Tubular rail, sound deadening

[Donl6400]

Hello, I am in the process of building a new layout and I am using tubular track. I have the frame done, 1X4 and 1X6 legs with 5/8 plywood fastened on. Now I am in need of suggestions for a sub-roadbed. Things like Homasote are out because it is not available here, Ten-Test is still a possibility, although it now has a foil appllied to one side, but I am intrigued by the use of foam board which is readilly available and cheap.

The best way to fasten the rail to the foam is by gluing??? or using a rubber based silicone??? at what interval, every tie, every second, one per section?? I'm SSSSOOOOOO CONFUSED!!

I was reading where someone suggested MDF type screws, I have used these very successfully when screwing into end grain of even soft woods and they work well. Should the screw go all the way to the plywood? or are they to just keep the track from sliding more so than lifting? 

I was thinking of using 1/2" on top of the plywood then a layer of 2" for sculpting and actual roadbed. Would the bottom layer be better laid with the carpet underlayment? I was planning of having a creek flowing and this way I could put in some bridges.

Thank You

Don L

Oshawa where we build the Silverado, the best truck in the world! 

 

 

[Roger Bielen]

In addition to the materials you mentioned there is also an insulation board that is a fibrous material, usually black on one side.  It'll hold a screw fairly well.  The old stand-by is cork roadbed.  My method with the cork is to glue it down and hold it in place with staples.  Remember that any screws used to hold the track should not go through the insulation and into the plywood.  This will transmit the sound/vibrations and negate any sound deadening.

[ezmike]

 In lieu of Homasote, which is a brand name product, try looking for Hushboard by Georgia-Pacific or some other type/brand of soundboard or as it is also know as softboard. They are the same type products, a compressed paper, but Homasote is compressed tighter and therefore more dense and 3 times the price. Since the others are not as dense they have higher sound deadening qualities. The others will hold screws too. I'm using tubular "O" gauge track with 3/4" #4 screws and for more bite, they're dipped in Elmers Glue.

 If you go the pink or blue foam way, try 1 1/2" - 2" braided/barbed type nails (underlay nails or roofing nails have braided bands around them to decrease the chance of backing out), you can dip them to or not, in 2" foam.

Mike

[overall]

There is a product out there called "Liquid Nails" that MIGHT would for securing tubular track. I have never tried it myself, but some N scalars I know use it for their track.

George

[brianel027]

Don, I started rebuilding my layout a couple years ago. I needed something quite and lightweight so I could move it on my own without any assistance. I decided to go with blue foam insulation board. Using 027 tubular track was going to be a challenge, but I quickly figured out a way to do it.

I made wood slugs out of basswood to fit snugly beneath the metal ties of the 027 track. The track was laid out on the layout surface, until I was happy with it. Then, with 3M Carpet Tape on the underside of the wood slugs, I slipped the slugs into the metal ties and then pressed them onto the foam layout surface. I then used Gargraves track screws to hold everything in place, until the next step in the process. I only used enough slugs and screws to just keep everything in place.

I then added additional wood ties to all the track, gluing them to the foam surface using wood glue. I like wood glue because unlike Elmer's regular white glue, wood glue will not come loose with repeated applications of glue when adding ballast.

I then added Woodland Scenics ballast to the track, using a diluted wood glue mix. Once this is all dry, it actually holds the track in place, so I could remove some of the screws, which helps with noise reduction. I did keep screws in place near switches, as the switches have all been chopped down to literally just the track itself... the added oversized base has been removed. This allows for so many more layout and scenic possiblities on a small layout where space is at a premium.

The blue foam board is wonderful for making hills and mountains and carving rock formations into them. Since my layout is small, I took some inspiration from all those Road Runner cartooons most of us have watched. The coyote was always falling off some hill or mountain that just seemed to abruptly end. So I build my "tunnels" as an upside down "L" that juts out over the track. Even on a small layout, I was able to make 2 of these, once of which has an altered and heavily kitbashed Lionel Coal Loading Kit built right into the side of the hill. I cut a neat rectangular shape into the side of it, which allows this building to also easily be removed. The whole thing fits snugly over a foam board base and into the hole cut into the side of the mountain.

Buidlings are held in place with a foam core base that is cut so the building fits snugly on to it. The foam core based is glued to the foam board layout surface. Other structures are modified with new bases, like the light towers, and I cut a hole into the foam board layout surface so I could mount these flush with the layout surface.

Some items, like my Lionel twin yard lights are fitted with magnets glued beneath the base. A blackened washer is glued to the foam board layout surface. I found when I was reaching over the layout, I would sometimes accidentally break these lights loose from the layout surface. I worried not only would I break the light loose, but I might just break the light pole itself. NOW, if I accidentally just knock them over, I pick them up put them right back upright. The magnets hold them in place. I left enough wire beneath to allow these lights to fall over.

Trees are inserted into the layout surface using a preglued-in styrene tube or a drinking straw. This way, trees can easily be removed if I need to move the layout. And I can also change things around should the mood hit me to have more fall colored trees or more pine trees.

I figured out a whole load of tricks and techiques that made using foam board for my layout surface a complete success.

[Donl6400]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I will report back on how everything goes together.

Don

 

 

[runtime]

Brianel,

That's a treasure chest of useful information, especially for someone like me who has never tackled scenery or even ballasting. You make it sound easy enough that I may eventually give it a try, when my layout gets more finallized. Would love to see pictures, including of the construction phases.

runtime

[brianel027]

RT, I wish I had done some photos as I was beginning the process. I did think about it, but was more focused on actually building it. I know the HO and N scale guys have been using foam for years... I'd see that in the MR magazine. But I always knew doing 3-rail with tubular track was going to be different. Maybe others have had my ideas, but everything I did was something I thought of on my own.

I was always a creative person (artist, painter, song writer), so everything came to me pretty fast. Just as when I write songs, I love the ones that come fast and quick... 9 out of 10 times those are the best ones. So I was pretty amazed how fast the ideas came to me for doing this layout. Forget plywood... I think foam board layouts are the wave of future layout building... lightweight, easy to work with and movable. And ask yourself, how many people in today's America have the same job for decades. or live in the same house and same town? I read studies that show Amercians move more today than ever before... lightweight, modular, movable layouts make a lot of sense to me.

Hopefully soon, I will be on a temporary layoff from work (believe it or not, I want to be laid off), so I'll have some time to do some new photos. I work swing shifts with only one single day off out of 8 work days, so it's a tough schedule and not a lot of free time.