Model Roads Using Foam Sheets

In this video I show how to use 2mm kids art foam sheets to make realistic roads for your model railroad.

[@melkitson]

I have done this for many years and am surprised how few people have discovered this method which is so easy.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Surprises me to. Cheap, looks good, no leveling or sanding required, and no mess! Thanks for watching!

[@marke.saunders4803]

Sorry for the loss of your wonderful furbaby. Great tip video.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Mark!

[@DadCooks2]

Just came across your channel. You have some great information and experience. I am looking forward to more. Please accept my sincerest and deepest condolences on the passing of Koko. Peace, health, happiness, and don't forget to enjoy playing with trains. And, of course, enjoy the wondrous views of the sky.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Dad Cooks!

[@markcentola2817]

just found your channel and subscribed great video and sorry for tour loss

[@SteveBrant55]

Just discovered your channel (December 20, 2023). Very nice to see this option for making roads. All the other videos I've seen use material you have to sand. Like you, I want to avoid dust. I will look through your other videos now. The road I'm going to model is small town concrete road... Route 66 here in Stroud, Oklahoma. So, I'm hoping I'll find where you talk about concrete instead of asphalt. Either way, Merry Christmas!

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Steve and Merry Christmas! Actually you can use the foam sheets to model concrete. Working on a chemical company scene that has a concrete apron. I used a craft acrylic color, Apple Barrel brand if memory serves, called “parchment” which is an antiqued yellow-white color as a base. Followed this with various weathering powders to simulate grunge, tire rubber marks, etc. What I have read is concrete can vary in colors based on the decade it was originally poured (different mixture in the past), age, aggregates used in the mix for an area, etc. So what I would advise is to take pictures or find pictures of Route 66 in Stroud and model from that. You can use a scrap piece of foam to experiment until you’re satisfied with the look. Cheers! Joe

[@JimmyBiffle]

I've used thick paper in the past which looked alright but this definitely changes it. Thanks!

[@JosephMusgrove]

Glad you found this useful!

[@FREEDOOOOM]

Sorry for your loss, friend. Love the road! Subbed.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thank you.

[@andrewchapman2024]

This is flipping awesome! My only question is how to imitate a curved country road with twists and turns. This foam looks to be a great alternative to the spackle that most people use for concrete roads in model railroading. The foam also seams to be more lightweight.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Glad you found the video helpful! Foam is so easy to work with and no mess! For curves, I would create a template using thick paper like card stock or construction paper. You will start out marking the two points of the desired road width with a sharp pencil. Then you measure and mark the desired width every 1/4 to 1/2-inches adjusting the angle of the ruler as you go based on the desired sharpness of your curve. When you’re finished, you want to slowly and carefully draw a line connecting the set of dots on each side. Using a sharp x-acto knife, slow and carefully cut along the lines. Now that you have your curve template, you can use it to cut your foam.

[@andrewchapman2024]

@@JosephMusgrove oh perfect, thank you for the advice. This will certainly come in handy as I embark on my first Model railroad.

[@schadowolf]

Outstanding video, took notes!

[@JosephMusgrove]

So glad you found the video useful. Thanks for watching!

[@doublediamondrailroad5949]

Love it! About to make a new road. Crossing this way. Made one before with black foam and Styrene ramps. This time I’m going all black foam. Can leave the crossing like new Blacktop and Weather the approaching road. Contrasts look good.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks for the comment! Good luck on the new road! Just remember to proceed with construction just before rush hour 😉

[@jaybickford512]

Great work! I've now added 2mm foam to my shopping list. Hopefully it will look okay in N-Scale too.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Jay! I would think this will work fine with N-scale.

[@raymondrion6712]

Great job on the roads,the club Im in has been using the fabric material for roads for a couple of years.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Raymond! I was really happy with the results. Plus no sanding or plaster dust to deal with!

[@csxrensville5105]

The road looks really good. I've used the grey foam to model concrete hard standing. It looked good when put down and weathered, even better when my cat jumped on the layout and stuck his claws in it(Not planned)! Now it has prototypical deep cracks in it.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks! Sounds like your cat is a model railroader in training!

[@dirkduchesne2218]

Sorry for your loss. You love a dog his whole life, but you will miss him your whole life.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Dirk.

[@DansGrandValley]

Awesome job! They look terrific!

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks!

[@scottpecorino6320]

nice weathering

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Scott!

[@mysticrailroad]

sweet methods. the road looks pro. great vid!

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Mystic Southern!

[@ReidsTrainStuff]

Excellent video, roads are one thing I can never seem to get right, definitely shall be trying that technique, got a new sub here, looking forward to seeing your other videos...Reid👍

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Reid!

[@steve87thpsap]

Very nice. I tried several ways to do my roads and have to agree foam is the best. Makes it easy to make crossings to. Nice demo and advice on paints.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Steve. Agree, so much easier without the mess and time of having to sand plaster material!

[@mistered1397]

Great video and tips.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks! Hoping to have more how to videos out soon.

[@georgiasunbelt]

Your channel came as a suggestion today....great foam road how to...your results are awesome.... ew subscriber....Anthony

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Anthony! More videos coming!

[@derekalexander4030]

I have to tell you, when I saw the thumbnail photo the only thing that told me it wasn’t real was the ruler and the pink foam peeking out. Great job. I’m subscribed. Terribly sorry about your k9 family member. It’s never easy.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Derek. Never easy to say goodbye to the four legged family members. Thanks for the compliment on the road! More videos coming!

[@0808Mullet]

I have used the same product but slightly different painting method, yours looks better.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks for the feedback Paul!

[@alanritchie9781]

Looks nice.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks!

[@gmburzynski68]

Good job on the instructional video Joe! Have you thought about using a super thin layer of plaster on top of the foam, then using your finger to cause cracks. I read that somewhere or saw on the youse tubes. I have all my track down,, scenery concerns me,, I am not artistic,, I can build anything!! , but a artist I am not. I will give your method a try though. Greg

[@JosephMusgrove]

I have not heard of the plaster layer method so will have to look that up. For simulated cracks on foam roads, some people will use a very fine scribing tool or slim exacto blade with good results. Thanks for the feedback!

[@chadportenga7858]

Looks great! What do you do to "hide" the seams between sections?

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks! Little bit of spackle does the trick if needed.

[@kevinpurcell2093]

Hi thank you for the video and the information. I would like to know how you do curves with the art foam?

[@JosephMusgrove]

Glad you liked the video! For curves, I would create a template using thick paper like card stock or construction paper. You will start out marking the two points of the desired road width with a sharp pencil. Then you measure and mark the desired width every 1/4 to 1/2-inches adjusting the angle of the ruler as you go based on the desired sharpness of your curve. When you’re finished, you want to slowly and carefully draw a line connecting the set of dots on each side. Using a sharp x-acto knife, slow and carefully cut along the lines. Now that you have your curve template, you can use it to cut your foam.

[@caryhamilton8320]

Use the foam as well, but yours is Amazing!

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Cary

[@TJRohyans]

Looks authentic! Question though... How common were asphalt roads in the 70's? I was a kid in the 70's and don't recall asphalt as much as I do concrete roads. I'm also modeling a late 70's era switching layout.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Hey TJ. Thanks for the feedback! The road material would depend on the location you are modeling. Growing up in the 1970s in Arkansas, asphalt roads were the norm except for major interstate highways. Gravel roads and dirt roads were not uncommon in rural areas. My guess would be the cost and availability of materials is a major factor when municipalities choose the road material for a given area.

[@tomcook5813]

Trying to decide either your foam method or joint compound, your very convincing

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Tom! I used joint compound for roads on my last layout. Woodland scenics paver tape was used as a template/form when putting down the joint compound. I liked the results! The downside was the dust and mess when sanding after the compound was dry. “No matter how much you smooth out the wet compound, you will still end up with uneven areas” The other negative is the possibility of cracks over time.

[@tonyromano6220]

Awww.

[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

Model from the real world! Why? Because They Make It Like That!!

[@centralarkansasastronomica3477]

Exactly!

[@denisestevens6492]

Hi thankyou for yr helpful video. As I am rather new at diorama builds etc... but loving it. Bit hard on myself. Love & positive wishes to you on the loss of yr fur-babe/best mate. I know how it feels & WOW it does hurt. Best of wishes & again thankyou for teaching me some tips. Cheerz Denise W.A Australia

[@JosephMusgrove]

You will be an expert in no time! Cheers! Joe

[@alixjanove2786]

Great job on your roads. Your step by step process was very easy to follow. One question regarding your road lines: what do you do for curves in your roadway?

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks! Curves can be a challenge. One method I found that works… 1. Where the curve starts, mark the center of the road based on the road width. For example, if your road is three inches wide, you center will be 1-1/2 inches from each edge. For the mark, I will take a number two pencil and place a small dot. 2. You will repeat the process every few inches through the curve. 3. Using the dots as a guide. Carefully place the line tape. At this stage you do not want to press the tape down in case you need to make small adjustments. 4. Once the lines are to your liking, press the line tape down. 5. As an option, you can take a fine brush and seal the line tape with a matte finish such as Mod Podge. This will help make sure the tape stays secure over time.

[@brucewingate9708]

Thanks for the video. I am curious, did the board "cup"? Maybe it didn't because you glued it down a day or two before painting?

[@JosephMusgrove]

Hi Bruce. After placing the foam, I kept it in place with push-pins or heavy flat objects and let it sit overnight to make sure the mod podge dried completely. So once the glue is dry, you should be able to paint the road without issue. Push pins can leave a small hole but all you have to do is rub a little spakle over the hole.

[@donaldkormos5529]

Whose weathering powders do you use? Thanks for a nice video ... I'm going to try your technique once I get some foam.

[@JosephMusgrove]

I use Bragdon weathering powers. Thanks for the feedback! Let me know how the road turns out.

[@shawnpowell5876]

That's a neat idea of doing your roads w that foam. Where did you find it and what thickness is it?

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks! The sheets are 2mm in thickness. You can find these foam sheets at almost any craft/hobby outlet or retail store.

[@davidfromtexas9681]

I have seen another video where they used these foam sheets to make sidewalks and it was very effective. These look really good I must say. I'm curious if you have a town scene where the road was better maintained and do you feel these foam sheets are only good for rural weathered road? I'm trying to avoid using something like smooth-it but I've also seen people use pre-mixed spackle as well.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks for watching! I think you can use foam sheets for asphalt or concrete roads of any condition or area. For any asphalt road, I always start with black colored foam and paint and weather to the desired look. You can get good results from sparkle and smooth it. The problem I have found is the process is messy. Especially the sanding process which is unavoidable to get the surface smooth and even. Another issue I ran into with sparkle is it can crack.

[@freescopesdad]

Joe I'm using the same technique on my n scale layout. One question... Have you decided what to use to smoothly join 2 sections of foam to hide the crack between? some say Deluxe Materials putty, others say white glue, others say some sort of silicon caulk... I'll have to test all of those to see which one (or another) takes the acrylic paint best if at all. Ron

[@JosephMusgrove]

Hey Ron! Thanks for watching. I found if the section edges are straight, (I use a ruler as a cutting guide), the line between the foam sections, once weathered, pretty much disappear. “Another advantage of using foam for roads!” If you want to insure the line is completely invisible, if using the 2mm foam, Mod Podge is a good choice. Once applied you would just take your finger or a straight edge and wipe off the excess. My concern with a non-liquid material like putty, is it would leave a noticeable “bump” or uneven area between the foam sections.

[@freescopesdad]

@@JosephMusgrove Never thought about the mod podge but it makes sense. I'll give it a try on a test piece on my workbench. Thanks.

[@Crookedriverandeasternrr]

Love the foam sheets. I use them myself. Sorry about your pup. It’s never easy.

[@JosephMusgrove]

Appreciated the comment. Will be sure to checkout your channel!

[@Crookedriverandeasternrr]

@@JosephMusgrove thank you I appreciate the support

[@jpbnuangel]

How about trying a grey foam sheet?

[@JosephMusgrove]

You could depending on the final look you are going for. I found starting with “new asphalt black” and working your way to the final look is a better way to go. Roads are never one solid color. Starting with black allows realistic fade with slightly different tones as you go along in the process. Thanks for watching and the feedback!

[@conradbelveal7709]

Hi Joe! Thanks for the great video! I found “EVA 2mm hobby foam” on Amazon. Is that the material? TIA

[@JosephMusgrove]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Yes, EVA 2mm foam is what I used. Let me know how the project turns out!

[@railxxx5787]

What kind of foam sheets?

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks for watching! I use the 2mm foam craft sheets.

[@railxxx5787]

Thanks

[@tomcook5813]

Hello Joe! Greetings from Rock Island Oklahoma, would be honored if you were to stop by someday to inspect my layout. Great video!

[@JosephMusgrove]

Thanks Tom! Next time I am in that area would be glad to come by to see the layout! Working on another how-to now, weathering brick, that should be out soon. Cheers!