Chat Room For Younger Modelers

[ModelTrainLover]

Danrunner Have you tried Model RR mag? I have this issue that you can by steam engiens with or without sound

[Demon09]

If youre looking for something simple and dont want to open up your loco's for it you can get a MRC sound station, there has been a lot of talk about those on the forum lately..... For about $50 you get around 18 sounds (diesel horn, bell, engine roar, crossing signals, etc.).... after hearing about these i think i might have to pick one up for my layout.

[ModelTrainLover]

or you could save your self that 50$ and use a CD player go out and buy a CD with those train sounds on it and play it on the CD player. ..

[nickt22]

Im 14, and there is definitely not enough money or space to go around usually. I just have to earn what I get for my layout

[Demon09]

Well you could go with the CD player idea, but I havent heard of too many places that sell CDs of railroad sounds...... The MRC is just helpful because you get everything together, two speakers, and a handheld controller..... But if you do happen to have a CD full of train sounds, by all means go for it. Everyone on this forum uses what they feel is best for them. I was merely offering another solution to the soundless beep.

[danrunner]

Good ideas on the sound system for the beep. The MRC system is a distinct possibility. A cd offers no control of what sounds are being made and wouldn't interest me at all. The reason I got into this hobby is to control my own little world. The sound systems or any option where I can actually pick out and play sounds is right for me. Playing a cd would be like playing a dvd of train layouts--I wouldn't be involved at all...too passive of a solution.

Not that the train dvds of layouts aren't cool, I have 7 or 8 by TM books/video. They're great to watch and get ideas from.

thanks for the help,

dan

[ModelTrainLover]

nickt22 it was the same for me last Christmass if I wanted any more track for my layout I had to work for it and I might get it I am hopping for more track on my B-day hanuaka or Christmass (I'm Jewish) best of all they are all in December!!!!! for me I have 3 chances.

[ModelTrainLover]

Hey guys here is my report on the History or railroading in Maine don't worry I don't have my name on it.....

[ModelTrainLover]

The Rise and Fall of Railroads in Maine.

Beginning Of the Railroads.

Railroading in Maine started some time in the 1800’s. Most of the railroads in Maine were called the 2-footers, because the rails were only 2 feet apart. Almost all of the 2 footers served small towns, paper mills, the logging industry, coal and slate mines. Some though like the Sandy River and Rangley Lakes railroad and a few others did enjoy the summer vacationers to the lakes or ocean beaches that the railroad had stations at.

End of the 2-footers

Like most narrow gauge railroads across the country the Maine 2 footers died out when the depression hit or their main traffic was taken over by trucks, cheeper cars, or some times trolly lines, but a lucky few either converted to standard gauge of 4 ft 81/2 in. to keep up with cars and tucks, or fought the hardships and survived to become excursions for tourists, and at one point there was only 2 active railroads in Maine

Looking at Future plans in Lewiston Auburn.

As some of you may know of a small stretch of track near the Ramada Inn right before you get on the Turnpike. That small stretch of track could some day see trains rolling across it’s rails. The only reason that stretch of rail is still there is because of the Lewiston - Auburn Rail Co. formed in the 1872 by the Maine Legislature. It’s a stock corporation. It bought a stretch of rail, about 2,000 ft of it. It starts at Oxford st. and ends at the lower Lewiston Rail.
Preservation of the corridor is supporting a long-term plan by the Maine Department of Transportation to combined a network of short line railroads to reestablish passenger rail use across the state. To accommodate commuters and reduce the reliance of roads and highways, and to improve the state’s transportation system.
The corridor is a critical link in a long-term plan aimed to reestablish rail service in Lewiston, and it opens the door for future development that includes commercial freight, trolly/ commuter services to Portland, B.I.W. and the new Pine Land center. It would also enhance plans for community projects.
The possibility of a international rail connection with Canada, Mexico, Europe. Along with the possibility of a new Transcontinental Railroad. East to West.
The opportunities that the corridor and other bits of rail that have plans to be put back into service range from intercontinental, international, Transcontinental and continued local business attraction.

M.D.O.T. Recent Rail
Accomplishments.

The most recent rail accomplishments would be the return of passenger rail service from Portland to Boston on the Down Eastern. Made possible by Amtrak and the Maine Department of Transportation.

Maine Railroads

Kennebec Central

The Kennebec Central the smallest of all the Maine 2-Footers. The only other narrow gauge rr that comes close is the 2 by 6 railroad the Monson Railroad. The Kennebec railroad was only 5 miles long form Randolph to the National Soldiers Home in Togus. It was promoted by local business men around Gardiner. It opened on July 23rd 1890. It was laid with 25 lb. rail. The Main fright was inbound coal to the Soldier Home in Togus. It was mainly a passenger carrier on the weekends and certain holidays. It started down the road of abandonment like so many other narrow gauge railroads, when a trolly line took away some of it’s passenger traffic.
In the 1920’s the railroad replaced it’s original engines with portland made locomotives. The Soldiers home switched to trucks to haul coal to the home, and that did it for the railroad. On June 29th all operations ended.

Monson Railroad.

It was formed by businessmen from Monson, Portland, and Lowell, Mass. It was organized on Nov. 1 1882. It was called the 2 by 6 because the rails were 2 feet apart and it was 6 miles long. It was opened on Oct. 22 1883. Main freight traffic was slate. The mine eventually bought the railroad in 1909. It was closed on December 1943.

Bucksport & Bangor Railroad

The Bucksport & Bangor railroad was started by a man named R. P. Buck, on Feb., 1, 1873. The line started in Bangor and followed the east bank on the Penobscot river to an all weather facility in Bucksport. When the railroad was first organized Buck did not have enough money to start construction of the railroad. So he leased the line to the European & North American Railway, which had a line of it’s own from Bangor to St. John, N.B.
Under the lease the E. & N.A. had to pay 40% of the gross receipts until the end of Nov. 1876. and 35% after November of the year.
When the E. & N.A. built the line it was built at gauge of 5’-6’’, because the E. & N.A. is a broad gauge rail company.
The Bucksport & Bangor railroad was officially opened on December 12 1874. A total of 19 miles of track was ready for use.
The only way that trains on the line were able to enter Bangor was by a 810 ft Howe-truss bridge.
During the 1870’s the E.&N.A. converted the line to narrow gauge, but stalled the conversion because of cost in 1875. The construction was finished on Sept. 12 1877 to a gauge of 4’ 8.5’’ (today’s standard gauge for most railroads.)
The lease expired in Oct. of 1879.
Then it was leased again to L. L. Lincoln of Augusta. He was the former superintendent of the Maine Central railroad. It was then narrowed again to 3 ft on Oct. 9th. It was planned to be extend to Elsworth or Sullivan for steam ferry service to Mt Dessert Island, if that plan didn’t work then the railroad would just build straight to the island. It was never extended.
On Feb. 1 1882. It was renamed the Eastern Maine Railroad. The it was leased to the Maine central for $9500 per year for 999 years. As of May 1 1883.
Once again it was converted back to standard gauge of 4’ 8.5’’. Work was finished at the end of May.
After so many conversions the railroad became unique because it was the only railroad that was broad gauge the narrow gauge the back to standard gauge.
The railroad is still in used as of 1990.

Aroostook River Railroad.

The Aroostook River Railroad was a branch line of the Rivier-du-Loup Railroad. It was 41 miles in length, it had a gauge of 3 ft. 6 in. It started at Aroostook Junction, and went to Fort Fairfield, Maine in 1875. It was extended to Caribou in 1876 an additional 19 miles. The in 1881 in was extended 15 miles to Presque Isle. The main traffic was lumber. The line was still in operation as of 1990.

Bridgeton & Saco River railroad.

The gauge was 2 ft like most of the Maine 2 footers. Started at Bridgeton and ended at Hiram Juct. Opened on Jan. 31st 1883. Was extended to Harrison on Aug. 3 1898. Taken over by the M.C. rr on July 24 1912. Saved from being abandoned by the residents of Bridgeton on June 1, 1930. The extension to Harrison was abandoned on Oct. 30 1930. But high maintenance cost of a trestle it was abandoned May 13 1945. Sold to a Junk dealer and scraped.

Lewiston- Auburn Railroad Offerings.

What does Lewiston and Auburn have that would attract railroad business? Well here is some of what it has to offer. L. A. is serviced by the St. Lawrence & Atlantic railroad. Which is a branch of the Genesee & Wyoming. The trackage that the railroad has in L.A. is an opening to the rest of the U.S. and Canada plus Mexico.
Also Safe Handling Inc. near the Auburn AirPort. Maine largest rail shipment facility with expertise in handling grade foods and chemicals. L.A. has 1500 miles of trackage rights across New England and Eastern Canada, and a truck-to-rail intermodal facility.

Maine D.O.T’s state wide rail system over haul.

Maine Department of Transportation’s investment to expand the use of intermodal trasit, or the use of air, rail, and sea; To help reduce the cost of road expaansion and repair.
Maine is served by 6 private railroads. The big 3 of them are the St. Lawrence & Atlantic, Guilford Rail System, and the Montreal & Maine, Atlantic Railroad. Maine has 1100+ operational miles of track. reaching most urban and rural communities.
The state and the railroads evenly divide the cost of large improvement projects.
The state owns 300 miles of track. Some is used by short line railroads like the Maine Eastern rr.
Rail servise is important to Maine because it is cost effective when moving large amounts of low value frieght over long distances, and is an option for shippers beside highway use. In the past years there has been major efforts in improving the rail infrastructure.
[:D][:D] Enjoy

[ModelTrainLover]

The report is not done I know but the rest of it will come later........ Comments any one?

[ModelTrainLover]

oh come on now it's not that bad is it? I'll get the final copy on here as soon as I'm done with it.

[Anonymous]

Very Nice job on your report.

[danrunner]

Hey guys,

So, tell me, anyone have any train-related projects planned for this summer? And, on the non-train end, where are you all heading on vacation this summer? AND if you hit the lottery, tell us your DREAM TRAIN-RELATED VACATION.


My DREAM vacation is to go back to Durango, CO and this time...ride the D&SNGRR for the 2-4 hour trip up to Silverton and back. I visited the museum and roundhouse, but we didn't have time for a train ride. Next time, we will.

Back in the real world, a move and packing/unpacking will be our whole summer. No big vacations or train projects.


What about you guys?

Dan

[ModelTrainLover]

Me I hope for more visits to The Maine narrow gauge rr, summer camp, summer swimming, bike riding, CAMPING AND CLIMBING Mt. Khatadin ( Ka - ta - din)
fishing, watching summer thunder storms from inside my house. and chores not fun!

[Demon09]

Well I ended up with a summer job at my university so I have to move on campus for the summer..... I won't be able to rebuild my layout like I need to do, and I'll be away from home for my birthday too, which hopefully sends a few new train items my way......

As far as plans, I need to incorporate a few 1122 switches I won of ebay onto my layout, and re-size some of the things and maybe add some more track..... that won't happen until fall now.

My dream train related vacation would be to visit each of the major manufacturers factories for a tour and pick up a few souveniers along the way.....

Good topic, btw....

[ModelTrainLover]

emmaandy thanks. I'll get the Final draft on here monday or later in the week.

[ModelTrainLover]

dannrunner what do you think of my report right now?

[ModelTrainLover]

Ok here is the final copy of my report. It might take you a while to read it but I think you will enjoy it.


The Rise and Fall of Railroads in Maine.

Beginning Of the Railroads.

Railroading in Maine started some time in the 1800’s. Most of the
railroads in Maine were called the 2-footers, because the rails were only
2 feet apart. Almost all of the 2 footers served small towns, paper mills,
the logging industry, coal and slate mines. Some though like the Sandy
River and Rangley Lakes railroad and a few others did enjoy the summer
vacationers to the lakes or ocean beaches that the railroad had stations
at.

End of the 2-footers

Like most narrow gauge railroads across the country. The Maine 2 footers died out when the depression hit or their main traffic was taken over by
trucks, cheeper cars, or some times trolly lines, but a lucky few either
converted to standard gauge, 4 ft 81/2 in. to keep up with cars and tucks,
or fought the hardships and survived to become excursions for tourists.
At one point there was only 2 active railroads in Maine

Looking at Future plans in Lewiston Auburn.

As some of you may know of a small stretch of track near the Ramada Inn right before you get on the Turnpike. That small stretch of track could some day see trains rolling across it’s rails. The only reason that
stretch of rail is still there is because of the Lewiston - Auburn Rail
Co. formed in the 1872 by the Maine Legislature. It’s a stock corporation.
It bought a stretch of rail, about 2,000 ft of it. It starts at Oxford st.
and ends at the lower Lewiston Rail.
Preservation of the corridor is supporting a long-term plan by the Maine Department of Transportation to combined a network of short line railroads to reestablish passenger rail use across the state. To accommodate
commuters and reduce the reliance on roads and highways, and to improve
the state’s transportation system.
The corridor is a critical link in a long-term plan aimed to reestablish rail service in Lewiston, and it opens the door for future development that includes commercial freight, trolly/ commuter services to Portland, B.I.W. and the new Pine Land center. It would also enhance plans for
community projects.
Along with the possibility of an international rail connection with
Canada, Mexico, Europe. Along with the possibility of a new
Transcontinental Railroad, East to West.
The opportunities that the corridor and other bits of rail that have
plans to be put back into service range from intercontinental,
international, transcontinental trade and continued local business
attraction.

M.D.O.T. Recent Rail
Accomplishments.

The most recent rail accomplishments would be the return of passenger rail service from Portland to Boston on the Down Eastern. Made possible by Amtrak and the Maine Department of Transportation.

Maine Railroads

Kennebec Central

The Kennebec Central the smallest of all the Maine 2-Footers. The only other narrow gauge railroad that comes close is the 2 by 6 railroad the
Monson Railroad. The Kennebec railroad was only 5 miles long form Randolph
to the National Soldiers Home in Togus. It was promoted by local business
men around Gardiner. It opened on July 23rd 1890. It was laid with 25 lb.
rail. The main fright was inbound coal to the Soldier Home in Togus. It
was mainly a passenger carrier on the weekends and certain holidays. It
started down the road of abandonment like so many other narrow gauge
railroads, when a trolly line took away some of it’s passenger traffic.
In the 1920’s the railroad replaced it’s original engines with Portland made locomotives. The Soldiers home switched to trucks to haul coal to the home, and that did it for the railroad. On June 29th all operations ended.

Monson Railroad.

It was formed by businessmen from Monson, Portland, and Lowell, Mass. It was organized on Nov. 1 1882. It was called the 2 by 6 because the rails were 2 feet apart and it was 6 miles long. It was opened on Oct. 22 1883.
Main freight traffic was slate. The mine eventually bought the railroad in
1909. It was closed on December 1943.

Bucksport & Bangor Railroad

The Bucksport & Bangor railroad was started by a man named R. P. Buck, on Feb., 1, 1873. The line started in Bangor and followed the east bank of the Penobscot river to an all weather facility in Bucksport. When the
railroad was first organized R. P. Buck did not have enough money to start
construction of the railroad. So he leased the line to the European &
North American Railway, which had a line of it’s own from Bangor to St.
John, N.B.
Under the lease the E. & N.A. had to pay 40% of the gross receipts until the end of Nov. 1876. and 35% after November of the year.
When the E. & N.A. built the line it was built at gauge of 5’-6’’,
because the E. & N.A. is a broad gauge rail company.
The Bucksport & Bangor railroad was officially opened on December 12, 1874. A total of 19 miles of track was ready for use.
The only way that trains on the line were able to enter Bangor was by a 810 ft Howe-truss bridge.
During the 1870’s the E.&N.A. converted the line to narrow gauge, but stalled the conversion because of the cost in 1875. Then construction was
finished on Sept. 12 1877 to a gauge of 4’ 8.5’’ (today’s standard gauge
for most railroads.)
The lease expired in Oct. of 1879.

Then it was leased again to L. L. Lincoln of Augusta. He was the former superintendent of the Maine Central railroad. It was then narrowed again to 3 ft on Oct. 9th. It was planned to be extend to Elsworth or Sullivan
for steam ferry service to Mt Dessert Island, if that plan didn’t work
then the railroad would just build straight to the island. It was never
extended.
On Feb. 1 1882. It was renamed the Eastern Maine Railroad. The it was leased to the Maine central for $9500 per year for 999 years. As of May 1
1883.
Once again it was converted back to standard gauge of 4’ 8.5’’. Work was finished at the end of May.
After so many conversions the railroad became unique because it was the only railroad that was broad gauge the narrow gauge the back to standard
gauge.
The railroad is still in used as of 1990.

Aroostook River Railroad.

The Aroostook River Railroad was a branch line of the Rivier-du-Loup Railroad. It was 41 miles in length, it had a gauge of 3 ft. 6 in. It
started at Aroostook Junction, and went to Fort Fairfield, Maine in 1875.
It was extended to Caribou in 1876 an additional 19 miles. The in 1881 in
was extended 15 miles to Presque Isle. The main traffic was lumber. The
line was still in operation as of 1990.

Bridgeton & Saco River railroad.

The gauge was 2 ft like most of the Maine 2 footers. Started at Bridgeton and ended at Hiram Juct. It opened on Jan. 31st 1883. Then extended to Harrison on Aug. 3 1898. Taken over by the M.C. R.R. on July 24 1912. Saved from being abandoned by the residents of Bridgeton on June 1, 1930. The extension to Harrison was abandoned on Oct. 30 1930, but high
maintenance cost of a trestle it was abandoned May 13 1945. Sold to a
Junk dealer and scraped.

Lewiston- Auburn Railroad Offerings.

What does Lewiston and Auburn have that would attract railroad business? Well here is some of what it has to offer. L. A. is serviced by the St.
Lawrence & Atlantic railroad. Which is a branch of the Genesee & Wyoming.
The trackage that the railroad has in L.A. is an opening to the rest of
the U.S. and Canada plus Mexico.
Also Safe Handling Inc. near the Auburn AirPort. Maine’s largest rail
shipment facility with expertise in handling grade foods and chemicals.
L.A. has 1500 miles of trackage rights across New England and Eastern
Canada, and a truck-to-rail intermodal facility.

Maine D.O.T’s state wide rail system over haul.

Maine Department of Transportation’s investment to expand the use of intermodal transit, or the use of air, rail, and sea; To help reduce the
cost of road expansion and repair.
Maine is served by 6 private railroads. The big 3 are the St. Lawrence & Atlantic, Guilford Rail System, and the Montreal & Maine, Atlantic
Railroad. Maine has 1100+ miles of operational track. reaching most urban
and rural communities.
The state and the railroads evenly divide the cost of large improvement projects with each other.
The state owns 300 miles of track. Some is used by short line railroads like the Maine Eastern rr.
Rail service is important to Maine because it is cost effective when
moving large amounts of low value freight over long distances, and is an
option for shippers beside highway use. In the past years there has been
major efforts in improving the rail infrastructure.

What’s Next?

Time Will Tell for Lewiston Auburn.

The author feels that the plans for L.A. passenger service to be restored
once again is soon going to be a real thing, but the only problem is that
the corridor that is being preserved is not in the best of shape. There
are trees growing in between the rails and some are already 1.5 to 2
inches across. Not to mention thorn bushes and weeds. Also the ties that
are so badly rotten that the only way a tie could even be there is a strip
of green grass.
The author has personally visited these tracks and found a switch that works fine until it hits a tree. The writer’s personal belief on the
corridor preservation: If you want to preserve it them do it and keep it
from falling apart!!!!

The author is very much a believer that Maine will become the next train watching hot spot, because of the state wide rail system over haul that
are still in the works happening will restore Maine’s railroading glory.

Inputs for the text above.

The plans for L.A. are close to Boston’s Big Dig, only above ground not
under it. A rail Mexico, Canada, Europe, along with an other
transcontinental rail link. This is the kind of planning that should be in
New York not Maine, but the author does not oppose the idea of business
attraction, which could lower taxes.

Ok that is my report. I want your honest oppion,
I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!![^][^][^][^][^][:D][:D]
Ok it took me almost 2 weeks to write this.....[:)]

[danrunner]

MTL,

Try to find the year railroads were introduced. Does the "1800's" mean 1800 or 1899?

I'm sure your word processor has spell check--use it and then have a parent/adult read it for accuracy--spell checker doesn't begin to catch everything...see"Eye Halve Spell Checker" poem on the net to prove my point. Also, no abbreviations in formal writing. Avoid using numbers in formal writing, too. Most experts say to spell all numbers under twenty and use the number's symbol above that--check with your teacher because some say the cutoff is 100. etc

Good effort.
Danrunner

[ModelTrainLover]

Well I'm not sure what year they were in troduced but I THINK that the oldest railroad in here was the first one.... and I have already passed in the finaly copy to my engli***eacher.
And how is the moving[?] thing comming?

[johnandjulie13]

Hey guys:

Regarding train related activities this summer, I am planning on two things: 1). We will be taking our 2 1/2 year old son to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union Illinois; 2) I have business in Las Vegas and I will be out there at the end of June. I heard that the Bellagio has a huge temporary layout in their Conservatory. Since I will be staying at the Bellagio, I hope to spend some time admiring that layout.

Regards,

John O

[ModelTrainLover]

www.alstom.proboards78.com have for those of you who would like a web site on eastern rr this one is in real need of members. less than 20 .

[ModelTrainLover]

hey danrunner would I be one of the founders of this forum cause I was checking in regulary from when this chart room was only 2 pages?
I'm just wondering.

[danrunner]

Is Fastrack too loud?

Certain not to be left behind this time, I bought a ton of Fasttrack and have/had a three-loop layout. It's super-easy to work with, but It's pretty loud.

I've never run it side-by-side w/ tubular o27 or even realtrax, but it has to be the noisiest of them all.

What do you think and is it worth the noise?

One modification I'm considering: Ever seen those sheets of rubber for flat roofs? Pure rubber sheets that self-adhere? Well, I'm thinking of a plywood base, homosote layer second, and either a styrofoam layer after the homosote or go straigt from the homosote to the rubber membrane. I'd think would really absorb the noise. And possibly on top of it all, astro turf/synthetic grass carpet.

What do you guys think?

Dan

[Demon09]

regarding the fast track, it is pretty realistic looking in my opinion, judging that it is all put together when you buy it and you dont have the mess of pouring ballast. It is much louder than any of my 027 though, and i ended up making my layout out of 027 because its quieter and cheaper.

Wouldn't know about the padding, but let me know how it works out... right now im running the 027 straight on the plywood and it gets pretty noisy.

[casconi]

I do not think Fastrack is that loud. I have completed converted to it and I absolutely love it!

[danrunner]

Demon--thanks for the feedback. I'm wishing I did the whole thing in O or O27 Tubular simply because of price. I'm in deep enough now that I have to stay unless I pull the trigger on a trade. By the way, O tubular 72' radius is freakin' expensive. Close to 4 bones for a new piece. Fastrack O72 is only a buck more.

But what to do about that noise? I think that rubber membrane will work. Rubber is such a great eater of vibration/noise. It'll have to work if we move to where I think we're gonna move (job pending) where people have an allergy to basements--I don't get it. I think homes without basements suck--no offense-- but trains and weight benches need a home. Can someone explain why out west and new homes in the midwest don't have basements? A sump pump takes care of water under the foundation. We have a sump pump here in Indiana and our basement is cool and bone dry.

MTL--Sure baby, you're a founding member. It's all good. Heck, everyone who gets in in the next 20 pages should call themselves a founding father. In fact, I'm buying a little mountainous land in the Black Hills of the Dakotas--We're gonna have our faces carved into the mountains overlooking some cross-country tracks.

Cowboy up!

Dan

[ModelTrainLover]

ok them.. I'll get more in when I have time to. study right now 10:57 a.m. 4th peroid.

[Demon09]

I ended up with a loop of fast track from the Polar Express set I got a few months back. I think the only thing I will end up using the fast track for is running under the Christmas tree, or when I feel like maying a small floor layout for old time sake. As far as the price, I noticed the price of 0-27 tubular has gone up recently too. In December I could buy track for $0.79 at a local hobby shop. Now I'm lucky if I can find it for less than $1.39. It could have something to do with the fact that it was right after Christmas too though-maybe it was still on sale.... Of course the hobby shop owner kept trying to get me to switch to fast track (being that I walked in as a complete novice with only a single loop of starter track under my belt), but the higher price led me away from that route.

With the basements, I'm not completely sure, but I think some homes are built without basements because they don't need the extra depth to the foundation. Here in the midwest we have to deal with the frost line in winter, which is about 4 feet under ground. The foundation has to sink below that line or else the house will rise and fall as the ground freezes and thaws. It just ends up being cheaper to make it without the basement on the west coast/south west, because if it is not necessary, it is not done because of the money issue. And the newer homes in the midwest probably have the deep foundation built a different way. They may sink below the 4 foot line but without using the foundation that sets up the nice cement walls that creates the basement (or should I say the "weight room" and "train room"?).

But I agree that houses without basements suck. I just spent the past 3 days cleaning out my basement.... That part sucked, but boy what a difference it makes. I have my layout completely clear for at least an additional 4 feet in any direction, not to mention the rest of the basement can now finish being remodeled into a family room so others can join me in the hobby without me feeling embarassed at the mess anymore. Not to mention the open space leaves me room to expand my 4x8 empire nearly 10 fold if I want to deal with the arguments it will bring up with my family.....

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by danrunner

Is Fastrack too loud?

Certain not to be left behind this time, I bought a ton of Fasttrack and have/had a three-loop layout. It's super-easy to work with, but It's pretty loud.

I've never run it side-by-side w/ tubular o27 or even realtrax, but it has to be the noisiest of them all.

What do you think and is it worth the noise?

One modification I'm considering: Ever seen those sheets of rubber for flat roofs? Pure rubber sheets that self-adhere? Well, I'm thinking of a plywood base, homosote layer second, and either a styrofoam layer after the homosote or go straigt from the homosote to the rubber membrane. I'd think would really absorb the noise. And possibly on top of it all, astro turf/synthetic grass carpet.

What do you guys think?

Dan

Please forgive the intrusion from an older guy, but I found Dan's idea about laying rubber membrane under the FasTrack to be an intriguing idea. Our layout is all FasTrack and has two loops. When 2 trains are running at the same time, it is literally impossible to have a conversation. My kids have Thomas and Percy, and when we press the whistle button, we cannot hear the whistle over the track noise.

Some have suggested putting pink insulation (the soft stuff, not the boards) under the FasTrack to fill the ballast cavity and reduce noise that way. I'd bet a combination of the insulation and the rubber would greatly reduce track noise.

Please keep all of us posted on your efforts and results regarding this issue. If you hit upon a way of significantly reducing the noise level, please share it with the entire forum.

Jim