Ok, I started my 4'x8' layout 3 days ago, I got the benchwork, and the track plan, now I need to get foam. Should I go with a 1" or 2" thick board?
Mike
I am going with one inch on mine. It will allow me to cut in to it for just about everything except a large gorge or canyon. If I need to build up, I will just stack and glue as needed.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
Well, I went with three 1/2" pieces of foam board, two will make the base, a third supplying for hills and things.
sfrr wrote: Well, I went with three 1/2" pieces of foam board, two will make the base, a third supplying for hills and things. Mike
I was unaware that Foam came in 1/2" thickness other than that offered by Woodland scenics.
The foam board in this area usually come in the 1" or 2" thickness and is either 2' x 8' or 4' x 8' sheets.
Yes, Missouri's Lowe's provides a wide varity! even 3/4" thickness!
You can see my current layout setup (or what-is-to-be) from the link in my signature.
I envy you having access to the variety of thicknesses that you have at your disposal.
Having access to the 1/2 inch would certainly make it easier for terrain building.
Will check with the local building supply outfit and see if it can be ordered in.
Thanks for the info.
yup ;)
the downside though, you will have to do a layer a day, so tomorrow I can put down my second layer, the first needs to dry.
I used 1". I thought that was a nice trade off from having it too thick and making it more difficult to install switch machines and having it too thin and not being able to "cut into it" to make some low spots around the layout.
Plus I have two decks and the additional thickness would have created some additional issues when it came to deck spacing.
The 1" foam on luan plywood has worked out great so far.
don7 wrote: I envy you having access to the variety of thicknesses that you have at your disposal. Having access to the 1/2 inch would certainly make it easier for terrain building.Will check with the local building supply outfit and see if it can be ordered in.Thanks for the info.
Check with your local siding suppliers (vinyl/alum). 1/2" and 3/8" are commonly used under siding to "jump" the gaps from old clapboard/shake siding. It's a lot easier to build up layers than to gouge out sections - difficult to do and MESSY!! My
Foam board comes 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch and then 2 inches thick. I have been modeling for more than 20 years and found foam scenery to be the best. A word of warning on thickness. If you cut into 2" foam and produce ANY kind of heat while doing it, it WILL warp. Also no one has mentioned the moisture sealer on both sides that MUST be removed or it will warp and nothing will stick to it. It is a fine film that peels off in one piece.
Normal scenery thickness is 2 to 3 - 2" pieces of foam stacked on top of each other. This makes for the base and ample thickness for scenery techniques. I am building a shelf layout patterned on a friends layout. I have made many mistakes and another one is using Luan (cheap 1/4" board) for a base to mount foam on. This stuff will warp at a mere difference of temperature as 10 degrees. 1/4" birch hardwood is the best base. Maybe more expensive, but eliminates fatalities later.
For pictures of progressive shots of the layout, send to reynrail@htc.net .
Dirk Reynolds Railways
My local (Oregon) Home Depot stocks 1", 1.5" and 2" foam in 2'x8' sheets. I always do my own measuring and cutting of the foam into 2'x4' panels before leaving the store, but then I am building my entire layout as 2'x4' modules (approximately 30 total). I have used all three thicknesses depending upon the amount of relief wanted (how high the hills, how low the valleys) AND the amount of weight to be supported.
I model in On30, so the tracks and trains aren't much different than HO scale, but the buildings are eight times the volume. I have one four-foot long resin structure that weighs 20 pounds supported on reinforced 1.5" foam, while a small wood building would not require more than 1" foam. You need to keep in mind that 1" foam is approximately the height of a boxcar in N scale, while it barely reaches the bottom sill of an O scale freight car. If you are trying to build up mountains high enough to tunnel through use the thickness appropriate to your scale. Also, you need not rely solely on glue to bond layers of foam. Bamboo skewers in the kitchen department of my local Dollar Store come 150 for $1 and can serve to permanently pin foam layers together.
Gil
Ahhh, that tricky film, I made the mistake on my N scale layout of keeping the film on there, and gluing it down to a table still, ending up having the foam boards rip off, because in essence, I only glued down the film, not the board...LOL