FasTrack is too loud. Any cure?

[underworld]

When all else fails.....turn up the music!!!!!

underworld

[Jumijo]

Who said it was bad?

[Frank53]

 

Spoken like a true MTJ forum member, Jon.

Jim 

We're not all that bad

[Jumijo]

 

Spoken like a true MTJ forum member, Jon.

Jim 

[highrailjon]

"My personal feeling is that far too much has been made of the "noise factor" of FasTrack."

Obviously the majority here are not in consensus with the above opinion. Myself included. I purchased the Thomas the Train set for my son and find Fas-crap to be noisey, cheaply made, and stupid looking. And I'd never purchase another stick of the junk. But, hey- thats just me.

[dougdagrump]

Check out the Woodland Scenics foam roadbed, I use it on my ceiling tube track and the difference of being screwed to the plywood vs not screwed down is amazing. There is also an advertiser in CTT who makes a vinyl roadbed but I don't have info regarding it's performance. Isn't one of the benefits of the plastic track systems that they don't require that they be fastened down.  

[Anonymous]

Hit to get back to first page.

[Anonymous]

In my short (2 weeks so far) quest to quiet it down, Ive heard a lot of suggestions, tops being the homasoate.  I was at the Indy train show yesterday where a few guys with layouts at the show mentioned doing that.  Also the felt idea seems to work.   What Ive done so far on my own was to try sound deadener on the track itself.  Didnt work.  Then I tried using cut strips of 3M Silencer Strips to cover the metal bent tabs underneath, and that helped some.  Then I used a few strips of carpet with attached pad.  That worked better still.  Then for fun I cut the pieces so they fit in the 4 recesses in the track, and that worked just as good, using less material.  Then I screwed it down.  That blew it all except for the minor gain from the silencer strips.  So now to get a piece of homasoat and some felt.  Oh, its all sitting on a piece of 1\2 OSB for now.  I figure if I can get it quiet on that, it should be good on anything! 

[Ole Timer]

Marty W ... I agree you want some track noise ... now here's what an ole boy older than me ... not many ...LOL told me ... did'nt try it . Acoustically if you run sections of 2x4's off the bottom of the layout towards the floor the vibration/sounds radiate through them somewhat and lessen layout unwanted noises . He said have to be wood to wood tight ... no glue . They are supposed to absorb ?????????

[Boyd]

How about rubber wheels?
Or a train that floats over the track on a cushion of air like a hovercraft?
But then if I switched to plastic wheels on all my stuff, where do I get them for MTH, Weaver and other cars?

[gvdobler]

A dumb joke in reference to the loss of hearing as we get old.  The 1:1 scale would be a full size steam engine going through the living room.  I will have trouble hearing that in a few more years.

[gvdobler]

Try this experiment.  It works best on granite kitchen counter tops, but a tile or other hard surface will do.

Set a 30" section of FasTrack and the same in tubular on the granite counter top.  Now set a box car on either track.  Put one finger on the top of one the boxcar and run the car back and forth on the section of track.  Then put the car on the other and do the same thing.  You will notice that the tubular is noticably quieter.

So, it has nothing to do with "train set" quality engines or with the speed at which you run.  It is totally a result of vibration and the magaphone shape of the roadbed.  To prove this run a train and put your thumbnail lightly on the pastic sloped edge as the train goes by.  Not just you finger, but the tip of your thumbnail.  That vibration is what's making the noise.  I think the secrect lays somewhere in solid mounting the edges with a cushion.  Not just nailing it to a board, that only enhances the noise.

For a floor layout, even on carpet, there probably is no cure.  I'm going to experiment with mounting them on a table/board using some kind of caulking.  I think if you run two beads of silicone or something similar and set the FasTrack edges into the beads while wet, this might quiet it down. No nails to transfer the noise and not pushed down to make contact with the surface.

Now for some of us it will quiet down automatically each birthday.  My wife says in a couple more years I won't be able to hear a 1:1 scale Big Boy going through the living room. 

[Jumijo]

Use the volume control FasTrack section. It really quiets down the sound!

[jimhaleyscomet]

Also, adding O gauge pins between the tracks will help tighten up the connection.

Jim H

[jimhaleyscomet]

Plan B is to use a whole bunch of K-Line SuperSnap track I got on clearance for 90% off at Hobby Lobby.  The K-Line track is extremely quiet compared to the other tracks, even when running fast, but I've already found that the tracks are not very kid-proof for a floor layout.
Mike

Use a black nylon zip tie on each joint to keep the tracks together.  Then it becomes very kid proof.

Jim H

[ChiefEagles]

Its trains, let it rattle.

[merc4a2]

I can definitely say FastTrack is much louder than the other tracks I've worked with.  I built a loop on a shelf around the wall of my son's room with FastTrack and the sound was unbearable even at very slow speeds.  I experimented and found that a layer of the white shelf liner previously mentioned on top melamine coated particle board shelving was the combination that made the least amount of noise.  Pine shelving or regular plywood seemed to have a much worse drum effect than the particle board.  I'm now working on a Xmas layout and in my family room that has Hickory hardwood floors and a cathedral ceiling, FastTrack on the floor is loud enough to prohibit conversation once you have 4 or more cars running behind an engine at even slow speeds.
After looking on here, I was going to try a sheet of thin plywood with a sheet of homasote on it, with carpet pad under the FastTrack, but the wife nixed the whole sheet of plywood.  So, I'm going to try cutting the carpet pad and a piece of homasote to mount under each piece of track.  I'll post again to see how that goes.
Plan B is to use a whole bunch of K-Line SuperSnap track I got on clearance for 90% off at Hobby Lobby.  The K-Line track is extremely quiet compared to the other tracks, even when running fast, but I've already found that the tracks are not very kid-proof for a floor layout.
Mike

[RR Redneck]

I prefer tubular track, but that is lookin pretty good.

[SchemerBob]

Has anyone tried the rolls of packing material with the small bubbles, Got lots in with my Fastrack delivery and I was wondering if I put some under the track which will be on the foam board, anyway, unless otherwise advised, I will try it and post the results soon. (was this the longest run on sentence you have read in awhile?)

Dennis

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop. Unless you take time to pop all of them out, that is...

[Anonymous]

I don't find FasTrack too loud.  I'm running it on carpet.  Quiter than tubular on plywood.  I would be suspicious of any track too quiet (maybe I'm losing my hearing...)

[phillyreading]

Jimbo,

I guess I can lighten up a little old boy.   Any way the remarks about sending somebody or something up to you were my attempts at humor so don't think that I can not take a joke.   Asking you for the part number was another attempt at getting you to make a good comeback remark.

Lee F.

[jonadel]

I'm just gettng caught up on topical news and this one is too funny! Keep up the good work Jim, I think this thread is most informative. I did have some suggestiions but I sure don't want to tagged "idiotic and lame", idiotic is enough for me :)

Jon

[RR Redneck]

Well that is certainly a new idea. I think that might work.

[dwiemer]

Has anyone tried the rolls of packing material with the small bubbles, Got lots in with my Fastrack delivery and I was wondering if I put some under the track which will be on the foam board, anyway, unless otherwise advised, I will try it and post the results soon. (was this the longest run on sentence you have read in awhile?)

Dennis

[Jumijo]

Bare plywood is about the worst subsurface to use, either witb Fastrack or any other track.  At the very least, you'll want to cover the plywood with Homasote, cork, or a carpet material (or even the "snow" bunting that you mentioned).

There have been a number of idiotic responses posted to this thread, so you'll just have to sort through--and ignore--the lame attempts at humor and select from the responses from folks who are truly trying to be helpful.

Bottom line is:  FasTrack is probably the best track system yet designed for a toy train (as opposed to Hi-Rail) or on-the-floor O gauge layout.  If the alleged "noise" bothers you, you can always experiment with some different brand or type, but my guess is you'll quickly see the advantages of FasTrack in these types of applications.

I have to agree with Allan on all his points. FasTrack is probably the best track system for toy trains.

And as for all of you who posted those "idiotic responses", and "lame attemps at humor", I'll just add that this is a very, very serious matter we're discussing here. There is no good reason to throw fun and levity into such a gravely important topic of discussion such as reducing the noise caused by TOY trains running on FasTrack. You know who you are, silly boys. Shame on you! No more nonsense. Shape up or ship out!

Jim

Philly, old bean,
You are probably the only person on this forum that took what I wrote seriously. IT WAS A JOKE. I was chiding Allan with the remarks above. Lighten up - just a little. We're here to have fun.

[Blueberryhill RR]

What is the old saying.." People who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones ". 

[ChiefEagles]

Maybe we have regressed to the other forum that counts rivits.

[csxt30]

Jim,

If you will admit to OPENING Pandora's Box so to speak on the subjuect of foolishness, the reason for using red type was to get your attention Jim, and I see that the red sure gotcha to look!!            The stock number that you threw in could have been taken to mean something bad if somebody had a gutter level of thinking.

I am willing to get back to talking about toy trains on a serious level.  Are you READY JIM???  

HUH ? !! 

I thought this was an O-gauge toy train forum, not the serious HO one !!

Jim : please continue with silly !! I don't think we have any gutter thinkers here either !!

Thanks, John

[brianel027]

Actually I wasn't being silly with my last suggestion. Though I started off with that jist in my intro, it's only because I know how much most operators abhor plastic wheel sets.

But as I said above, they actually do work. Even if you were to only replace one wheel set on every truck with a plastic wheel set, that would help reduce noise. Also, some noise is undoubtedly made worse via the metal nub that goes through a sheet metal frame and attached with a c-clip. Using a nylon screw instead does act as something of an insulator to help deter noise transfer to the sheet metal frame of a box car for example.

Earl above, does make a very good point of one of FasTrack's big advantages, in that it stays together very well. As he said, not using screws into a layout subboard will also help reduce (if not make worse) any noise level created by FasTrack.

And as I said earlier in my comments about FasTrack being for beginners (outside of the large radius curves it is only offered in), the benefit of FasTrack staying together so well makes for track that can be placed on a carpeted layout surface board, and then changed or added on to easily.

Truly, as many of us have said, the noise level is a matter of personal preference. Though living in an apartment or condo may allow the neighbors to also vocalize their opinions over the noise level... but that can also be the case with ordinary tubular track too. Layout board construction is as much a determining factor in over all noise level as is any choice of track type.