizona, but not for outside lines. White is used for the dashed center lines on Interstate 10.
I don’t recall the exact year the outer edges began to be painted with a solid white line as a federal highway standard, but do recall that Illinois was the first state to do so sometime in the 1960’s.
I use the yellow tape thar goes in the little label makers. It is about 1/4" wide. I cut it down to 1/32" wide strips which scales out to over 20" in HO, but it looks OK & will curve with the turns in the road. Tweet
Current practice for Highway striping in the USA
Yellow is the standard between lanes where vehicles travel in oposing directions. White is the standard where lanes are for the same direction of travel.
Normal striping
A two lane bi-directional road : white edge line (solid), yellow center line(s) (single broken line or two lines, solid/broken or solid/solid depending on passing situation), white edge line (solid).
Four lane undivided road: white edge line (solid), white lane line (broken), yellow centerline(s), white lane line (broken), white edge line (solid)
Divided highway or freeway: the median (left) edge line should be yellow (solid), lane lines white (broken), right edge line white (solid).