Sidewalks!


jbaakko

jbaakko

Diesel Detail Freak
I'm pre-planning to start "completion work" on one of the modules for my layout. This requires laying approximately 200 scale feet of sidewalk. My current plans call for Durham's water putty for the rod material (so I can test it out), however, the roads are to be lined by sidewalks to either side.

Here's the problem. I like the looks of the Frenchman River Modelworks versions, and the small town sidewalk would work fine in most areas, with the big city sidewalk along one section.

My problem is the fact that one package will only cover about 1/4 of my area, and the curb damage is crazy... Plus, being I model modern times, I need handicapped ramps at the corners...

Does anyone have a solution, or am I going to be stuck modifying the Frenchman River Modelworks versions to suit?
 
Josh, I've been using plastic sheeting cut into strips & scribed w/a razor edge knife for joints. I use a paper cutter to cut mine. I don't know what thickness you need though. Sometimes I just use scissors because of the diff. shapes. I lay my buildings on the strips & mark the door openings, etc. & then cut what I need. Been doing this for many years.
 
Sounds good Larry!

I discussed this with a small manufacturer, who says if I get photos and measurements, he can cast some in resin, which will allow me to get the driveway and handicapped ramps...
 
Josh, get some .040 sheet styrene. It should be just about the right height for a side walk. A heavy duty paper cutter makes it easier but a metal straight edge and sharp utility knife work too. Cut it in the widths you need and then scribe expansion joints using a utility knife. I'm assuming you have a Dremel tool. It's easy to do the handicapped cuts and driveway entrances using a Dremel and some sanding drums. Get several sizes of sanding drums so you cut the big handicapped ramps for downtown streets and the small curb depressions for residential driveways. I find most manufactured sidewalk sections are too inflexible if you have an odd curve in the street and far too expensive for large areas. I've been using the styrene techniques for years and you can see them in some of the photos I've posted.
 
Josh,

As far as Handicapped Ramps are concerned:

I am involved in road design at work and sidewalks often come into play. I use the TxDOT standard drawing "PED-05" for barrier free ramps anytime I deal with a state road, a tie-in to a state road or anytime I am outside incorporated jurisdiction and there are no governing engineering standards for sidewalks.

Here is the standard drawing:

ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/cmd/cserve/standard/roadway/ped05.pdf

You might be able to find something similar for your modeling location if the Texas standard won't work for you. There are some unusual designs out there, but across western states, BFRs tend to resemble this design, more or less.

For your other roadway design elements, be sure to look up your state's engineering standard drawings. There's a wealth of information out there.
 
Ryan thanks for that excellent link!! Im not doing sidewalks... YET lol. Ive saved that PDF to my desktop for future reference :D
 
Thanks Ryan, I never thought of looking up standards!

The only thing I'm not seeing in those standards is the "new" practice I'm seeing out here, with a similar style ramp to that of the straight one shown near the top left (type 2), though at a corner similar to type 22, or even that of 4 without the flares and ramps. I like the info about the warning paver, though they seem to use a large section out here, the bump layout should be the same.

I got a bunch of standards for San Diego county, which is good enough for CA standards for me.
http://www.regional-stds.com/drawings.html
 
Josh, the standards you have should be good for California. The curb ramp and driveway cut shown are very typical for California and close enough for almost anywhere else. The Feds actually have a set of standards as well but every state is free to implement the standards as they see fit as long as it meets the minimums like grade for the curb ramp. Except for the few of us who were involved in traffic engineering, no one will ever notice the small differences in HO scale.
 
Sounds good Jim. I'll play around with the "specs" and see how they work for my current project.

On a side note, I spoke with a "cottage industry" (small one person operation) manufacturer, who said if I get him measurements and photos, he'll see if he can cast some in resin, as a kit. This would be desirable, however using ~.040" styrene is also on my list.
 
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