Ideas for lines on Roads


A

adurbin

Member
Hello all,

I just recently started putting down the roadways on my layout and was wondering what methods are best to put the lines down. (double yellow side lines, stop lines etc.)

Thanks!
 
Using a straight edge and a sharp X-Acto, I cut a stencil from cardstock and airbrush it on.
 
Thanks, it works well for me. I found that with rougher surfaces like the wet/dry sandpaper I sometimes use, that often I get a VERy slight hint of overspray near the line, in other words, it is not a crisp clean edge on the edges of the lines, adding to the realism by doing it this way. In other words, it looks like it was sprayed, just like the real deal. I first stumbled across it making a display base using skateboard grip tape years ago for a 1/24 scale display of 2 Top Fuel Dragster models. It worked well for that, so I use it on my layouts.
 
Hi,
On my diorama, I used black sand paper for the the road and bought yellow and white paint pens to draw the lines.

They look pretty good. The sand paper causes some bleeding of the paint away from the line. Looks like a bit of over spray. The thickness of the lines would probably be perfect for O scale. I think they are a little heavy for HO. I used the finest point paint pens I could find at Hobby Lobby :).

I really like the stencil / air brush idea. I'll give that a try when I'm ready for my next road.

Doug
 
the markers would work quite well with the stencil as a guide (imho).

I think the stencil is a good way to get the size and straightness you need, and the paint, whether sprayed or using a paint pen, will give the surface texture and soft edge you should have.
 
I use elmer's paint pens and a straight edge:

IMG_0159.jpg


Terry
 
The method I use is masking tape and white latex or acrylic dabbed on to make the stripe. I use a stiff bristle brush, almost dry, with up/down strokes. It may take a couple appications, depending upon the road surface. I don't think yellow was in common use in the 50's that I'm modeling. The nice thing about masking tape is the ability to get curves. The RR Crossing was done with a stencil cut on a craft cutter.
 
I tape off the edge of the lines and paint them with the cheap acrylic paints from Wall Mart.

I would like to know what size everyone thinks is the correct size of the line. I'm doing mine about 6 scale inches and find they look a little too big. Any thoughts?

Dave
 
6" is about right, the lines in front of our house are about 7". Probably a 6" nozzle with a little over spray.
 
Beachbum said:
I like your groundcover (looks like Upper Michigan to me - sand and pine trees). What did you use?
Click to expand...

That's old school dyed sawdust from my sander:). The area modeled is NW Wisconsin, pretty simular to the UP. There'll be ALOT more trees planted.
Thanks for the comment, Beachbum!
Terry
 
I use a combination of paint pens with stripwood as a straight edge and Microscale road decals for foreground scenes when I need double lines. The Microscale decals can be a pain but it's the best way I've found to get really good looking straight double lines with the right spacing between the lines.
 
I'm resurrecting this thread to ask if anyone has recommendations for creating highway lines on curved roads. On my N-scale layout, I want to have a curvy road that in the real world would have a double-yellow line down the middle -- a "no passing" zone.

I've been using Elmers paint pens. These work well for straight sections of highway, but I'm having little success creating uniform curved lines, never mind the two parallel lines that are needed for a "no passing" zone. I've tried both a flexible ruler and plastic templates as painting guides, and this is the best I've been able to do so far.

highway_line2.jpg


It's blotchy and not very uniform. Do I just need to keep trying with the paint pens until I perfect the technique, or is there a better way?

I've seen drafting tape recommended for this purpose, but I haven't found a source for 1/32-inch drafting tape, which would be a good width for N-scale highway markings. I don't know if such narrow drafting tape is even made. As Ken pointed out, tape may be too uniform. But at this point, some uniformity in my curved highway lines would be welcome!

Thanks,
Jeff
 
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Having had several good friends over the years who are graphic artists, one of the first places I look for painting and finishing materials is an art supply store. A quick look on "them Internets" turned up some items which might be of interest...

Somehow, I think I have one of these... but at the moment, I can't find it, nor do I recall having used it... "It" is called a "Master Paint Striper" -- you put the desired paint in the bottle, put in the striping wheels, and paint away. I think I was going to do some pinstriping on a '69 Chevelle I once owned -- which gives some idea of how long ago I'm talking about! I know I didn't do the pinstriping... but I think I've got the striper... somewhere...

http://www.dickblick.com/products/master-paint-stripers/

Or here is a selection of colored masking tape; it is in 3/4" widths, so you'd have to cut strips to your desired width. But it is already colored, and both yellow and white are available.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/colored-masking-tape/

A little further digging turned up a company called Grafstick -- they have "crepe" tapes all the way down to 1/64". Don't know if this would work or not, but might be worth a try!
http://www.grafsticktapeandlabel.com/

And yet another -- Chartpak tape. This one is from a drafting supplies site:

http://www.suppliesnet.com/search.aspx?find=&category=288

By the way -- I am not affiliated with any of these groups or organizations. I have ordered from Dick Blick's, with good results. But as the disclaimer says, "Your mileage may vary." :D

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
Hi Tom -

The "Master Paint Striper" looks like it might be the ideal tool. I recognize that gadget from about 40 years ago, but I had forgotten all about it. A double 1/32" line is what I'm looking for.

Over the weekend, I found a forum where the Grafstick tape was recommended for road stripes, so I ordered yellow and white tape in several widths. From another company, I ordered some Decocolor fine-point paint pens, which one review said are superior to the Elmer's pens (more opaque / better coverage).

My final weekend purchase was a 40" flexible ruler. Theoretically, I should be able to bend it to the contour of the roadway, run a paint pen along the ruler to paint the first stripe, then shift the position of the ruler slightly and paint the second, parallel stripe.

Now I think that the combination of the flexible ruler and the "Master Paint Striper" might be the best solution yet. At this rate, I will soon have more dollars invested in highway painting materials than new locomotive would cost!

Live and learn!

- Jeff
 
Jeff,

I will soon have more dollars invested in (highway painting) materials than new locomotive would cost!
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth!

But I keep revisiting something my dad taught me years and years ago -- it's best to have the right tool for the job. This looks like one of those times...

I'm hoping you'll post some pics later on -- when the paint dries and/or the tape gets burnished down!

Regards,
Tom
 
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