Has anyone tried this to deaden the sound of Fastrack?

[ARRCDSPR]

Hello Everyone,

Lionel Fastrack for a newbie like me is great choice but I have one problem – the noise. To me it seems that one of the problems with Fastrack is the hollow plastic roadbed. I was wondering if anyone had tried this to deaden the sound of Fastrack. What if you filled the hollow space with spray-on polyurethane foam insulation like Touch-N-Foam?

See this link - http://www.touch-n-foam.com/proallpurpose.htm

Last fall, I air-sealed and reinsulated the attic and I used this Touch-N-Foam Pro All Purpose Foam to fill various cracks and voids in the attic. Right now, I am in the process of air sealing the basement. With the contractor’s grade gun this stuff is great to work with. It does not over expand like many of the cheaper foams out there (i.e. Great Stuff) and is a breeze to control and clean up. Once it cures - it is lightweight, dense and hard. Yet it can easily be cut, sanded and painted. So I think if you shoot this stuff into the underside cavity of the Fastrack and this should deaden the noise. Although you would lose access to all the connections underneath but does that matter? Has anyone tried this or am I crazy? Maybe I will try it on straight section of track next year under the tree and let you all know. Talk to you all down the tracks.

Thanks

SMK

P.S. Is the RR - Trax track layout program worth the $69 bucks or is there a Fastrack track template out there that I can use with a pad and paper?

[Anonymous]

I take an easier approach: I just have my FasTrack layout set up on marine deck carpeting (which I have discussed here before), and don't find the noise level to be at all excessive. The track just rests on this carpeting--which tends to grip and hold it in place--so I don't use any screws to keep things in place. I can have trains running here in the den and still hear the TV in the living room or talk on the phone that's located about six feet from the layout, so I figure that's good enough.

All the insulating spray foam I've used in the past made one heck of a mess, so I kind of shy away from the stuff. This was not any special stuff--just the kind of expanding insulating foam you buy in a spray can at Lowe's or Home Depot. There may be better types available, but I just don't have the patience to be shooting foam in the bottom of every track section and then cut or sand things smooth, etc.

[jimhaleyscomet]

Arrc,

I am very interested in how this turns out. Let us know!

Jim H

[Anonymous]

If can be cleaned or pealed off the underside of the track eaisly then it may work out but if it's like the sticky, messy, Great Stuff, then I would steer clear of it.
I have thought about a carpet pad under it, screw the track down to hold it in place then cut the pad along the edge of the track. then remove most of the screws as they transmit noise from the track to the plywood.

I just used high density foam board on top of the plywood and it's not too loud.
No matter what else you do try I would highly recommend foamboard on top of the plywood.

[Anonymous]

Oh and if you search the forum for this subject you will find a few discussions on it.

Welcome to the forum!

[Anonymous]

I agree with the previous posts. I think the "noise problem" is mainly in the minds of people who don't use it. I think it's great, as is. Joe

[Roger Bielen]

To deaden noise it is necessay to either create a barrier, absorb it, or add mass to deaden the vibrations. With the addition of the foam your adding some mass, quesionable if there will be enough weight added, and filling the void that acts as an echo/amplifier chamber.

I don't know the availabity, but years ago, too far back to remember details, when I did some sound deadening projects there was a high density spray, I think bitumin based, that was sprayed on sheet metal. There was also a very heavy tape that was available for smaller projects.

[Anonymous]

The best shot at deadening the noise is to place the track over something "soft". Carpeting , comforters, foam all seem to do a pretty good job. I don't think there is any way to quiet the track that won't be messy/pain in the *. The track is tubular steel but not "hollow". Track is formed over solid plastic nubs. This is why it doesn't collapse when you step on it and why you can't fill the "hollow" rails. The "noise" seems to be a combination of the resonance of the plastic used and the shape of the roadbed (sort of like a speaker). You can't change the shape and the only way to change the resonance is to coat the underside with something like "tar", i.e. a sticky "visco elastic" substance that will bond to the bottom of the roadbed and interfere sound propogation. Car companies have been using a similar techniques on steel to reduce noise/harshness/vibration.

[Anonymous]

To eloborate on what Chuckn said, the noise is also created by the hollow rails sitting on a raised perforated ridge (nubs) that hold the rails in place on the road bed. These nubs also help create little echo chambers within the hollow rails, and its then amplified by the hollow road bed. So you can fill the void on the underside of the track and it would reduce most of the noise but the rails will still prodce some.