How loud is Fastrack

[okiechoochoo]

I have just about decided to use Fastrack on the layout but I have heard it is noisey.  Just how loud is it.  Can you hear railsounds above the racket.   I haven't had a layout in 30 years but the last one I had was Super O on plywood and wasn't really all that quiet.  Just wondering how this Fastrack compares.

Thanks

[Andrew Falconer]

It has to be tested in person on several surfaces.

Plywood

Foam Padding on Plywood.

Carpet & Foam Padding on Plywood.

Try a scientific testing approach to the concept.

Andrew

[IronHoarse]

I have just about decided to use Fastrack on the layout but I have heard it is noisey.  Just how loud is it.  Can you hear railsounds above the racket.   I haven't had a layout in 30 years but the last one I had was Super O on plywood and wasn't really all that quiet.  Just wondering how this Fastrack compares.

Thanks

  I use Fastrack on my layout and yes it is noisy, but I don't mind it. In real life trains are pretty noisey.  The faster you run your trains the noisier it is.  I have had no trouble hearing my Railsounds.  I only run  my trains no faster than scale 50 mph and usually no faster than scale 25 or 30 mph.

[brianel027]

Sorry Okie, but I think you are going to have to find a dealer or a show where the stuff is being used on an operating display layout to determine this for yourself. I personally think it does drown out Railsounds to some degree, at least on those that came with the Flyer 4-4-2 type steamer, which is what I witnessed.

Opinions seem to vary widely on the noise level of FasTrack. I think it's loud... maybe even lounder than traditional tube track because of the hollow roadbed, but there are others who do not. Jaabat can chime in on this point here... he has built a very nice looking FasTrack layout and is a big FasTrack supporter, so consider his take on this too.

Your layout suface and table construction will increase or decrease the noise level of any track type. The heavier your table surface and bracing, the more your noise level will increase, unless you cover the plywood table top with a noise deadener like blue board insulation styrofoam or homosote.

Using a glued down cork or rubberized roadbed surface beneath the track will cut down on noise. As will ballasting your track using a rubberized type of ballast such as the ones from Brummy's. The key here is once the ballast is glued into place and dry you can remove many track screws usewd to hole the track in place... the track screws transfer noise to the table top.

The topic of placing some kind of insultation beneath the FasTrack roadbed has been discussed much with no easy solution that doesn't take a lot of time and effort for the end result. I cynically suggested on Clyde Coil's website using MPC-era plastic wheel sets on your rolling stock to decrease noise. This actually does work... I've tried it. I got a letter from a guy who took my advice to heart and replaced one axle wheel set on every truck where possible with an MPC-era plastic wheel set (so insulated rail operation still works) and noticed a dramatic drop in train rumble noise levels.

But gather the kids, lock your doors and cover the windows when Lionel makes the annoucement that plastic MPC-era wheel sets will now be standard fare on all rolling stock including top line scale cars. Also included with the plastic wheel set cars will be a FREE complimentary list price increase of only 10% too!!! I shouldn't joke on such things... it'll happen and everyone will blame me!

Using wood glue to hold the table top to the bracing, along with glue to hold down noise deadener material will decrease noise. The more metal screws you use, the more you will increase the noise, since the screws help carry noise into the wood surfaces even more. Even using carpet underlay padding with indoor/outdoor green carpet on top of the table surface with help decrease noise. There was an article how some individuals built a layout for Neil Young's record company (Vapor Records)office using carpet padding in a back issue of CTT (but not with FasTrack).

The rumble noise level is something us 3-rail operators have lived with for years. All track types are not immune. Your layout construction and table top with lessen or worsen the noise factor more than an individual track type.

Just for you info too, there are some nifty FasTrack layout designs over on www.thortrains.net

[Anonymous]

Depends on what you consider "loud," I suppose.  I used FasTrack on a previous layout (using Atlas now), and sure didn't think it was overly "loud" compared to other tubular track and MTH RealTrax.  My track on that layout was placed on a layer of marine deck carpeting, and that stuff did a good job of keeping the noise level down.  I certainly had no problem hearing RailSounds and ProtoSounds when I was using FasTrack, even though I always keep the sound volumes very low.

On my current layout, I'm using sheet cork under all the Atlas track.  In fact, the cork covers the entire layout.  The cork by itself helps to considerably reduce the track noise level.  I'll be adding Woodland Scenics foam roadbed on top of the cork next month, when I'm ready to launch into some scenery work, and I imagine that will make things darn near whisper quiet (although I'm adding the roadbed more for appearance than sound deadening).

I very much liked the Lionel FasTrack when I was using it.  Also liked the switches and the operating accessories, such as the crossing signals.  It's really a very nice track system, and I plan to make use of it again when I build a separate layout for my New Marx tinplate trains.

[chuck]

The plastic roadbed has a peak resonance frequency that makes the track seem louder that standard tubular.  Trying to quiet down the roadbed is a bit of a challenge.  Regular foam rubber or sheet styrofoam help but the best results I've seen that really cuts out the higher frequency noise is "foam" shelf liner material.  The stuff I am using is from Kittrich (www.kittrich.com).  It's called Solid Grip Liner and comes in 18" wide by 4 foot long rolls.  It also has the advantage of being non slip which helps a lot of hard floor layouts.  Cut it into strips and just place it under the track.  My next noise abatement test is to cut some of the thin foam for upholstery use to match the underside of the the track and make a "sandwich" of  foam rubber and shelf liner to place between  the track and the floor/table top.  I've never found the noise of FastTrack to be so load as to interfere with the sounds from the on board sound systems.

[Buckeye Riveter]

An experiment:

Buy a piece of Fastrack, 3 ft section

Buy a piece of Stand. Tubular, 3 ft section

Buy a piece of anything else you desire, 3 ft section (sometimes 30")

Put a car on the track with metal wheels and listen as you push it down the track.  Change what you put under the track, i.e. plywood, carpet, Chuck's Grip Liner (I like that idea, Chuck.), foam,  cork, combinations of the previous materials and listen again.

By the time you are done you will have an idea of the "relative" noise produced by each track and base materials. 

You can use all the previous pieces of track for static display purposes if desired. 

What do I use?  Generally speaking, much of the Realtrax is on top of 2" high density foam.  Blueberry, Greg, and the Chief have all visited the layout and commented on how quiet the trains run.  Of course, when I turn on the sound effects, (frogs, pigs, cows, etc.?) it is deafening. 

Good luck and have fun.

 

[RR Redneck]

Well I now run temparary floor layouts, and FasTrack has been somewhat noisy, but tolerable. However, when I make my new layout it will be tubular track.

[Jumijo]

Our layout is all FasTrack and I really like the stuff. It stays connected well, looks great, and has excellent electrical continuity. I also feel it's very easy to work with.

It is somewhat loud, however. How loud? Our layout is in the basement in a finished room with minimal furnishings. The track sits on 2" rigid insulation. When we run the trains, I literally cannot hear the person talking next to me or even the phone ringing - even when I place it right next to me on the layout.

Is the noise a bad thing? Only you can decide that. I've concluded that the pros of FasTrack far outweigh the one con. To me, the sound of the trains rolling over the track is actually quite realistic. One person recently suggested placing 2 layers of inexpensive felt under the track. He stated that it significantly decreased the noise. Where was he when I was starting my layout?

Jim