Does anyone model highways? Like limited access interstates?
underworld
aka The Violet
[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Very few do because they take up so much space. In HO scale, if there is any kind of median, the highway will be a foot wide. I’ve seen a few layouts that have an Interstate highway cross the tracks, but they have always been from the edge of the benchwork to the backdrop and not following the track.
Eric’s right. A true-to-scale interstate with its 300-foot right-of-way would be 3 feet, five inches wide in HO scale. However, a 4-lane divided highway with a very convincing median could be about a foot wide, including shoulders and median. You won’t be turning trucks around on the median, but it will be wide enough for a state trooper to set up shop.
Of course, many model railroaders will shudder at the thought of giving up even a foot of layout to a highway and it is still a lot of real estate considering a scale 2-lane road is 2.75 to a bit over 3.3 inches wide depending on whether you use 10-foot or 12-foot lanes (the typical width of real traffic lanes). However, it’s your layout and it’s an easy and inexpensive way to fill in an area with scenery.
I’m modeling the late transition era which is about the same time that the Eisenhower system was begun. There were divided highways before that of course but two laners were still prevalent and that is all I need to make room for.
If you run a divided highway parallel to your track, it eats up a lot of space. If you run it perpindicular to your track, you have the added problem of disquising the intersection with the backdrop. This is a lot easier to do with a two lane road than a super highway. I’m sure it could be worked out if one was commited enough to do it and it would be an eye catcher. I just wouldn’t want to part with the real estate. Eminent domain does not exist on my layout.
Keep in mind that a highway is a good transition tool to seperate scenery elements on your layout. A nifty trick is to model the highway cresting a grade, with a mirror at the top to suggest continuation. As long as the vehicles on the highway are below the crest of the grade, they will not be reflected. Assuming you are willing to part with the real-estate. I have just such a seperation planned into my layout. Two lanes in each direction through a rural stretch of W. Va.
Must be the Robert C Byrd freeway. What a boondoggle that was for taxpayers. I traveled on it coming home from the Cass Mountain railroad. I literally traveled on it for 20 miles without seeing another vehicle in either direction. That sure was a vital expenditure. Senator Byrd is well deserving of his title of the pork barrel king.
I don’t care about what the others say about highways taking up too much room, when I get my chance to build a big shelf layout I will for sure have an interstate running parallel with a portion of my track. If you look at most of the modern railroads, they mostly run by a road or some form or water (mostly rivers, and streams). So I’m going to base my layout around that idea. I figure that I will only use the most common 2 lanes in each direction with a very small gap between (like K-rail), and I figure with shoulders and all, it will be right around 12 inches. To me, that isn’t so bad. Place it above (behind) or below (in front) your tracks and I think that it would be very prototypical. Anything above 2 lanes gets crazy and limits your space. Most interstates only are 2 lanes in each direction anyway.
One thing you might consider, both to save space and increase the illusion of depth, is to put the trains in the foreground and model the highway in a smaller scale–say, HO in front and N scale highway in the back. This means you can model a highway half the apparent size–and if you model the sort of highway that has a big overgrown “scenic” median, you only have to model one-half of the highway, and have a wonderful easy backdrop. The highway could disappear behind buildings on either side of its run parallel to the railroad.
Someone who is on a very restricted budget would consider having a large amount of space “wasted” as it is less space that i have to buy kits, scenery, etc for. It would be pretty cool though.
I was thinking of doing a section running a diagonal from one side to the back…possibly comong out of a tunnel and then going in to a tunnel or behind a set of buildings. The reduced scale idea with the rail line in front does sound tempting. If space were no object I’d like to do a section of 80/90 through the Gary Indiana area. If you aren’t familiar it has Lake Michigan on the North, heavy industry (steel, etc), then rail lines, then the toll road, then commuter rail lines, then city. Would be an incredible model scenario…if I only had a warehouse!
underworld
aka The Violet
[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Oh yes the Black Hole of Indiana!!! GARY… Kevin