Hi,
I'm building a replacement 11x15 HO layout and a few months ago ordered supplies from various vendors (all turned out to be terrific, by the way). I ordered two boxes of HO cork roadbed from one vendor, and later on - ordered a third box from another vendor.
I used the "third box" first, and it was the usual Midwest medium brown color that I used in building the previous layout some 14 years ago. Yesterday, I opened up the other two boxes and found they were black/brown speckled in color, and pretty much the same size as the Midwest. This was a surprise, and the boxes were plain with no labels. At this point I don't see any problem with using them, but am curious as to what brand I got and if one brand is better than the other.
Anyone help me out on this?
Thanks,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Cork is cork. The only difference between brands that I have noticed is the taper of the outer edges, and that some is stiffer than the other. Once it's down and ballasted, you won't know any difference.
I now prefer the Woodland Scenics foam roadbed.
i have used two different cork roadbeds in HO scale. midwest and MRPO. the midwest product is much "tighter" or solid than the other but the MRPO house brand works well. it is easier to taper with a surform plane than the midwest brand. the cheaper stuff has a larger grain. since i use the old school method of attaching track with small brads through the center of the ties, spike holding ability is not an issue with me. i use DAP contact cement to bond the cork down to the plywood and after a while the fumes border on "recreational chemistry" wish i could find acrylic contact cement like elmers but i haven't seen that product in my area for years.
grizlump
I'm not complaining about the different type of roadbed, just surprised and curious about it. The only HO roadbed I've used since the '60s was Midwest or Model Power.
By the way, on this layout I am using Dap latex caulk (about $1.50 or so a tube) to attach the roadbed to plywood. In the past I've always used brads, and was a bit skeptical about going to the caulk. However, I am pleased to say it works just fine, and with a flexible spatula and a bunch of push pins, I've got it down pretty good.
Hopefully someone will identify the brand of the mysterious black/brown speckled roadbed I have.
I have some bits of OLD cork from when I was a kid that is more black then brown, but the new stuff I got at the LHS is mostly brown and I think Midwest brand.(I only got a few strips and they keep it behind the counter so I didn't see the box they took it from) I have no idea where the old stuff would have come from, but it would have been aquired probably in the early 70's.
Caulk - the only way to glue!
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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