Has anyone used the Walthers street system kits, it supplies you with the street and sidewalk. I have used, WS smooth-it, drywall compound, plaster, etc in the past with results that I was not happy with. I am looking to possibly purchase the walters street kits in asphalt. I am modeling a downtown area on my layout with two major street and a few intersecting streets complete with skyscrapers. and these kits would save me a lot of time and mess. I know that they are pricey, but I am willing to pay the price. I have seen good and bad reviews, any info would be appreciated.
Hi, Woodman
I have used them very extensively and I’m quite satisfied with the results. In some places I have only used half of the roadway width, which is still two lanes wide. I like the way the catch basins can be inserted and manhole covers, too. If you do some careful filing and gluing the joints fit nice and tight but still look like expansion joints. One downside is a bit of a lack of flexibility but I have made mitered joints that look convincing, otherwise you are stuck with 90° turns.
The real results come from how you paint and weather the streets. I use an india ink wash and also lightly airbrush the oily streak down the lane centers.
So far I have used only the brick and concrete but I bought a bunch of asphalt sections (which can be painted to look like concrete) I bought them when they were close-outs several years ago.
I’ll try to get some photos posted but I’m pressed for time the next few days.
Have fun, Ed
I have used Walthers brick streets and I am quite happy with them. One problem I noticed is that when you put two sections together the joint between the bricks on the end is wider than between the rest of the bricks. To remedy this I sanded the ends so that they are beveled on the bottom slightly. That allowed the sections to slide closer together.
On a brick street the surface is usually shinier where the tires run. Since the Walthers brick streets are already shiny all over I sprayed them with dullcote and then I used a track eraser to rub off the dullcote where the vehicle tires would be running.
You can add other weathering with paint and chalk. An almost dry black sharpie will make some tire scuff marks on the edge of the curbs.
I have used their concrete road sections with good results but I did paint them to get a more realistic color as well as texture. If you use a sharpie to create the cracks that have been repaired with tar, be aware that Dullcoat (to seal my powdered weathering) dissolves and blurs the sharpie lines.
I discovered by the way that the plastic manhole covers that come with the kits are the same size as a punch that I had in my set of punches, making it easy to punch out the plastic road section and insert the manhole (it can also be drilled out). But if you use the punch you need to do that before the road is installed so the plastic road can be on a flat surface to absorb the blow. Once installed the road is slightly elevated to the center so that it has a realistic camber.
Dave Nelson
I have used the brick street and sidewalk system and have been pleased. As mentioned previously, the street pieces are moulded to work in 2-piece sections, providing a “crown” to the roadway that would facilitate water runoff in the prototype. Many of the areas I wanted only allowed for a narrow street, and so the little ridges on the underside of the street pieces had to be filed off to allow the section to lie flat. This was a little messy and took some fitting. Still, with a dark wash to deaden the plastic sheen, I was pleased. One has to consider this as crafting a model of a street with all of the appropriate detail, not just flopping down pieces that will automatically be suitable (just like most every other model).
Bill
If they are accepable depends on your modeling skill. They do not work well for the more advanced people.
Sponging gray paint onto black craft foam works well for asphalt, and is probably a lot cheaper than the Walthers system. It’s also easy to make cracks and patches. I describe the technique in the thread below…
http://www.thewhistlepost.com/forums/tips-tricks-techniques/15961-modeling-asphalt.html
Steve S
I used the Brick street system. I started out with just a couple of kits in a small area and now have over 12 feet of it, in my Industrial area, all just the straight piece kits over 13kits in all. Even went so far as to put tracks and two Atlas #4"s in it. Did not use the street track inserts they sell…I wanted it brick, like I grew up in Chicago. A lot of filing, sanding, testing over and over, but I succeeded. Still working on the 1930’s Rix overpass kits that I needed 350 scale ft. three lanes of it. Again a lot of filing, sanding and testing. The Rix kits come two lane, you can make them four, but of course I had to be different. Some time this winter it should be almost complete and then I will post picks of it…God willin’ and my body don’t give out.
I found also a cheaper place to buy the kits I used. Check out Hobbylinc, you will be surprised.
Take Care! [:D]
Frank
I like! Any advice on concrete roadways?
Hey! That’s Salem Ave!
You could make them like real streets, one slab at a time. Pour plaster into simple molds made from Depron foam and waterproof sandpaper as the base. Make 4 to 6 molds so that you can mass produce them and lay a pane of glass over them once the plaster is poured to make sure they’re flat.
To paint them, I describe a technique in the thread below. Scroll down to the sixth post.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/228726.aspx
Steve S
You are CORRECT, Sir!. In further tribute to downtown Roanoke, Virginia, the next business just visible to the right of the alley is that of “F. Moose, Jeweler”. As a young police officer, I used to walk a beat downtown there around the Earle Hotel. The Earle was not exactly “four star” in those days, and answering calls to some of those rooms was sometimes tough on the sense of smell. When I retired after 30+ years, my staff gave me the “neon” H&C Coffee sign and even though it is actually too modern for my layout, I just had to put in a little tribute to my time in Roanoke. And did any old policeman ever tell you about how much fun it was to ride an old 3-wheel Harley on brick streets when they had a little dew on them in the early morning?
Bill