I use one of my drones

Hmmm,  Like the watercolor paper idea,  I have been using normal paper.  So I will take the watercolor paper and give it a test.

I use one of my drones and take a multiple straight down photos of roads in my area,  then use my color laser printer and print those roads onto 8.5x14 cardstock.  I cut it out and coat it with a clear flat to seal it all in.  instant realistic roads.  I'm worried of getting water on my printed cardstock when I working with other sceaney materials. Do not want to mess up all that work... 

Time to find some watercolor paper and see if my laser printer will work with it.

Grammar error What's neat page 11

"Both models are made of metal and very run and run very smoothly."

Paper roads, RFID

Interesting approach to roads.

I also wasn’t aware that someone had actually productized using RFID tags to track cars, that’s pretty cool.

Road Paper Weight?

Most interesting looking roadway. Is the paper used 140# (140 pound)? I suppose some mod-podge flat might serve as joint compound for splicing road segments together on the layout? Do you have something better perhaps?  Thanks for the excellent tutorial.

Enjoy Your Trains,

The price is right

for road-building material - just a booklet of watercolor paper will more than cover all the asphalt I need on my layout. Many thanks for this tip on a new (and inexpensive) material.

Road Paper Weight

140# most likely means:  140 GSM (grams per Square Metre).  It's am international paper measuring system ..Photo copier paper is typically 90 GSM.

140# is 140 pound

Paper weights in the US are a bit odd.  They’re measured in pounds per ream, for the reference size for that type of paper. https://www.oki.com/us/printing/support/understanding-paper-weight/index.html

The GSM approach makes a lot more sense, but it’s different.  If I read the charts I found right, 140# paper is 253 GSM.

Modeling Ideas from Above Submission Question

Hello,

I have a couple of drone videos I have taken over the past few years featuring a number of railroad locations and was wondering how I may submit them to you for consideration for the drone video segments in the What's Neat monthly videos.

Thanks,

Mike

Roads and sidewalks questions

I'm curious and have lots of questions. What is special about the watercolor paper? I would have thought the medium applied to the paper would not be very compatible with solvent-based aerosol paints. On the other hand, it would be very good for acrylic airbrushing.

Artists papers come in many thicknesses and textures, from smooth to very rough. What weight and style is recommended?

What adhesives do you use to attach it to your layout? Something not too wet, so the paper doesn't buckle, or does some buckling improve its appearance?

When you place multiple pieces of your road, how do you treat the seams? Do you fill them with glue, cover the seams with your gel ink to look patched together like some roads, tear or worry the ends so they feather together, or something else entirely?

For the sidewalks, you mentioned you apply mod podge over the wood to hide the grain. Do you let it dry completely before painting? I've read about a technique of applying acrylic paint over incompletely dried glue to create a crackle texture - because they dry at different rates - that could simulate cracked concrete. I haven't gotten that far but I was wondering if that looked realistic.

I'd love the opportunities to experiment on my own but my modeling time is a rare luxury. I love these kinds of tips from people who have already gone through the experience.

Thanks so much!