Modern Grade Crossing - Rubber Style

Our Modern Rubber Grade Crossings are the FIRST EVER produced in N scale. We took a lot of time in designing our grade crossings to ensure that all of our measurements were correct, they looked right when mounted, AND (most importantly), they worked correctly with 99% of the rolling stock available.

Our rubber and concrete grade crossings are made to simulate two-lane highway crossings. (expander packs available!)

To Mount:

Remove all pieces from the etched metal frame with a sharp hobby knife (be careful!).

The trick to mounting is to remember that you want these to lay directly below the top of the rails, thus, you need to figure out what code rail you have, and work your way down from there.

These etchings are .005" thick, so if Code 55 rail is about .055" tall, you will need a shim (plastic strip) that is about .045" tall.

Mount your shims down the middle of the rails and on either sides of the ties where you want your grade crossing to lay. Tip: Remove spike heads to aid you in laying the shims flat.

Glue shims in place with glue

Glue the 3 long etchings in place, but, bend the ramps down so they lay just on top of the ties (the ramps are only on one end).

Next, you will notice that you have three of the short pieces left over. The ramps are left off on one end to allow you to expand your grade crossing to a 4 lane road using our expander pack - BLMA #78

If you are not using the expander, simply glue the ramps onto the end of the long etching at the same angle downward as they are on the other end.

Painting:

The ramps on these models are metal and the rest of the crossing is a high density rubber.

To simulate the rubber, we have found that using thin washes of india ink or black paint works best. (if you are handy with an air brush, have at it!)

Because the ramps are to remain their natural color, we recommend weathering them (and the whole thing) with dull coat and perhaps a hint of orange or brown chalk dust to represent faint signs of rusting.