Roadbed Material

[Anonymous]

Rookie question here:

What are the comparative advantages and disadvantages of using cork vs. homosote as a roadbed material? Also, which material is more suited to use in each of the following applications: main lines, rail yards, sidings.

Thanks for the information.

[orsonroy]

Homasote isn't a roadbed material, it's a SUBroadbed material. You can use it as the roadbed too, but most people add a layer of cork on top of the homasote, to replicate the correct ballast profile.

Remember, homasote is part of the construction material for a layout (if you choose to build a layout in such an old-fashioned way), while cork is only a scenery element.

[cwclark]

if you are new to this than I belive you should go with the cork roadbed... homasote alone is expensive and you have to cut it with a jigsaw like you would plywood for a sub roadbed... (I call it double duty ) because it's best to have plywood under the homasote so you're making two cuts instead of one...I use 3/4 plywood..mark my radii and straight-a-ways to a withth of 2 3/8" and then lay the cork roadbed on top of the plywood..it works very well..the only disadvantage with plywood is that you can't "push" in the nails to hold your cork or flex track like you can with homasote but i find using a small hammer and a punch drives the track nails just as well... Chuck[:D]

[wp8thsub]

Homasote holds spikes very well. Cork not so well. The difference is important if you're installing near-scale commercial track or handlaying with small spikes.

QUOTE: Homasote isn't a roadbed material, it's a SUBroadbed material.

I know there are people who do the above, but nobody I know personally who uses Homasote adds cork on top of it. We use plywood or spline for subroadbed and spike the track into the Homasote. It's either cut to the tie width or purchased pre-cut...see below.

QUOTE: ...you have to cut [Homasote] with a jigsaw like you would plywood for a sub roadbed...

Nope. Homasote roadbed that installs just as easily as cork is available from Homabed http://www.homabed.com . It's more expensive than cork, but there is no substitute when spike holding capability is needed.

The above having been said, if you're a beginner (and likely to be using the commercial track intended to be held down with track nails that penetrate into the subroadbed) cork is suitable and Homabed is not worth the extra expense.

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wp8thsub

Homasote holds spikes very well. Cork not so well. The difference is important if you're installing near-scale commercial track or handlaying with small spikes.

QUOTE: Homasote isn't a roadbed material, it's a SUBroadbed material.

I know there are people who do the above, but nobody I know personally who uses Homasote adds cork on top of it. We use plywood or spline for subroadbed and spike the track into the Homasote. It's either cut to the tie width or purchased pre-cut.

All true, but homasote is still supposed to be a subroadbed material. Most layouts I've seen have been built with the mainline consisting of plywood, homasote and cork. Secondary tracks might or might not have either cork or homasote under them, depending on what the track is supposed to represent. It all basically boils down to what you're used to, and how much time and effort you want to put into modeling track.

[wp8thsub]

QUOTE: ...homasote is still supposed to be a subroadbed material.

SUPPOSED to be? This sounds like a regional trend. Where y'all from?

I've visited dozens of layouts in the West and the Chicago area with Homasote roadbed, none of which used the material as subroadbed. I use the plywood or spline to give the compacted fill contour and Homabed for the actual ballast slope base. Again, because I like to use the small spikes that don't penetrate through the roadbed, the roadbed material must hold them - thus Homabed or Homasote for roadbed and no cork. Homabed makes HO roadbed in both 1/4" and 1/8" thickness, so I use the former for mainlines and the latter almost everywhere else.

[simon1966]

I decided that I wanted to use relatively inexpensive comercial track and turnouts so I chose Atlas flextrack and Peco switches. I am not so concerned about the prototypical look of the track, but have painted and weathered it for effect to improve it significantly. I chose to use cork because it is easy to get at my LHS. Spiking was not an issue for me as I decided to use the glue method of laying track with caulk. I agree with the need to sand the cork before laying track as there were noticable bumps at joints. You can use HO cork roadbed for the main lines and n scale cork for the lower profile of sidings. I did not use any radbed in the yards, simply laying the track here right onto the subroadbed (Blueboard foam in my case). This has worked well for my needs, which was for an easy, quick method of getting a reliable track system in place, suitable for use by kids.