Johnson's Rubber Roadbed

[Anonymous]

I have it and like it! Lately, the rubber roadbed is turning chalky. No extreme temperature variations or chemical contact. Anybody have any idea why the roadbed is turning chalky? Should I apply silicone for rubber?

[Anonymous]

I had some a while back and it started that white color about two weeks after I laid it out. I never was able to solve the problem and ended up using it on some elevated and concealed track. I tried everything! I washed it in Dawn dish soap, I tried Armor-All, all no dice. But you're right! Nice stuff and great sound deadening.

[Dr. John]

Just out of curiosity, do you use flourescent lighting? It can have adverse effects on plastic and rubber over a period of time.

BTW, how is the rubber roadbed in terms of cost and ease of installation?

[Anonymous]

Lighting is regular bulbs. Easy to attach to the track. Cost is $2.50 per section.

[Anonymous]

roadbed.net is the website address.

[Anonymous]

I use flourescent, but you'd have to have it on everyday, 12 hours a day for 15 years to do any harm. I liked the stuff, but I couldn't use it on the main line because of the white coloring. I now use vinylbed and it's a dream to use and cut. No cutting in the curves. I forms to any curve.

[Anonymous]

Anybody else have this roadbed?

[Anonymous]

I wanted to bump this up and see if I could get more information on this topic.
Thank you.

[dougdagrump]

Is it deteriorating to the point of not being functional or is it just an appearance issue? If it is only an appearance issue why not just apply some ballast to cover it up?