what do you all do to put the lines on roads? paint? tape? I tried some paint, but I can not steady my hand enough to have nice even lines…so I aborted after 3 lines 
I’ve used E-Z Stripes by Scale Scenics. They work very well for HO straight roads. I’ve even used the solid white for running board stripes on my large scale locos. Walthers sells these stripes but unfortunately have been out of stock for a very long time.
I’ve used white and yellow colored pencils.
masking tape and scale rulers mask off lines then airbrush, or paint over them.
Ditto, because you can vary the ‘opacity’ of the lines, and model lines which have worn out somewhat (especially noticiable at stop line bars).
Maybe I should try markers…
I use white and yellow gel pens which I get from Michaels. I use a ruler for the straight lengths and draw them freehand. My hand’s not steady either and the lines come out oversize for N scale and slightly uneven lengths and spacing, but I am not a picker of nits so I’m okay with it. Would probably do a better job in HO.
I use Model Striping Tape made by Great Planes. Any other brand should work equally well. I use the 1/16" wide tape for HO. It is pliable so it will follow around curves and it can be cut easily if you need dashed lines. I tried painting and found it too tedious.
Most hobby shops who deal with model airplanes should stock one manufacturer’s version or another.
There are a few pictures posted on my website which show the striping in place.
Good luck.
You must of sent me a Vulcan mind meld as I walked into a Hobby shop near me that only sells airplane and car supplies and they had the Great Planes striping tape. They only had 1/8" which to me looks correct. I was looking at stripes on the road near my house and it seems the width is about the width of a tire. I took one of my woodland scenics cars or Model Power cars, one of them, and this tape seems to be the width of those tires, so im goin with it for now. im cutting them 1.5 inchs long and spacing about 1" between ends. The lines here in Phoenix seem to be just a bit shorter than the length of a car. The spacing I think is equal, so I might need to space these 1.5" apart. thoughts on spacing? It seems to look ok the way I have it. I was once told “its your railroad so there are no rules” heeheh
on second thought, I think I will use 1/16" as suggested. I did some quick calculations and 1/8" would be about an 11" wide stripe.
Not only Walthers is out of them. I think they must be discontinued, although they’re listed in the 2007 Walthers catalog.
I saw them somewhere in the Spring of 2005 (yes, 2005), and have been looking for them ever since. I’ve checked every one of my list of about two dozen web sites, both internet-only and bricks & mortar with web sites. Placed a “notify me when in stock” on the ones that allow that. No response.
I just sent Walthers an e-mail asking for clarification. I’ll let you know what they have to say.
Thanks for the info. Too bad. I really like this product. I’m not 100% sure, but I think Circuitron made this striping. So maybe we need to contact them.
The stripes were super easy to use and made my HO roads look great. And, as I mentioned before, the product is perfect for G scale loco stripes. My two LGB moguls both have E-Z Stripes on the running boards and tenders:
I never got these through Walthers, but from my local Hobby Shop. Although I have not seen these at the hobby shop for some time now. Man, what am I going to do when I run out of my limited supply [|(]
I believe at one time highway divider lines were solid rather than dashed before it was discovered the solid lines contributed to highway hypnosis, helping to put drivers to sleep at the wheel. About when were dashed divider lines adopted? Also, when did the lines change from white to yellow?
If that were true, there would be no solid lines on highways – whether down the centre or along the edges.
Whether the line is solid or dashed indicates if lane changes (or passing) are allowed. You are not allowed to cross a solid line (single or double, white or yellow). You are allowed to cross over a dashed white or yellow line. In the case of a double line, you may cross it only if the line on your side is dashed.
You are talking about the way things are today. I am asking about the way they way 50 years ago or more. Standards for traffic signals and road marks have changed considerable over the years. For example, when I got my driver’s license, a red light with a green arrow below it meant you could turn left but had to yield to oncoming traffic. Now that is a protected left turn. That is just one of numerous examples. At one time center lines were solid and studies showed this did contribute to highway hypnosis which is why dashed lines were adopted. I don’t know how “no passing” zones were marked because I wasn’t driving then. Short stretches of solid lines are not a problem but when a driver sees nothing but a solid line for long stretches, it can have a hypnotic effect.
I don’t know about Ohio but here in Ontario the lines changed color in the late 60’s or early 70’s. I got that from the Dept. of Highways. George |
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In reference to the 1935 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices
…defined some pavement markings. For example, centerlines were required only on approaches to hill crests with a clear view of less than 500 feet (152 m), short-radius curves, curves with restricted view, or pavements wider than 40 feet (12 m). Acceptable colors for centerlines were white, yellow, or black, depending on which provided the greatest contrast. It also supplied much-needed clarification on the number, color, and meaning of signal indications. The 3-color signal was adopted as the standard for signal lenses…the STOP sign was black on yellow or yellow on a red octagon…
The red stop sign was not adopted until 1954.
I remember seeing someplace that the pavement markings became more prevalent with the 1948 or 1954 printing, I can’t remember which.
Here’s where I got the info from above:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/index.htm
Randy
I just found this, I haven’t read it yet but it looks like a great resource:
http://tcd.tamu.edu/Documents/evolution.stand-alone.pdf
Randy
An Update: Walthers didn’t bother to investigate, but did give me a phone number for Circuitron, which is the parent of Scale Scenics.
I talked to Steve there, who informed me that the vendor who produced the EZ stripes for them had been sold to Avery Dennison, who seems to have no interest in producing any more.
[sigh]
My recollection is that on the street I grew up on in Omaha, the STOP sign was yellow with a white rectangle in the center with STOP in black letters inside the rectangle. I remember it being replaced with the standard red sign but that likely happened a few years after the 1954 standard was adopted. I’m sure it took highway departments around the country several years to convert all their signs to the new standard.
Randy,
Thanks for the information on highway markings. I’ve been looking for it for awhile. Google didn’t come up with a definitive place to get the info. My modeling area is between the30’s and 60’s.
Gene