Track in brick street

[cfinchum]

Hi. With the layout slowly coming along, Trying to model track running down a brick street. Has anyone done this. trying to model the bricks between the rails. Anyone have any tips. I've seen the walthers track insert but looking to do all brick. Many thanks. CF.

 

[kenw]

Get brick sheet (styrene) and cut to fit inside and outside the rails.

 

[cfinchum]

Thank you. CF

 

[diburning]

Theres some company, (I forget the name, but the package is yellow) that makes brick and cobblestone decals for walls, but it would work here too (you can cut it down to size)

 

[UP2CSX]

I really like the Walthers brik street/concrete insert system. If you're running traction. the brick track insert is no problem but it's not strong enough to handle regular diesels and modern freight cars. Most cities either had a concrete or asphalt insert to cut down on the constant maintenance as heavier trains kept tearing up the brick. This is a picture of how mine turned out.

 

[tomstockton]

Jim,

Two questions on your post, if I may...

1. You noted, "If you're running traction. the brick track insert is no problem"... Are there commercially-available brick track inserts available -- or does one just have to cut or make inserts by hand?

2. You also stated that due to the maintenance required, concrete and/or asphalt "inserts" were used. I know I've seen pictures of tracks in a street, with nothing but brick around them (can't recall where, though... ) Do you have any idea on a time frame when this use of concrete / asphalt began, or became widespread? Of course, I would imagine it happened in "big cities" first, and would probably have happened in smaller towns later -- if at all??

Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Tom Stockton

 

[Shortliner2001]

Does this help? http://www.kancali.com/rrhomepage.html

 

[UP2CSX]

Tom, I don't know of any commercial brick track inserts. You can use Plastistruct brick sheets for the streets but you'd have to cut your own trackway and inserts. Another oprtion is to use the Walthers concrete inserts and get the .010 Plastistruct brick sheets. You can cut them to size and glue them on the concrete inserts to make the whole thing look like brick.

Changing the track inserts happened generally after WWII. Most traction lines were being abandoned except for freight service and many of the former freight lines were taken over by steam railways. Since the tracks ran in a city street, they were allowed by concession. Cities had lots of rules regarding these concession, including snow removal and street maintenance. Some lines continued to use the streetcar girder rail and light power like 44 tonners to keep servicing the industries if the brick street was in otherwise good shape. If the street needed to be paved or the railroad was using heavier engines and cars, the company would normally tear up the street insert, relay heavier rails, and then repave either the street insert or the whole street, depending on the concession rules. If they had to do the whole street, it would normally be done in concrete or asphalt since paving brick was harder to get and much more expensive to use. If the brick was in good shape except for the track insert, the company would use concrete or asphalt just for the track insert. A few cities required that the bricks be replaced or the bricks were in good enough shape to reuse but most street inserts lost their bricks.

Most of what I've written applies to streets that were arterials or heavily traveled. On side streets that were industrial in nature, it was common to use the existing track since it usually had to support just an engine and a few cars. Most of those street had been in bad shape for years because the truck traffic had torn them up, so the railroad wasn't required to spend much money on them. If the track ran down a main street, like the one in my picture, it was much more likely that the heavier rail would be used and the street insterts would be changed to concrete or asphalt so the citizens didn't keep bugging the mayor because the street was so rough.

 

[tomstockton]

Jim,

Thanks for the info! The small town I grew up in did not have trackage in the streets, so this is something I am unfamiliar with. Of course, that won't stop me from trying to model it!

Shortliner2001,

Ver-r-r-ry interesting! Might have to send them an order, just to check it out. Looks promising, though!

Regards,
Tom

 

[cfinchum]

Thanks Tom.

Thanks for asking the question Tom. That link from Shortliner2001 looks interesting. Thanks again everbody, This is a layout that Tom and myself are working on, with Tom being the creative one and me with the basement and room for a layout. He goes home and I play with it CF.

 

[Shortliner2001]

I just hope it helps you guys