Attaching Fastrack to Styrofoam

[overall]

Has anyone tried this? If I wanted to put a sheet of styrofoam on my plywood table top and attach Fastrack to the styrofoam, what kind of fastener would I use? A long thin woood screw? Any ideas?

Thanks,

George

[Anonymous]

George, the screw needed is a #4 (diameter) the longest I could find was
1-1/4" at a Sears hardware store. That will get you through a 1/2" of foam and about a 1/4" bite into the plywood.
It took a search of a few weeks to find those and good luck if you need anything longer.
I added a little ballast to the sides of the FasTrack using a wet glue mixture and once that is dry there is no need for screws.
Another option is to put a screw right next to the track at an angle with the head of the screw catching the edge of the track and then covering it with some scenery.

[Anonymous]

If you're using two-inch-thick Extruded Polystyrene (Styrofoam) as the foundation, I doubt that you'll find screws long and thin enough to reach the plywood (or whatever) beneath the foam. Not sure you would want to in any case since this would just transfer track noise to the wood, which is something you probably want to avoid, if possible.

I always use cork or foam (Woodland Scenics) roadbed under the track on my foam-base layouts, which means I don't use track with built-in roadbed, such as Lionel FasTrack or MTH RealTrax, on those pikes. I do use Lionel's FasTrack on my holiday layout, but that is laid on a layer of marine deck carpeting, and I've found that it doesn't even need to be screwed down since the carpet holds the roadbed in place very well. I could probably add a few screws here and there just to make sure things don't shift around over time, but to date I haven't found this to be necessary.

On foam-based layouts, I have always used the cork or foam roadbed, as noted above, and have then ballasted the track rather than screw it down. A variety of foam-friendly adhesives are available (Liquid Nails, etc.) for gluing the roadbed in place, but I've always used ordinary white glue. It takes longer to dry, but I weight the roadbed down for a day or two after gluing it in place, and I've never had any problems with the roadbed coming loose. I've even found that if I change my track plan later on, it's possible to lift the foam roadbed off the Styrofoam without damaging the roadbed, and it can then be used again in some other location or alignment. I'm not sure you could do this with cork roadbed, but it seems to work well enough with the foam roadbed.

After the roadbed is in place, and the track is once again installed atop the roadbed, I ballast the track (Atlas is what I use) by the customary ballast/glue/wet water method that has been described here and on other forums many times in the past. Track that has been ballasted in place doesn't need to be screwed down at all, even if you're not using a foam underlayment. Once the ballast is in place and secured, any screws used earlier to hold the track in position can be removed.

All that said, it doesn't provide you much help when it comes to using FasTrack (or RealTrax), which is what you indicated you are using. I think what I would probably do in that case is just apply a thin coat of Liquid Nails under the track in select locations, and simply glue it down. You don't need to apply adhesive along every inch of trackwork--just here and there to keep things in place. That should certainly work well enough.

[fwright]

George

What I did on a small tubular track layout was put 1/4 in plywood over top the foam to give me something for the track and accessory mounting screws to bit into. This allows total reuse and changeability of the track and accessories, just like traditional construction but without some of the weight.

Basically, I had a 1x3 frame with foam inside (1.5in in my case) with 1/4 in ply on top for light weight portability. I used yellow glue to hold everything together. I'm quite happy with the result, as I can easily lift and store the layout on its side when not using it.

If you follow my lead, you do not need to cover the whole foam surface with plywood - just those places with track and accessories that need to be screw-mounted. Cut the plywood out cookie-cutter style or straight pieces butted together and call it good.

Fred Wright

[spankybird]

Try double faced tape that is use for carpets.

[Anonymous]

You are so practical, Tom. I've been toying with the idea of carpet tape/cork road bed (noise dampener) and then carpet tape for my FasTrack. The original Holiday Tradition set came with it, so I decided to start with that because of the costs of a changeover, the ease of electrical access and handling. Funny thing, in less than 2 months the 'Christmas Train under the tree idea' has blossomed to include a whole nother train and rolling stock, accessories, books, forum and more track. Guess the kid in me has stayed in there and has now been let out to play.

BTW, you were up early this morning. Did Spankybird get up with you too at the crack of dawn? Just curious...Thought your buddy might have needed to get a run or two in before the rest woke up.

Also, my girlfriend looked at your layout from your slideshow. She was grinning from ear to ear like a kid and caught something I didn't....the 'token' sun bather on top of one of the cars at the diner. LMAO!!!

HAPPY STEAMING!!

[FJ and G]

I'd use tile adhesive and place some books or weights on the tracks.

The use of this or other substance like liquid nails will somewhat reduce noise, unlike using screws

[crip]

I use a hot glue gun ,just a dab on underside screw holes

[Anonymous]

If your layout is small, like my 5x8, the fastrack will do fine without being attached to the surface. Some 2-sided tape will work on larger, more complex layouts. Don't start-off with "overkill"...see what works.

[Jumijo]

It doesn't really need to be fastened to the foam, as it doesn't come apart and really doesn't move. But I'd just use a few judicial blobs of sillicone or latex caulk where the roadbed and foam meet. You could either do it on the underside of the track or lay the track out on the foam surface and put the caulk on the outside, then paint it. Either way, you would olny need a small amount to hould it in place.

Jim

[Buckeye Riveter]

I use 2" high density foam with no plywood beneath it and I use wood deck screws to hold the track in place.

[overall]

Thanks to everyone for all the good information. I have printed it out and am saving for a possible new layout.

Thanks Again,

George

[Brutus]

Just some ideas....

You might be able to use something like a small nail bent into a hook and then run a tie down (nylon line or something?) through the foam and underlayment, then just tie it off underneath. Maybe put in a small screw or nail next to the hole underneat and tie it off to that? Fastrack is pretty stable on its own, so this might work and would obviate the need for long (expensive) screws.

[brianel027]

I've been using 3M carpet tape for over 10 years to hold all kinds of stuff including traction tires. Everytime there's a thread on traction tires, I mention this because after 10 years, I know it works and I think much better than anything else I've tried. I'm not so sure about holding the track though. It would probably just keep it in place. The only place the FasTrack would come in contact with the board is at the joints and on the edges... this limited the amount of contact you would have with the carpet tape.

The idea of styrofoam board (the pink stuff is the best to use because of its' highest density) the purpose is dual: lightweight layout and noise reduction. What I've done with attaching 017 tubular to foam core (with no plywood on top or beneath) is to use scraps of pine board cut to the size of the underside of the metal 027 tie. When the track is all laid out, you use the special Liquid Nails made for styrofoam and glue the scrap pieces of wood beneath the ties. You only need to do enough ties to hold things in place. The Liquid Nails dries pretty quick - more so than wood glue. Then you can screw in the track with zero noise transfer to a plywood sub-base.

With the 017 track though, I add additional ties and then ballast everything using diluted wood glue (unlike white Elmer's this doesn't loose with repeated applications) and the glue and ballast holds the track permanently in place.

You could certainly use this idea of gluing some scrap wood beneath the FasTrack where the screw holes are located and then attach the track enough to really keep it in place. I don't imagine it would take a lot of screws to do this since FasTrack layouts have been hung on the wall (track only) and have stayed together. This is certainly one big plus of this new track.