MODELING: Grade Crossing Construction

Work continues on the grade crossing and connecting roadway. The road I am modeling is supposed to be of asphalt surfacing. The technique I am using is based on Gordon Gravett’s book (Modelling Grassland and Landscape Detailing ).

The roadway base is Bristol Board that was coated with shellac to seal it. The base is bonded to the rigid foam scenery using a construction adhesive. I built up the edges with DAS modeling clay. You can buy this product at Amazon. The clay is useful for patching sheet of Bristol Board as well.

Gravett used a gloss enamel as the base color for the asphalt. His choice was Humbrol but I used Model Masters (Testors). Paint on the enamel and sift on a texturing material. I used Chinchilla Dust and talc. Amazon also has Chinchilla Dust. It is a clay-based material that runs from small to medium grains. I followed the book instructions and used a woman’s stocking to sift on the dust. Talc can be applied with a sieve.

The test section shows the effect of the grit being applied to the wet paint. When vacuumed off the appearance looks like an older asphalt road. This is the effect that I was trying to get. The book talks about using a dark gray rather than black. I think that would look better.

I applied several layers of the paint and grit over the road. Part of the dried mixture was scraped off and reapplied to simulate a patch. I used a the same paint to add tar seals to various cracks and patches. A finishing touch is to apply chalk weathering to show road wear.

Road making is a work in progress. I need to improve my technique. The instructions in the Gravett book very useful for those who are building a layout or diorama.

Happy Trails,

Gene