Last year I mocked up the roads in Oasis Palms using 1/4 “project display board”. This is the tri-fold foam core board with paper backing on each side typically used for school projects and science fairs at $4 for a 36×48 board it’s a bargain. The pieces were cut and fitted and pinned down to the layout. I laid the foam up to the edge of the track to get an idea of where the road elevation needed to rise to create the railroad crossings.
My goal was to recreate the almost-white finish of a sun-faded desert highway. For the roads, I decided to go with the more flexible 5mm High-Density EVA foam and reuse the project board for my “ramps” (to rise from the layout base to the top of the Fastrack) and “bridges” (to span between my parallel tracks.) The project board is rigid and offers great support for the road transitions, where the EVA is flexible and can make a smooth transition from the layout deck up the ramps to the track.
For the ramps, I cut 4″ pieces of the project board to give me a smooth transition. I beveled both edges, on the trackside, I used a 3/8″ bevel and on the layout side, I used a 1.5″ bevel. The bevels create a gradual transition from the layout surface to the 1/4″ thickness of the foam board.
Cutting these bevels was actually easier than expected. On the back, you cut through only the outside paper. Then using a sharp box cutter you cut the angle through the foam leaving the paper on the front side intact and allowing the knife blade to ride through the cut made on the back. The cut on the back actually guides the blade and the paper on the front resists the blade so you as less likely to cut the front paper. Basically the knife is only cutting the super-soft foam in the middle.
In this photo, I’m displaying the angle of the blade as it rides through the cut scored on the back side of the poster board. Although the foam is soft and cuts very easily, for safety reasons always cut away from your arms/body. After cutting, you can sand the foam and paper to get a smooth transition.
For the bridges between parallel tracks, I simply beveled the ends to 45 degrees and cut them to sit just below the height of the ties on the Fastrack. To fill the gap between the project board and my layout base, I used the same ultra-light-weight spackle used on my mountains.
The ramps and bridges make the foundation for the EVA foam roads.
I cut the EVA foam in 5″ wide strips to represent 20′ foot wide single lane roads.
To achieve the almost white road surface, the foam was painted using a sponge technique with grey and light grey (almost white) chalk paints. Then I created a wash of the grey paint and used a foam brush to add two coats of grey wash to even out the finish.
The bottom shows the EVA with the sponge finish. The top shows the roads after the two gray wash coats were applied.
Lines were added using paint markers. I put them on pretty light as I wanted the lines to look faded as well.
The roads were then glued down using Loctite Power Grab.
The ramps and bridges backfilled with spackle result in roads that blend with the terrain and make it possible for vehicles to actually cross the tracks in a somewhat prototypical fashion.
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