Building A Layout

[bears-n-trains]

Have started to rebuild my layout.  Old layout was built on 3/4" plywood on a 1x4 frame.  I am thinking about using 2" foam insulation board (4x8 sheets) instead of the usual plywood.  Has anyone had experience with the table top being made from the foam sheets instead of plywood.  I'd like to hear the good & the bad.

I'm also curious about how scenery, lamp posts and even the track, old Lionel sectional, is held in-place on the foam.  Is the foam as easy to work with as plywood?

Thanks for all the good replies.

[ChiefEagles]

Buckeye has a great layout with the base being foam.  He can give you all the pointers you need.  So can some others.  Hard to find that thick of a foam down South.  I used a board called Sound Stop.  Similar to homosute but cheaper.

[Buckeye Riveter]

As the Chief stated, my layout uses foam instead of plywood. I started the first part of the layout in in 2002.  I have never had really any problems.  CTT Magazine has had a few layouts where they have used foam, too, but mine I believe is bigger. 

First phase complete, second phase started.  Note how I did the wiring with holes in the joists. 

I guess I need to take some new photos.  The vertical supports were all replaced with 1x6 and glued. Additional supports were placed under the yard to handle over 50 lbs of locomotives and buildings.

 

[Firesteel]

As Buckeye pointed out, CTT has used foam on project layouts. In fact, the most recent one featured in the last few issues used foam instead of plywood. In the January 2014 issue, Kent Johnson explained how they built their benchwork for the 5x8 foot layout. 

When I built my layout, I used 1/2 inch plywood and glued 2" foam on top. In retrospect, this was probably overkill. 

Karl

[bears-n-trains]

Hi, thanks for the great photos showing me that insulation foam panels can work as a table top.  I am wondering what means you used to secure your accessories to the foam.  Light weight things that may require a screw to hold them in place, what or how did you do it? 

Do you think the plastic inserts used to hold a screw in sheet rock(dry wall) would work in the foam insulation?

I like your idea of pre-drilling the trusses for wire runs before installing the foam insulation boards, certainly is easier that way.

[Andrew Falconer]

The most recent issues of CTT show the team building of the layout with 2" thick extruded polystyrene as the scenery surface.

[lionelsoni]

I have learned to avoid running layout wires through holes in joists.  If you ever need to move or remove a joist (mine are steel angles), it can mean removing and restringing, or splicing, a lot of wire.  I hang wires and cables in cheap wire shower-curtain rings, below the structure.  If you do drill a hole in a joist, remember to drill in the middle of the board, not the top or bottom, to minimize weakening the joist's bending strength.

[vsmith]

How do you guys attach the track down?

When I built my layouts I tried attaching the track down onto the blue foam with screws and the foam had the tensile strength of margarine. The screws would either instantly strip the foam if you turned them even a 1/4 a turn too far or instantly pull out if the track got lifted while making track changes. I got so frustrated with it I took to gluing down a 1/8" fiberboard strip down on top of the foam, then screwing the track into the fiberboard. No lift, no stripping, solid track positioning. I liked the fiberboard because I could cut the board to shape with just a utility knife and it all got covered up when finished.

[Otpete]

I've tried to locate 2" foam from all the local home improvement stores but living in east Texas, it just can't be had. I considered getting 1" sheets and glueing them up but I think the results might not be worth the trouble.