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Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:41 am
by Graeme Leary
A scenic query.

Inspired by a few layouts I've seen featured in various magazines (and a good political decision to replicate the 'Coronation Street' look for my wife's approval) I've decided to 'cobble' the streets in the older part of 'town' on my layout (probably using something like the embossed sheets from Slater's 'Plastikard'). These are streets running passed eg terraced houses, mills and other industrial buildings, and the backs of hotels and shops (with the front street facings being left to give a sealed/tarmacked look).

However, where newly tarmacked road surfaces were sealed up to old cobbles how would the 'joins' appear? I presume a 'clean' join where the tarmac was placed up to the cobbles that were being retained. Have to admit on many UK trips never thought to look so any comments much appreciated.

Graeme Leary
New Zealand

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:23 am
by Kestrel
There's 'cobbles' which are irregular rounded stones you find on a beach and there are 'setts' (often confused with 'cobbles') which are square or rectangular and are more likely to seen in roads, eg Coronation Street.

cobbles:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobblestone
setts:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sett_(paving)

Councils covered setts with tarmac but now they seem to be coming back in fashion. Maybe you could go on maps.google.co.uk and, using streetview, go to places you've been to in the UK, the older the better, where you think you've seen them.

The model ones I've seen tend to be oversized for their scale and you might want to look at dropping a scale just as you'd use 'N gauge' ballast on 'OO' track as it's more realistic.

I've fiddled around with Google for you and looking at the pic of the junction in Cumbria in the 'sett' link above, I've gone to street view and come up with this.
stone setts in road.png

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:54 am
by Kestrel
This shows the haphazard join between setts and tarmac. If you enlarge it, it lets you compare the size of the setts with the flag stones which look like 3' x 2'.
stone_setts_in road_2.png

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 1:00 am
by Graeme Leary
Many thanks Kestrel (and it jogged my memory as I think I may have asked about this previously). The Wikipedia notes also reminded me that I have seen 'pitched' surfaces in various parts of the UK but I think I'll use either the Slater 'Plastikard' product 0421 'Random Stone' or their 0423 'Flint/Random Pebble Walling' which at 7mm/4mm might be a more accurate scale size.

Your help much appreciated.

Graeme

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:52 pm
by 52D
Kestrel wrote: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:23 am There's 'cobbles' which are irregular rounded stones you find on a beach and there are 'setts' (often confused with 'cobbles') which are square or rectangular and are more likely to seen in roads, eg Coronation Street.

cobbles:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobblestone
setts:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sett_(paving)

Councils covered setts with tarmac but now they seem to be coming back in fashion. Maybe you could go on maps.google.co.uk and, using streetview, go to places you've been to in the UK, the older the better, where you think you've seen them.

The model ones I've seen tend to be oversized for their scale and you might want to look at dropping a scale just as you'd use 'N gauge' ballast on 'OO' track as it's more realistic.

I've fiddled around with Google for you and looking at the pic of the junction in Cumbria in the 'sett' link above, I've gone to street view and come up with this.stone setts in road.png
Well done Kestrel for pointing out the difference between setts and cobbles, a lot were produced in Northumberland with the quarry at Craster being well known for its Whinstone setts and Kerbstones. Whinstone is quartz dolorite a form of igneous rock sort of similar to Aberdeens granite.

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:49 am
by Graeme Leary
Have just received my Slater's Plastikard sheets and they look perfect. However, quite a while back I read some way to 'shade' the grooves to give the weathered effect of dirt/grime shading between the raised stones but darned if I can find it.

Is there an 'idiot' proof way of doing this simply? I seem to recall a way to add the alternative (deeper?) colour which is then rubbed back creating the contrast between the 2. (I have just applied a coat of mid-grey primer to the 'beige' tone the sheets are produced in and this could be acceptable for the higher points of the stones but between these I'd imagine the effect would be darker and dirtier. Maybe the darker grime colour should go on first and then the lighter (for the raised stones) applied and rubbed back before too dry. Suggestions (or links) much appreciated.

Graeme

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:10 pm
by exile
There are several ways of doing this Graeme

You could use weathering powders put on liberally and then wiped off the top surface.

My favoured route is to use a dirty black/brown paint. Thin this down to around 1/3rd paint or even less. Paint on and then wipe the top surface - or not depending on the effect you want. The tinned paint will flow down into the cracks anyway. You can use several coats of differing shades to give a variety of effects.

Re: Cobblestoned streets

Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:11 pm
by Graeme Leary
Thanks exile - your procedure exactly as I now remember having described to me many years ago (when I wasn't even considering doing this on my layout).

Now, where did I put my paint?

Graeme