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Woodland scenics roadway system.

In this article I show you how to make a street or asphalt road with Woodland scenics "Smooth it" road system. It is a white powder, ones mixed with water, looks like plaster. However it contains a lot less trapped air "holes" then plaster when it is hardened. It is very easy to make, and with a little sanding you create smooth surface.

Woodland scenics has two different colors to create either an asphalt or an concrete road. This paint can be easily replaced with a much cheaper water based acrylic craft paint.

The same is true for the tape used to outline the road. I use a foam tape weather-strip, available at the local hardware store.

I used this system and created a asphalt road as well a brick road with a trolley running trough it. The trolley runs on standard track, I did not use special street track.

Click on the photo for a picture in higher resolution and size.

Asphalt road.
	The necessary materials. Tape, Smooth it, paint, mixing box and an drywall knife.
	Mix the powder with water until it is one substance ready to be poured.
	The road is outlined with the weather-strip. Pour the Smooth it mix inside the tape, and spread it out evenly.
	Until the entire road is filled in.
	Now with the use of the drywall knife, make the road even between the tape outlines.
	All we do now is wait until it dries. In case it is not thick enough we can add a second layer.
	To prevent leaking on the edge I installed a left over piece of wood to the frame.
	When it is all dry the tape can be removed. After the tape is removed, also remove the excess material on the outside of the road.
	With sand paper sand the road surface smooth and also create the round surface of the road. This will create a large amount of white dust, so use the vacuum cleaner at the same time when sanding, or else the surrounding is coffered in snow.
	When sanding is finished and cleaned up, start painting the road. I simply brush it on.
	When the road is painted and dry, I mark the location of the white center stripes with tape, and paint it with the same kind of paint. Don't use a tape that adheres strong to the road, otherwise you remove the first layer of paint.
	The result after the tape is removed.
	Now paint some sidewalks between the buildings.
	And it start to look like something.
Street track (trolley).
	I started with gluing the track on the plywood. I also attached the wiring and placed caps in the rails where needed, so this won't be a problem later on.
	The same way as shown in the asphalt road, I apply the "Smoot it" product over the track, that will be in the middle of the street.
	To completely cover the track, the "Smooth it" needs to be applied in a few layers. The tape can be removed ones this is dried and hardened.
	First I sanded the road and cleaned the track. I also cut some material away from the track to make room for the flense of the wheels.
	Power up the track and make a test run.
	I choose to make a brick street. With a saw blade and a sharp soldering tool, I created grooves to imitate this.
	I have learned a better way of doing this, so that will be for the next time.
	With different colors paint I brush and dry brush to get the right color for the bricks.
	And then I thought about adding a bicycle road.
	Which is parallel to the street.
	Just the way it is in Holland these days, a red bicycle road. Not easy for me to get the right color red. I can not just go and look outside to match it up. That's one of the disadvantages of living at the other side of the ocean.
	The white center stripes are painted the same way as on the asphalt road. Of course when I removed the masking tape, I also removed the under laying red paint. I had to start all over.
	It is far from being finished, I still have to work in between the street and bicycle road to separate the two, and the buildings.
	The city and central station, which are higher behind this point on, is going to be hidden with a shopping street.

This page is last updated on 15 July 2012

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