Login
or
Register
Subscriber & Member Login
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Login
Register
Home
»
Model Railroader
»
Forums
»
Layouts and layout building
»
preferred roadbed; homasote or ply?
Edit post
Edit your reply below.
Post Body
Enter your post below.
[quote user="Lateral-G"] <p>I checked out the homabed and it looks neat. How does it form around curves?</p><p>-G- </p><p>[/quote]</p><p>Once you get the hang of it Homabed installs just like cork. Since homasote does not compress (for curves) like cork does, slots are cut in the Homabed product to allow it to curve. Homabed is offered for N scale so it should be able to handle the tight curves that you may have in narrow gauge.</p><p>Here is an installation picture:</p><p>[IMG]http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/jcampbell1615/2007_08310002.jpg[/IMG]</p><p>The outer curve it 1/4" thick HO Homabed transitioning to a 28" radius curve. The inner curve is 1/8" Homabed transitioning to 24" radius. The easiest way to install is to:</p><ol><li>Draw track centerlines.</li><li>Lay down a thin layer of glue (I use adhesive caulk) along the outside half of the centerline.</li><li>Put in pins along the centerline of the track around curves (as seen in the inner curve above).</li><li>Lay the outer half of the Homabed in the glue along the centerline. The centerline pins allow you to easily "wrap" the Homabed around the curve without having to fiddle with placement. This results in a smooth curve.</li><li>Pin the Homabed in place as you go. The slots in the Homabed allow easy pinning if you are working on foam and using a "T" shaped pin such as available from WS. The thin edges of the Homabed are also easily pierced with a conventional pin.</li></ol><p>After I have layed 3 to 4 pieces of the outer roadbed (10' or so), the adhesive caulk that I use (Polyseamseal) has set up enough so that I can remove the centerline pins and start laying the inner half of the roadbed. Just spread your glue and push the inner half up against the outer half, pinning as you go. The whole process is quick and painless once you get the hang of it.</p><p>1/8" Homabed is somewhat fragile due to the slices in the roadbed but it is no issue if you break a piece. Just use a couple of extra pins when you lay the broken pieces together. </p><p>Once the glue has dried (only a few hours with the adhesive caulk I use) remove the pins and paint. I usually give the roadbed a coat of paint first (ballast gray color); let the paint dry overnight; then I sand the tops smooth. Painting first reduces the dust that might be generated from the sanding. I use a small electric sander (a Black & Decker <em>Mouse</em>) and the sanding step goes quickly too.</p><p>Homabed and Homasote sand like wood and do not chip or tear apart like cork does but sanding can generate a lot of dust if sanded "raw." The slots in the Homabed disappear once painted and balasted. Sometimes I will give the Homabed a second coat of paint on the top once sanded - depending upon how much paint was sanded away. </p><p>With Homabed you can easily sand tapers into the roadbed if you need to transition from 1/8" down to zero. If you are sanding a transition like this then an electric sander in one hand and a shop vac in the other hand is recommended.</p><p>Also note that Homabed comes in distinct halves for curves. The slots are always aligned toward the outer edge of the curve (see picture) - if the curve is tight. For gentle curves it does not matter. Homabed is also available with a gentle 60 degree bevel on the edge (or 30 degrees depending upon how you think about it). The Homabed in the picture has the 60 degree bevel which makes the ballast edges look wider (they are). This may appear more natural for your narrow gauge usage.</p><p>This is not an advertisement for Homabed but I like it.</p><p>I hope this helps.<br />-John</p><p> </p>
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag
Update Reply
Subscriber & Member Login
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Login
Register
Users Online
There are no community member online
Search the Community
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter
See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter
and get model railroad news in your inbox!
Sign up