Gravel road test

I have three streets to do in my Dolores. 4th, 5th, and 6th. Looking at many photographs, back in 1950 they seem to be a mixture of dirt with some gravel. Very un-uniform. So before I do the deed I wanted to try a couple of tests on scrap styrofoam. The left sample is some dirt and more gravel, while the right is mostly dirt with a scattering of gravel - sort of like they put down gravel but over time it gets pushed down into the dirt. I will put some light ink wash on parts jus t to add some interest, but I think the right sample is the way I will go. Since the base is styrofoam and easily sculpted, I plan on adding some pot holes filled with water and some uneven ground.

The pickup truck is scale 1/64th to match the trains. I have not dull-coated or weathered it as yet. I buy these on eBay for about $9 then paint out the extra chrome and white wall tires. Add a scale license plate from Colorado (1950) and they look pretty good. Yes - model railroaders are cheap!

Now that I have the wooden crossings in and ballasted I can add the roads. Then it is on to the photo backdrops. Just found out that WalMart will print a digital photo 72" long by 24" high in color for $30. We will see. Not a fan of WallyWorld but maybe this is better than printing them myself. And cheaper.