Have those who have done this had any issues with seams? I'm thinking the 1-foot squares would be easier to install since they come flat rather than rolled up and smaller pieces are less trouble when using contact cement. The only downside I can think of is the seams.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
carl425Have those who have done this had any issues with seams?
I installed several sheets of 11 3/4" x 36" Midwest Cork in my old club's yard and had no problems with seams in the cork. It was laid on 3/4" plywood. The joints between the plywood sheets were smooth.
I would suggest using carpenters glue instead of contact cement because the sheets can be adjusted to get a perfect fit. I would also suggest using a wallpaper roller to smooth the sheets out (works on roadbed too).
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I used rolled cork sheet in my yard, IIRC it was N scale, so thinner than the HO roadbed cork. I secured it with Alex latex caulk as I did my roadbed cork. The seams just show but are no issue if you ballast, which evens things out.
20200611_152505 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
All of my "yards" are staging, so no need for cork underlay of any type, and no need for ballast, either...
There's also a fifth one, in another room. It's only two tracks, on a narrow shelf, and is unpainted. I used black paint on the ones in the layout room simply to demarcate them as "off-layout".
Wayne
What does the cork sheet provide that you can't get from cork strips?
kasskaboose What does the cork sheet provide that you can't get from cork strips?
I wanted a flat yard, not a yard where only the tracks were elevated. That doesn't look right.
I used WS foam roadbed sheets, which were easy to fasten down and worked well, but it's the same idea as cork sheets.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
kasskabooseWhat does the cork sheet provide that you can't get from cork strips?
Like MisterBeasley I wanted a flat yard with no ballast profile and using sheet cork instead of strips elimanated having to fill between tracks.
Regards, Peter
I layed out my yard track and tried several different things. I decided I wanted to run things a while before I made up my mind, so I laid down cork sheets, and moved my track and turnouts several times.
I know -- I could have done the same thing without the cork, but for some reason it seemed to be a little easier than moving cork strips each time.
I used cheap caulk to glue the cork to the plywood.
I bought sheets of cork from Hobby Lobby for pretty cheap. I think I got a 16" x 48" roll for less than $5.00.
York1 John
Cork sheets in yards here, too. No problem with seams (after all there is one seam in regular cork roadbed right down the middle with no problems) BUT I do use one of the large spongy abrasive pads on the cork that smooths things out and I assume would address slight seam issues.
Dave Nelson
I used N scale cork roadbed under my yard tracks (I model in HO). Then I went back and filled in between the tracks with more N scale roadbed. That was an expensive way to do it. Live and learn.
On an ealier layout I used cork flooring underlayment. Came in a huge roll for a pretty reasonable price (delivered to my home). I must have gone stupid between then and now.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
I'd think the transition between HO and N scale is something difficult for ensuing continual movement. Perhaps some can offer suggestions on going from one to the other easily. I keep all the cork the same height.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
why use cork at all?
keep the noise down
I'm using HO scale cork sheets in my service yard simply because the transitions to N scale cork or no cork would be too steep. In one case the first turnout in the yard has only about 6" of track between it and the turnout that feeds it. I know I could probably get away with N scale cork in the yard, but I would rather have reliable operation than the tiny bit of perspective that the transition would create.
JaBearHaving once worked next to a railway yard, I thought they were noisy places!
Ah but the yard in question, in this case, is a ~hidden staging yard so any noise would be quite offensive.
carl425Ah but the yard in question, in this case, is a ~hidden staging yard so any noise would be quite offensive
I am finally ready to start laying track for my yard. I just ordered 10 sheets of HO midwest cork sheet.
The package was pretty heavy, I've never got so much cork at one time. LOL
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
I apologize for being late to this party, I'm in serious catch up mode with reading these forums. Just a quick observation, no one has mentioned using homasote for their yard. No seams, very flat, takes track spikes well, paintable and takes ballasting well.
Tophias Just a quick observation, no one has mentioned using homasote for their yard. No seams, very flat, takes track spikes well, paintable and takes ballasting well.
Just a quick observation, no one has mentioned using homasote for their yard. No seams, very flat, takes track spikes well, paintable and takes ballasting well.
Homsote, yes. I was going to mention it but you beat me to it. Sometimes you have to level it a bit, but I've used Homasote on all my layouts for yards and still do. I paint it first to give it a base color and seal it a bit.
Indeed it takes spikes and track nails well. No worries about ramping up or down.
If I need to make a transition from Homasote to cork road bed at the change to mainline I simply mount the subroadbed so the surface of the cork is flush with the surface of the Homasote.
I ran on my last layout and there didn't seem to be any noticable noise either.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
doctorwayne All of my "yards" are staging, so no need for cork underlay of any type, and no need for ballast, either... There's also a fifth one, in another room. It's only two tracks, on a narrow shelf, and is unpainted. I used black paint on the ones in the layout room simply to demarcate them as "off-layout". Wayne
Rick
hbgatsf doctorwayne All of my "yards" are staging, so no need for cork underlay of any type, and no need for ballast, either... How did you set the track? Is it nailed to the plywood? Rick
doctorwayne All of my "yards" are staging, so no need for cork underlay of any type, and no need for ballast, either... How did you set the track? Is it nailed to the plywood?
How did you set the track? Is it nailed to the plywood?
riogrande5761 Many an attest nailing track nails into plywood is tough and results in quite a few bent nails, but it can be done. But the original issue raised in this topic was noise, and the desire to deaden sound, so cork was being thought about. Homasote seems to also deaden noise in my experience - at least I didn't notice any when running trains.
I apologize for hijacking the thread, but back in the day I had nailed track to plywood and as you stated it is not easy. I was curious how this one was done.
hbgatsf riogrande5761 Many an attest nailing track nails into plywood is tough and results in quite a few bent nails, but it can be done. But the original issue raised in this topic was noise, and the desire to deaden sound, so cork was being thought about. Homasote seems to also deaden noise in my experience - at least I didn't notice any when running trains. I apologize for hijacking the thread, but back in the day I had nailed track to plywood and as you stated it is not easy. I was curious how this one was done.
Rich
Alton Junction
I have used OSB wood on my past layout and found it can work well. Plus a lot of the plywood I see in the stores looks warped anyway and the good stuff can be quite expensive. For those where money is no object sure buy the best stuff. And these days during the Pandemic, wood has shot up to 2 or 3 times the pre-pandemic prices.
Anywho, I used track nails on my last layout and even on OSB, I ended up bending a good many attaching the track, although I like the flexibility of track nails or ME spikes over adhesives because you can fix track down instantly rather than wait for the adhesive to cure. And with all the weights you have to put on the track while it cures, how can you see if it cures and the track is properly aligned because the weights, such as soda cans, obscure the view of alignment. And I can tweak the alignment with track nails and even pull them out to relay if I want to change something.
Anyway, I'll probalby use a pin vise this time in many cases to use track nails where they are not going into Homasote. Where there are yards, Homasote is a dream to lay track. It is so easy!