Model Railroads

Page 23

Rubber Roads!?

September, 2010 – Of all the clever solutions I have seen to all the problems created by having a railroad outdoors, roads for the cars and trucks seem to defy cleverness. The first problem is that roads are not a first priority. Then there is the weathering problem, and staying in scale and on and on. The Chief Gardener suggested that we look at pavers and in doing our research, we discovered rubber pavers. What if…..

My photo

December 23, 2012 – Okay, it has been too long to get this info finished. I won't do a photo step-by-step but, since it ain't rocket science, here is an unillustrated guide:

1. The rubber blocks shown above were cut into 4 pairs for the main roads and 8 single sections for the driveways.
2. The curves are made by cutting the ends of the pieces at an angle as shown below.
3. To stabilize the road, I glued a second layer below the surface.
4. The 'sub-layer' is offset half a length to stablize the surface joints, like brick laying.
5. A trench is dug and the road buried.
6. Eventually, I plan to come up with a thin surface layer to cover the depressions in the pavers and to make smoother edges on the curves.
7. I also would like to do the rail crossings better. 

Overall, the road looks okay, has held up well with only a little heave. The clear silicone used to seal the joints has turned yellow. Questions?

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