Track laying Question

[stuartmit]

If you want to bend your own curves from Gargraves Flexible track, does its "springiness" force you to use a plywood base which will hold screws? Is there enough body and consistency in any of the lighweight foam products to drive screws through cork roadbed into them?

[phillyreading]

I would suggest using screws long enough to go down to the plywood base if you are using Gargraves Flex track. I screw my Gargraves track down because of some of my engines having some weight and/length to them.

Home Depot or Ace Hardware(has better selection of screws) should have some screws that are about two inches long in a number four screw with a philips head.

Lee F.

[chuck]

The spring back will be enough to tear the screws out of the foam.  I've used gargraves flex but always with homasote.  This stuff will hold the screws and keep the track from tearing out.  If your screw down into the plywood you will get sound transmission from the rails to the ties to the  table top.  You can try to mitigate this by making the table top as sonically dead as possible.  Think of the table top as the sub floor.  If you use additional bracing/stiffening blocks and possibly a foam underlayment you may be able to cut the noise down.

[stuartmit]

Ok--What I understand from this is that I would buy foam core, perhaps 1/2 or 1" thick, then lay out my cork, track, and drive #4 x 11/2 screws throught it, into the plywood underneath. I prefer to mount my switch machines on top of the table, camouflaged. I guess there, too, I will use the long screws. AM I on the right path here?

[stuartmit]

Did not see Chuck's reply before posting my last. Need to rethink using plywood at all it seems; Masonite may be better as a soundeadener (is that a word--well it is now--Tell Oxford, and  Thonrdike and Barnhart!).

[Zephyrx]

See the June/July 2009 issue of "that other" O ga. magazine for an article that directly addresses this subject.  Hoping that this question was not a prank from some OGR guy.  Even if so, the article is well written & answers your questions.

[stuartmit]

Thanks for your referral--I'll head over to the Hobby shop where I get my train mags (I don't subscribe--this way I'm always going to the shop) and buy a copy. Thanks very much. Meanwhile, I may have solved the question in that I can see from reading about Frank's layout the decided advantage of preformed curves when you are imagineering a layout on an as you build basis. Not only can you easily try out different alignments of the track, have not kinked joints, but you solve this problem as well.  I'll buy either Ross or Gargraves for most curves, eliminate the "sprininess"

[ChiefEagles]

Lots of folks here use foam insulation and no problem holding screws.  If you have foam, use it.  I used Soundstop which is like Homasote but cheaper down in the South.  Worked great.  Do not shy away from foam.  Great for layouts that you will not have to walk on later. 

[Buckeye Riveter]

If you click on the website below my signature, there is about 80 65 photos of my bench work under construction including the foam base.  It has been working now for over seven years and yes, I do have hidden in the mountain Gargraves flex track connected to the foam with wood deck screws.

[stuartmit]

Really Got some good ideas from your pics. First off, what exactly are the "wood deck screws? I have been using 4 x 1 pan head screws which have a tapered point, but for most of the length are of uniform diam. Is that a sheet metal screw? Would like to go to a screw with a head appropriate for counter sinking bit like the one described in OGR issue I bought yesterday (BTW, I subscribe to CTT, but not OGR--I am not an OGR plant, but a good article is a good article). However, ther article and Buckeye (hard to say that, being a 2 generation Michigan family--hard work lately!) said nothing really about foam holding the track screws well or poorly, so I am still curious.

[Buckeye Riveter]

stuartmit

First off, what exactly are the "wood deck screws?

Go over to Lowes or the Depot and ask for box of wood deck screws.  They will have thousands of boxes in stock.  The head on a wood deck screw fits perfect into the MTH Realtrax on my layout.  Just about every piece of track is attached.  The Chief tried to move it when he visited and it does not move.  I also ballasted with a rubber ballast from scenic express.  We believe this helped cut the noise, too.

Now a secret on using foam. If you have someplace you really need to hold something solid to foam, first saturate the area on the foam with a thinned wood type glue.  Let it dry.  When the screw now is screwed into the foam, it will stay even better.  Now you know how I held that green board to the foam in the photo?