Profil HO proužek 0,6 x 3,4 mm

A twelve inch plank on the flat, scaled down to 1:87

The designation 8212 describes a profile that in full size corresponds to 2x12 inch lumber. Scaled down to railroad HO it gives a strip 3.4 millimeters wide and six tenths of a millimeter thick. Within the two inch group it is the widest variant of all.

That width predestines the part for surfaces where every single board is meant to show. Flatcar decks, walkways at waterworks, piers, the beds of flatbed trucks or scaffold planking look convincing exactly when a visible gap runs between the boards. Six tenths of a millimeter is at the same time enough to hold the shape across an unsupported run.

White styrene takes fine scribing, so cracks and grain can be suggested in the surface with the tip of a needle before gluing. The gray and brown paint that follows then flows into the grooves and pulls the texture out. Joining is done with solvent glue, which softens the material within a few seconds and welds the surfaces together.

One piece measures 35 centimeters and is bought singly, so the builder buys exactly as many boards as the plan calls for. Offcuts do not go to waste: they serve as stiffeners hidden inside the structure or as packing under uneven seating surfaces.

It makes sense to leave painting until the whole surface is glued, because the solvent will attack fresh paint. If you want to tell individual boards apart by shade, paint them separately beforehand and then make the joints with cyanoacrylate glue, which does not dissolve the surrounding coat. A deck made up of boards in different tones looks far livelier than an evenly painted panel.