The Straco Layout - Part 13, White Line Fever

I thought it was time to do a little more work on the Straco Express layout, so I decided to add a little detail to the road.

I had recently purchased a Sharpie Poster Paint marker for another purpose, and thought it might be an easy way to add traffic lines.

It was.

On-road painting finished...

One advantage I had in laying out the lines was the pegboard itself. Since I had made the roadway  five holes in width, I conveniently had a line of holes in the middle of the road to serve as a guide.


I experimented a little with freehand drawing, but that didn't work very well. I then tried using a ruler, but that was awkward.

The best solution turned out to be painter's tape. I simply applied two strips on either side of the line I wanted to draw, and then just colored in the opening with the Sharpie.

... and now it's time to put back all the scenery.

When I pulled the tape away, I had nice, clean (and straight) lines. After adding the lines in the middle of the road, I decided to add white lines to the sides of the road as well.


The curves I did draw freehand, but only after adding the straight lines with the tape method. Connecting them up with the curves proved to be an easy process.

Now traffic flows freely (and safely) on the Straco layout. And good thing, too. I recently completed a purchase of some additional vehicles...

Read about the entire Straco Express project here.

Another busy day on the Straco layout. Drive safely!