How to model where a street crosses the tracks.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Can anyone give me some good steps on how to model the area where the streets cross railroad tracks?? Also, some pictures would be helpful. Thanks alot!!

2

Several ways to do that…

  • The easiest would be to buy a rerailer section and use that. Or…

  • you can put things between the rails, such as a sheet of styrene with diamond plate treads, or wood planks, or even pavement (just make sure you have clear flangeways so your train won’t derail going through the crossing).

Good luck!

3

Cut a piece of cardboard so it fits between the rails but leaves enough room for a trains wheels to pass. Paint it the color of your road. Glue / nail it to the ties in the track.

4

Thanks guys!!!

5

Does anyone have any pictures of their work that they would like to share with me?

6

For “wooden” crossings over my Atlas code 83 track, I use strip styrene, distressed with a razor saw and painted an appropriate colour. Between the rails, I use four strips of .080" x .125" stock, glued together and then cemented with suitable solvent cement directly to the ties. The .080" height puts the top surface just below the railhead, and the .500" width sits neatly between the spike heads, leaving an ample flangeway. On the outside of either rail, I glue a strip of .040"x.100" on the flat directly to the top of the moulded spike heads, then abut that with another strip of .080"x.125", also on the flat.

Here’s a different view of another crossing. The road surface is drywall joint compound over patching plaster.

You can make easy dirt or gravel crossings by replacing the two middle boards between the rails with suitable scenic materials, and either use the same material on the outside of the rails or keep the boards. This picture’s the best I have at the moment to illustrate this.

I do paved crossings and street trackage using plain .060" styrene sheet in place of the strips, building-up the thickness between the rails with strip stock glued directly to the ties.

Wayne

7

Does anybody else have some pics??? These were very helpful!!! Thanks.

8

doctorwayne, very nice crossings…and layout.

Rick

9

Doctorwayne, beautiful layout the crossings are awesome hard to notice them as the beautiful layout was a distraction looks great!

10

Hey, Doc! Let me add my voice to those who say, “Super modeling!”

-Crandell

11

great shots of a great looking layout Doc.

I used sheet balsa on my crossing and stained it to represent a wooden crossing, pic was taken before I scored the plank lines into the crossing and weathered the road + crossing, dont have any after pics sorry.

Have fun and be safe
Karl.

12

Just a short note to thank everyone for the compliments.
Karl, even though the era that I model (the '30s) didn’t have too much in the way of road markings, the stripes on your pavement look really good. Is your roadway a commercially available product or did you do the striping yourself?
And for those who’ve never heard the adage that “if you ignore him, he’ll go away”, here are a couple more photos.

Wayne

13

I use Red Devil Spackle for my streets and the between the rails. Fill to the top of the rails and let dry, then with a two inch length of hack saw blade I cut in the flange ways. Then paint with latex dark gray paint.

14

If you’re modeling wood, try using dilly bar sticks or tongue depressors. I use them for many little items. I helped my sons (who are now in their 40’s) build some box cars out of them. (They were about 6 & 7 at the time). It was a fun project.
Walter

15

Here is a triple track crossing - two are Walthers Cornerstone grade crossings, the kind that look like the rubber ones, and the oddball is the Blair Line wood crossings, modified for the curve:

16

Wayne, yes the roard is commercially available… hmmm, in a way, its actually just a piece of 1/8th hardboard cut to size and sprayed with basic walmart grey primer, the stripes are 1/8th (or was it 1/16th? I cant remember now) model airplane stripes painted appropriately and then stuck on, nothing fancy, simplicity works for me. [;)]

Have fun & be safe
Karl.

17

Very nice crossings guys and good tips for building them.

Doc-I like your industry scenes,especially the shot of the background structure in the second to last photo.

Jeff-If that car at the crossing decides to back up,he’s in for a BIG! surprise.[:D]

Have a good one.

Bill
Iowa

18

I would suspect 1/16" which would scale out to about 6" wide in HO. Hope this helps.

Tom

19

Thanks, Bill. Here’s a shot of the same building, taken from a different angle.

Wayne

20

These are some GREAT pics. Anyone else have some pics to contribute?