Brick roads.

Tim, Being old enough to remember those, their size was larger than bricks used on homes. Street bricks did not seem to have different shades as I remember them.  I would suspect when repairs were made there might be some different shades. I remember a brick yard with ovens on the north west corner of Ridge and Brookpark Roads.

Hope this might be of some help. Good luck.

Wayne

Don't paint it yellow...

https://railnscale.com/2017/02/12/row-paving-fine-tth0/

Bricks?

Do you have any photos of the streets you want to model? Many used cobblestones instead of bricks. ...DaveB

..

Where they use bricks in the states where I have been, they're the standard old red firebrick...nothing special other than that...

How old is your road

The age of the road can make a difference on how you approach the brick....if it is a newer road then the Plasti-struct brick may be just fine....if it is older then you may want to look for some of the brick sheets by some manufacturers that simulate old brick. Or if you don't have a lot of road to do you could pour thin plaster then carve your bricks in it as it cures.

Pics 'o bricks

Good evening,

Here is a picture of one side of the building I want to represent on the layout. If you click on the image, you can see a "full size" version.

(Picture from the W&LE archives special collection at Cleveland State University)

The era I'm modeling is about 30 years after this photo, so worn brick is likely to show up in spots.

Thanks for the input!!!

Tim Moran Akron, OH

How labor-intensive do you want to get?

If you want to go the “hand laid” route, you can make impressions of bricks into foam or spackle.  It’s a lot of work, but the upside is that you can replicate the pattern/shape indefinitely. Use a paint brush (with all the bristles removed) to make brick, cobblestone or flagstone.  I believe the second example is an old ‘shop brush’. Alter the shape so it’s more rectangular and you can make bricks for days! 

I can’t read the words, but take a look at how this guy made brick floor in between the tracks of a roundhouse:

http://lereseaudepsx.e-monsite.com/pages/astuces-decor/ca-grave-docteur.html

pavers are different from building bricks

As Wayne notes, pavers are more uniform in color than building bricks. I think the sizes are slightly different, and of course there is no mortar between courses.

Your photo is amazing -- the surface is VERY flat. It this newly installed?

Brick streets and vehicle access areas around structures that I've seen have a lot of undulations. Of course, what I'm looking at has been in place for decades, and subject to heavy vehicles and freeze-thaw. We need more vintage photos.

Mark Charles

Ann Arbor, Mich. USA

Flat brick pavement - to Mark

Mark,

My best guess is this picture was taken in about 1919-1921. Heavy road traffic wouldn't be the rule of the day for a number of years. Take a look at the truck at the dock for example......looks like solid rubber tires and definitely no power steering to help turn on a dime!

I'd love to find a picture of this area before it was torn down in the 1980's.

Thanks for your input!

Tim Moran

Stamping brickwork

Bill,

This method has some really good points and I'll definitely give it a try on some sample material!

Thanks for sharing!

Tim Moran Akron, OH

Try Shapeways

A couple years ago there was discussion about a "stamp" for brick patterns that is a cylinder. Roll it like a rolling pin.

Shapeways.com        SEARCH for BRICK PAVING

DrJolS

the photo

Looks like there's more than one kind of brick in the street? The texture to the right looks different than the bricks to the left? Maybe some more photos of the building could be found showing more of the pavement? ......DaveB

I think I remember seeing

some brick material in The Proto 87 Store's trolley/street car section.  Worth a look see.

Take a look at this site

You can make bricks of any color

http://paperbrick.co.uk/index.php?action=home

DAS Modeling Clay

I read an article someplace, a few years ago, where the author uses DAS Modeling Clay, which can be bought in various colors, including "terra cotta".  This stuff air dries, so you apply it, smooth it with a wall paper roller or some type of roller, and then emboss it.  There is a product like the suggestion made to check Shapeways - I have seen them offered on Ebay by a Turkish seller, and in fact, I bought one of the rollers (but don't have the seller's ID anymore).  You use it similar to a rolling pin.  There are a variety of sizes, including several with grooves that fit between the track, for street trackage (in various scales and both narrow gauge and standard gauge).  I intend to use this method to "pave" (brick" a passenger platform, including between the rails, but I'm a ways from doing that yet.

Al Carter

Thank you for all the suggestions!

Good morning.

I've got some research to do on the various options offered here. I like the clay /roller concept and will try it on a test section. The finished product has to be able to survive on a module that not only sits in my basement but "goes on the road" to shows, so durability is crucial.

Will report back with results of the experiments!

Tim Moran Akron, OH

Laser cut brick sheets

You could try laser engraved brick sheets. There's a few online sellers, here's one place I found  https://www.rail-scale-models.com/HO-Scale-Common-Brick-Wall-Sheet

Monster Model Works had some nice products but they are transitioning to a new owner.

With some time invested in Corel or Adobe you could make your own with our Library's Epilog laser 

Bricks

Paving brick and brick for building construction are two different animals. My hometown still has a few brick streets that haven't been asphalted over. There is some color variation in the brick.

Laser cut brickwork

Chris,

There are a couple of brick paved streets in town that could be measured for accurate modeling. Getting down to the library to learn the software might be an investment for future projects. Hmmm....when would I have time to do this??

Thanks for the suggestion!

Tim Moran Akron, OH

You're in OHIO... you HAVE one!

Lincoln Highway (Old us 30) has a stretch of brick - looks original to me... please document it!

Between Minerva and East Canton. I drove a stretch (Not the best road, and also Not bad) about 5 years ago.  I hope its in your area... could be a 250 mile drive, and today is NOT the day to do it (forecast; Ice).

Google helps :  Street view shows clearly : brick.  And still sound.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7709102,-81.2214331,3a,89y,280.21h,76.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6IXY7oO_11HwCXJxasV2Dw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656   

Arial view shows clearly . brick.

Lincoln Highway, built in 1909, as the first paved road to cross the continent.  Originally from New York (Actually, Jersey City)  to San Fransisco.   US 30 today connects Atlantic City to San Francisco, using much of the same general route.

Bricks

There are also three different patterns of brick streets and I have seen all three used.

• Crossways, the long side of the brick is across the street
• Lengthwise, the short side of the brick is across the street
• Herringbone, the bricks have an interlocked pattern.

I have also seen different patterns on intersections, with herringbone or divided in four "wedges" with each wedge the pattern of its base.

Plastruct makes a sheets of brick plastic, the regular brick can be used for the crossways or lengthwise streets and they also make a herringbone sheet, but they call it "interlocked" brick.

There are also different pavers, cobblestone are usually more rounded and much older, then there is "Belgian block", which are more rectangular granite blocks that are used in more modern times.  I have seen Belgian block laid in straight rectangular pattern or in "fans" of overlapping arcs or circular patterns.  Fans are typically older  or more "ornamental" streets.

Both brick and block streets tended to have stone block curbs, sandstone, limestone or granite (granite was best).

A closer brick road - for Peter

Peter,

I wouldn't take much for me to get on out to East Canton - Minerva area since a good friend models that area on his layout. There is another example much closer to home: https://binged.it/2qO3sl6 . This road is within 10 miles of my house and easy to get to.....guess I'd better get out there before it's all covered up for (or by) winter.

Is there a stretch of US 30 that you'd like me to take a picture and share?

Thanks,

Tim Moran Akron, OH

Actually, Tim, I (we) get there every year now...

(Non railroad aside)  Look up Flite-test,  I think they're still Canton based...  annually they have Flite-Fest... my son roped me in to his hobby, RC Aircraft... and they are the reason why.  We get there in July.  I can wait, but thanks for the offer! 

If you do take photos of brick size, add a carpenter's square for an instant scale annotation.

I just wish I had photos of the West Side of Manhattan in the era of piers and rail movement.. that was cobblestone and/or brick.   Old photos would have to do now.

P.S.   weather here tied me up for 7 hours... to travel 2 miles.... OK, the pizza shop was handy, but roads were impassible as our hills were unplowed for hours.  - So much about ice in Ohio!

"I just wish I had photos of

  Did you check out Phil Goldstein's New York terminals website? He has lots of west side photos of yards, rolling stock,transfer bridges, street trackage, etc....DaveB