Self adhesive road strips

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi all,

I have been following the Black River Junction series fairly closely because the layout I’m doing has some very similar features, Woodland Scenics Grassmat, track/roadbed track sections, etc. I would be very intrested in using the Vollmer self adhesive road strips but I have been having a hard tiem finding them. Can anyone give me a site I could order them from, or suggest a similar product?

Thanks,

Jim

2

Jim,

Sorry, I can’t help you on the pre-made road strips. However, if you want to save some $$$ without creating a bunch of additional work, Office Max sells 1/16" thick cork sheeting in 18 x 36" rolls. It’s made by Contact (the same folks who make shelf liner products for your kitchen and bath) and has a peel-off backing on it. Cost: $6 per roll. With a road width of 3", that will yield you ~18’ of straight road.

The cork sheeting is easily cut with an X-acto knife to the road width that you want and the backing holds the cork down very well. Curves will be the trickiest part.

You can paint the surface with Pollyscale Grimy Black (dark gray) for a more weathered look to your asphalt road. For a more smoother look to the surface, use a painter’s spatula to lay down a very thin layer of spackle over the top to fill in the voids in the cork, let dry, then lightly sand and vacuum. Add a second coat, if desired. Once you’ve finished preparing the surface of the cork, you can then paint the top using the method above.

Jim, I’ve only experimented with it so far but have been very happy with the results. Hope that helps…

Tom

3

This was discussed elsewhere on the Forums.

http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1025695/ShowPost.aspx

Busch makes a similar product that is in the Walthers catalog. My own experience is that in real life it does not look all that realistic but that is just my opinion. And it is tricky to lay correctly. I did not think of that small wheeled thingy that the MR staff used. It is like Contact Paper in that any bit of grit on the surface will be reflected in the road.

Dave Nelson

4

Thanks tstage,

I’m going to give that idea a try. Went out yesterday and got the cork (and it was even being clearenced out!) I thik this is going to work well for me. I can even go ahead and cut it out and lay it in place without removing the backing until I’m sure I’m ready to lay it permanantly.

Thanks alot!

Jim

5

Hey, Jim!

I’m pleased that will work out for you. That’s what I like about the product. You can position and reposition it until you are ready to peel off the backing and stick it down in place.

The cork sheeting should also work well underneath buildings and in yards to build up the foundations. I would experiment with it first on a scrap piece of board before you attach anything to your layout. Boy, I would love to put some down on my layout but I need to lay down roadbed underneath the tracks first before doing that.

Jim, when you have a chance, post some pictures. I’d love to see them how your roads turn out. [:)]

Tom