Layouts and layout building

 Little background on my HO layout, I have 1and ¼ inch foam on top ¾ inch plywood. I have been using cork for roadbed and latex to hold it down. Latex, problem takes a while for it to set up so I can sand it and then lay the track.

 Tonight I was in a hurry so need to get the new roadbed down with little time. Sunday I will lay my last 3 turnouts so I can start working on the tunnels.

 Hum, what about hot glue? I have a hot glue gun with 2 settings, high and low. I used it when I made my hills. Problem with the high temp setting is it so hot it will melt the foam. Low temp? I can hardly get any glue out to work with?  With the hills it was not that much of a problem. Used the low setting.

 Tonight after I had the diagram of the roadbed on the foam and cut to fit I did this. I set the gun to high temp so I would get good flow of glue. Flip the roadbed up side down and applied the glue to the roadbed. You will need to work fast! It will set up quick! You have about a minute but if you have done the pre fitting you will be fine.

 My roadbed was set up with in 10 minutes to the point I could sand it to make it level.

 Give it a try I think you will like it.

 Glue gun came from Wally Mart for $10.00. It uses the ½ inch diameter glue sticks. I got extra sticks from Lowe's.

           Stuck Again Cuda Ken

I use yellow glue.  It remains very tacky during setup, which allows you to adjust things until you get them right and will dry hard within 3-4 hours (unless you use too much).  It has served me well gluing foam tgrackbed to wood and track to foam trackbed.  It also comes up with a putty knife. 

I use the hot glue gun low temp sticks.  I only glue down a short 2-3 inch section at a time.  3-4 per 36 inch of cork and maybe more on a curve.  Then I will lay the other half of the cork along side in a similiar fashion.  I use the same method to set the track and then follow up by a spot check to set if I got power and run some trains across it.  If everything is ok I will ballast a foot or so and allow the ballast and glue to hold everything in place.

As for mistakes although rare, all I have to do is slide a kitchen steak knife under and saw thru the glue.  

I've found that I can do a 6 ft or longer section in less time than waiting to latex to dry check it out and come back lay track wait for it to dry and then ballast.  Hold time is less than a few minutes and overnight for the ballast to dry.  Next day I can clean the rails, and rmoved any excess ballast a run a train or two.

My method this time although I am going to do some spline for road bed on the next on.  

I almost never need to sand the Midwest or Model Power cork roadbed.  I use a very, very thin layer of latex calk and it sets up in very quick, only a couple of minutes.

Thick glue makes bumps under the cork. 

Far as holding power to the foam, tonight I found it to not be a problem.

 I used 2 X 4 as the frame, and as well all know there is no such thing a straight one. (I will never make that mistake again) One section was off by a ½ inch where the foam sections meet, that was not a problem till I found that was a perfect spot for a turn out the other night.

 Filled the gap and leveled as best I could, there was still a ¼ height differences between the, cork roadbed where they hooked up. Tonight I used a sanding block and 36 grit to, level the sections. It is flat now and took around an hour to work the 24, inch section.

 Reason I bring this up? Hot glue held just fine and it took a beating.

 Give a try, I bet you will like it.

                      Stuck Again Cuda Ken