5 Ways To Model Realistic OO Gauge Pavements

Pavements are an essential part of any street or town scene on a OO gauge model railway and there are a number of ways to model them realistically. The type of paving used for pavements varies from region to region, but in this post, we're going to look at five methods you can use to model realistic pavements on your model railway layouts and 1:76 scale diecast dioramas.

5 Ways To Create A Realistic OO Gauge Pavement

1. Printed concrete slab paper texture sheets
2. Laser-cut paving sheets
3. Laser-cut OO gauge pavement strips
4. Individual paving slabs & kerbs
5. Pre-cut card kit with concrete paper wraps

Street scenes are great features to model & depending on how they are modelled, can help portray different time periods. One of the main features of a street scene is the pavement along the roadside. Pavements generally feature paving slabs or asphalt surfaces with kerb stones running along the roadside edge.  There are a number of ways to model these and here at Scale Model Scenery we have quite a comprehensive range of paving, from texture sheets to laser-cut pavement sections and surfaces. To help you make the right choice for your project we'll take a look at the five methods we cater for.

1.  Printed concrete slab paper texture sheets

Printed paper concrete slab paving texture sheets are available in a variety of scales in our range including  N, O, TT, & OO gauge. They're supplied in packs of five A4 sheets so they offer superb value and are ready to be cut out & glued into place as required. Our range includes a choice of different-sized paving slabs such as 3ft x 2 ft and 2ft x 2ft. We also offer them in landscape & portrait format options too, giving you plenty of flexibility! There's also a choice of weathered and pristine finishes too. Or for an alternative and more contemporary look we also offer herringbone block paving and tarmac too. 

Useful links for suitable concrete slab paving papers:

OO Gauge

• TX193-OO 3ft x 2ft Concrete Paving Slabs Pristine
• TX152-OO 3ft x 2ft Concrete Paving Slabs (Weathered)
• TX117-OO Dirty Concrete Paving Slabs

N Gauge

• TX193-N 3ft x 2ft Concrete Paving Slabs

O Gauge

• TX193-O 3ft x 2ft Concrete Paving Slabs

TT Gauge

• TX193-TT 3ft x 2ft Concrete Paving Slabs

2. Laser-cut paving sheets

If you prefer a more three-dimensional finish to your OO gauge pavements, our laser-etched sheets make a great choice. Once painted, these have a very realistic, detailed appearance which can further be enhanced with weathering powders and scatters to simulate weeds. At present these are only available in OO gauge. They're supplied in large sheets (144mm x 272mm) ready to be cut to size, and painted in shades of your choice with acrylic paints. Again, these are available in a  choice of landscape & portrait formats.

Useful links for laser-etched paving sheets:

• LX232-OO 3ft x 2ft Paving Slabs Engraved Sheet
• LX264-OO 3ft x 2ft Paving Slabs Engraved Sheet

3. Laser-cut OO gauge pavement strips

For a quick and easy solution, our laser-cut OO gauge pavement strips make a great choice. Our standard paving strips are equivalent to a 6ft wide pavement in real life and in a choice of grey modelling card or MDF (they're also available in N and O gauge too).  The pavement strips feature engraved slab detail and kerbstone edging on both sides. Why does it have kerbs on both sides? It makes them more versatile for use as traffic islands etc but can be easily trimmed off if required. The MDF strips can be painted and detailed with acrylic paints and your favourite weathering powders.

To accompany these, we also offer a selection of corner pieces in a choice of three angles, enabling you to create some rather complex pavement formations.

90 Degree Pavement Corners

60 Degree Pavement Corners 

220 Degree Pavement Corners

Useful links for laser-cut pavement strips

OO Gauge

• LX217-OO Laser Cut MDF Pavement Strips
• LX218-OO Laser Cut MDF 90 Degree Pavement Corners
• LX219-OO Laser Cut MDF 120 Degree Pavement Corners
• LX220-OO Laser Cut MDF 60 Degree Pavement Corners

N Gauge

• LX217-N Laser Cut Straight Pavement Strips
• LX218-N Laser Cut 90-Degree Pavement Corners
• LX219-N Laser Cut 120-Degree Pavement Corners
• LX220-N Laser Cut 60-Degree Pavement Corners

O Gauge

• LX217-O Laser Cut MDF Pavement Strips
• LX218-O Laser Cut MDF 90-Degree Pavement Corners
• LX219-O Laser Cut MDF 120-Degree Pavement Corners
• LX220-O Laser Cut MDF 60-Degree Pavement Corners

4. Individual paving slabs & kerbs

For those of you who like to lay individual paving slabs to make your own bespoke pavements, we offer two sizes (3x2ft and 2x2ft) of laser-cut individual paving slabs plus matching kerbstone strips. These are ideal for both pavements as well as small paths in back gardens and allotments. The matching kerbstones are also flexible and great for creating curved sections of pavement. The slabs and kerbstones are easy to cut and are made from grey modelling card so they have a natural concrete finish and don't really need painting, but you can paint them using acrylic paints if you prefer. If you're using the kerbstones alongside the slabs, you'll need to pack the slabs out underneath to bring them up to the same height as the slabs. 

Individual OO gauge paving slabs

Laser cut OO scale kerbstones

Tighter radius OO scale kerbs

Useful links for laser-cut OO gauge paving slabs & kerbstones

• LX018-OO Laser Cut Paving Slabs 2ft x 2ft
• LX020-OO Laser Cut Paving Slabs 2ft x 3ft
• LX135-OO Kerb Stones 3ft
• LX136-OO Assorted Curved Kerb Stones

5. Pre-cut pavement card kit with concrete slab paper wraps 

Available in both OO scale & N scale the KX023 Light Grey Concrete Slabbed Pavement kit is another way to add a realistic pavement to your OO gauge layout. Featuring laser-cut card base layers and pre-weathered texture wraps it's easy to build and comes with a selection of straight and curved sections. There's also a selection of drain & manhole covers included too, to add a little extra detail. The light grey paving slabs have been feature a variety of weathering effects including uneven slabs, cracks, and discolouration making them a very attractive option for making pavements. And because the kit uses paper wraps instead of die-cut parts, there are visible cut card edges once assembled, ensuring a realistically better finish straight from the pack. The OO scale version makes 200cm of pavement from one kit, and the N gauge makes 100cm, making them great value for money. 

OO Gauge Light Grey Pavement Kit

N Gauge Light Grey Pavement Kit

Useful links

• KX023-OO Light Grey Concrete Slabbed Pavement OO/4mm/1:76
• KX023-N Light Grey Concrete Slabbed Pavement N/2mm/1:148

Some  Other Alternative Pavement Solutions

• Metcalfe Model - Die-cut self-adhesive pavement slabs & kerbstones. These are easy to work with but do have a very over-scale appearance.
• Superquick Pavement Texture Sheets - These are quite dated and will need to be wrapped around a suitable card former
• Download & Print Texture Sheets - We have a variety of downloadable paving texture sheets over on our Railway Modellers community for those that like to print their own texture sheets.

Happy modelling & Keep On Shuntin'