I am new to Model Railways and was wondering how you do level crossings. I have N gauge level crossing track but obviously the gates are far to small, how does one get round this problem.
Thanks Ian
It depends on the railway. Many NG railways in the UK and abroad simply didn't have any gates at all, so either nothing or warning signs appropriate for the era your model is based on. Remember that NG railways were always built to save money so anything that reduced costs would be used!
Gates varied from ones which looked like SG ones to simple "five barred" gates. If you are modelling modern era then either lights or half barriers can be used, both with lots of signs, or, of course, no lights or barriers but lots of signs!!
Model wise you can use 00 scale crossing gates for 009. Best bet is to do a search of the internet to give you ideas.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=narrow+gauge+railway+level+crossings&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQ-uXS_IzoAhUHilwKHSGxBmMQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1440&bih=757
For building up the road to the tops of the rails something like DAS clay painted to look like tarmac, dirt or impressed to look like cobbles or setts works fine.
If you don't fancy putting clay between the rails and then clearing gaps for the wheel flanges some tiny planks of wood (e.g coffee stirrers split down) glued to the sleepers might do it. OK, the wooden bits on UK level crossings are generally triangular planks to the sides to discourage pedestrians walking on the track and not where the vehicles go but never mind. Alternatively if you want tarmac etc. between the rails another method is to cut and glue a piece of plasticard, thin ply or card (though card may warp) to fit, and paint with textured paint.
Something else to bear in mind is that unlike in the real world out model locomotives usually need to pick up electricity from the rails in order to run. With things like level crossings and tramway / inset track you'll need to be careful not to build the road surface (whatever it is) up too much as it is possible to lift the loco wheels (especially if using a sheet material to make the road) and interrupt their power supply leading to poor (or no) running.
A secondary issue is that when it comes to cleaning the rails - either with solvents of abrasives - you'll also end up 'cleaning' and road surface alongside the rails, so unless it is something smooth and self-coloured you could eventually end up with strips either side of each rail where any paint and surface detail (cobbles street or wooden planks) has been worn away. It's probably not a bad idea because of this to set the top of any road surface, path or whatever a little way (1/2 a milimeter should be ample) below the top of the running rails (the ones the wheels run on).
As check rails (the ones just inside the gauge that help to keep stuff out of the flange's way and often seen where road crosses or runs along with rail) would not have their top surfaces polished by railway wheels it's also probably worth setting the tops of these below the top of the running rail (but level with any road surface between the rails) for the same reason - i.e. you don't need to clean them and 'shiney' check rails just do not look right. The other suggestion is that as they don't need to conduct electricity these could be made from plastic (styrene) strips and stick in place edge-uppermost (superglue) rather than needing to solder up a length of track with check rails in place...
I take it that when you refer to a level crossing track, you mean something like the Peco ST-20 with a plastic base incorporating the rails and a set of gates which plug in.
If this is the case and you're concerned about the idea of filling in the gap between the rails, you could simply remove the gates and gate posts on your ready made N gauge crossing and substitute larger posts to suit 009, perhaps just with level crossing warning signs added to form an open crossing. If you're using Peco Setrack, it should simply fit to the crossing as the rail section is the same.
If you wanted gates, either a single 00 level crossing gate or a field gate of some sort, painted white and with a red circular or diamond shaped "target" and lamp added would do although you may need to move the spacing of the gate posts to do either of these. If you're using 009 Setrack, the size and spacing of the couple of N gauge sleepers visible either side of the crossing can be concealed with a little ballast, if it's noticeable.
Good luck!
Simon.
You could always hack away at one of these from Dapol, its only £6 so if you don't like it just bin it.
Stephen