Shingles...which are your favorite (post pic's please!)

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hey all,

So, I am embarking on my first shingle scratchbuilt shingle roof and I was wondering, what are you favorite shingles? I am trying to decide between Paper Creek, Campbell and Evergreen Hill, but I know there are others… Post pics of your results and I would LOVE comments on pros and cons of the type you use. Thanks for any info… I hope for some cool PIX!!!

Brian

2

I got them over 5 years ago & I still have to take pain killers!![:D] Or did you mean the ones by Cambell? They’re great![8D]

3

I used balsawood strips cut w/scissors and then aged with stains, powders, india ink, and a wood burner…

4

LOL ok…ummm not those type of shingles (aka the herpes zoster virus)… but glad to hear you like Campbell’s…

Brian

5

I have had them too. WHen I was 17. For those who don’t know…herpes zoster is the chicken pox virus- NOT the er uh, other kind. Once you have had the CP, it stays with you and can resurface as “shingles”. Looks like shingles on the skin as scabby-itchy things that scar and mar the skin tissues. I had them on the nape of my neck and back and still have itches and pain from shirt tags.

NOW- for the railroad shingles…I have yet to see some I like in HO. SOme look disproportionately too large and others look like N scale incarnate. And the redceramics may be fine for southwest or european, but not for upstate New York!!!

I would be interested to see what others think is the ultimate roofing shingle!

Have a HAppy 4TH!!!

6

These are Campbells, I found them to install easily, they are self adhesive but I use white glue for better adhesion.

The roof is not really the subject of this photo, but you can see the shingles in better light.

7

I can’t say which is my favorite, because I’ve only used Campbells. Even then, I’ve only done a couple of structures. Still, I’m pretty happy with them, and I’d buy more. One package lasts a while. It comes with cardboard roof pieces, pre-marked with lines for the shingle strips. The strips come on a roll, and you just cut them to length. Moisten the back with a brush, and stick them on. The glue is like old postage stamps.

This structure was made with Evergreen siding and Tichy doors and windows. The foundation is a thin strip cut from a much larger rock wall casting.

8

I like Rusty Stumps self adhesive shingles. They come in several styles and colors. Here, I used the green 3 Tab type:

The shingles come in strips. You cut/fit the strips. Then peel off the backing, and stick them to the roof. You have a little bit of wiggle room until you press the shingles firmly against the roof.

Nick

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Rusty stumps… hmmm nice looking more regular shingles for asphalt and such… I will have to research those a bit…

Keep the pics coming!

Brian

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Brian, I have not used Rusty Stumps shingles, and yes they are a more modern style tabbed shingle compared to the shaker style shinlges that are the Campbells, but I have purchased other items from Rusty and his is a great little company. An excellent source of stripwood if you are getting into scratch building. http://www.rustystumps.com/

11

I’ve used Campbell’s.

Wolfgang

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Hey Simon,

Thanks for the tip…after the first post I checked them out… I may have to order the starter pack they have…VERY nice selection for only $24!

Brian

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That is exactly what I ordered from them a couple of weeks back. Very good value I thought. The package arrived quickly. A good company IMO

14

SHINGLES! Some of those slabs look to be 2 x 4 foot concrete slabs. Way to thick, and way to huge. Hand split shake shingles (that I used on my last house) vary from 3 to 5 inches wide (give or take) and are usually laid about 5 inches or so to the weather. They are not much thicker than 1/2 inch at the butt and taper to almost nothing at the top end. They don’t curl up either.

3 tab asphalts are a little less than 8 inches wide per tab (24 inches wide to the sheet) and are usally laid about 3 inches or so to the weather. Scaled down the width of the sheet is 0.276 in HO and 0.15 in N gauge.

The same goes for siding. Most clapboard siding varies from 3 inches to 4 inches or so to the weather. Some of those buildings look more like log cabins and made of huge logs at that. In HO there are 22 4 inch to the weather clapboards per inch of elevation of the model.

I have found that the biggest problem in scratch builidg is BUILDING TO SCALE. I have solved it by drawing the plans in a Cad program using the actual real world dimensions. Then I print at 1/87.1 and get an accurate scale drawing to build from.

15

I’ll differ on your measurements. Hand split shakes average 6-10" wide and usually are 6"+ to the weather. Asphalt 3 tab are 36" wide & 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 to the weather. Clapboard is MINIMUM 3" exposure, with 4, 5, 6, & 8 common, and can be slightly over 10". How do I know this? 40+ years as a carpenter, 30 of which with my own company doing historical restoration, presently “retired” at Home Depot Contractor Services.[:)]

16

Well, I’m sort of partial to shingles made by Bollinger Edgerly Scale Trains (BEST).

http://www.besttrains.com/products_3000.html

(Disclaimer: The owner of BEST is a friend of mine).

They recently had one of their tower kits reviewed in the latest Railroad Model Craftsman, and the reviewer liked their shingles, too.

Paul A. Cutler III

Weather Or No Go New Haven

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Paul,

Never seen that company before… hmm… any pic’s of the results? Also, what color do you use for that natural look? Hard for me to tell online… Sand, Neutral, Dark Brown??? I really like this product…

Brian

18

This is also true in upstate NY. Some asphalt (or fiberglas) shingles are also metric (1 meter in length).

19

Don’t use the Campbell shingles. They’re compete and utter garbage. They always end up looking like strips of packing tape notched and stuck to the roof of a building.

What I do is get a roll of the 1 or 2 inch wide masking tape and place it on a plastic surface that you don’t mind getting scratched. A scrap of smooth linoleum is great. Then with a straight rule cut along the striations in the tape to the width you want the shingles to be. Then cut it across the grain to about 9-12 ho inches long.

Pick a dominant color paint something in the brown to grey range. I prefer Floguil for this. Mix a bit of the color with some black and white to make a couple of different shades. Get a couple of different small brushes in the round #0 or 1 size and stipple an irregular pattern of the primary color on to the tape. Then go and do the same with the various shades until there is no tape color left. When you’re finished let it dry.

Then peel the individual rectangles and apply them to the roof along the edge. Apply the next course overlapping the first one leaving whatever exposure you want the shingles to have. Build a ridge cap out of dimensional lumber and install on the peak.

20

If they’re curling up it’s time to replace them. Color is tough to replicate, too. A new roof isn’t that hard to match. but I’ve never seen anyone get that weathered silver-gray quite right.