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I am using 1/2" Foamcore as a roadbed material on my N-scale layout; I began using this when, as an apartment dweller, I needed a subroadbed I could cut without power tools and sawdust. The Foamcore just requires a straightedge and a good knife to cut. What I do is I elevate the foamcore above a solid tabletop; in one case I created a frame of 1x2's with a glued-and-screwed 1/8" Masonite top, then built up from there with foam. On my more permanent layout, though, I am rebuilding because of the insufficient 1/4" plywood I used as a poor high-school student. I am cutting out 1/2" Foamcore to lay down over this, and in some places I'm radically altering the track layout and gradients in the process. In both cases, it just takes a few foam risers every foot or so, and then I come back with expandable foam insulation (which comes in a spray can with a long nozzle) and fill in below, between the Foamcore and the tabletop or plywood. I use encyclopedias to weight down the Foamcore while this cures, because the expanding urethane foam will tend to lift it as it cures. This expandable foam is also what I use for scenic forms in general, so I rough these in at this stage as well. Once it has cured, I end up with solid foam beneath the rails. <br /> <br />I use AMI Instant Roadbed since it holds the track by adhesive action rather than nails or spikes, since the foam won't hold these. The end result is a lightweight roadbed which can tolerate some abuse (such as moving or being taken to train shows) and also tolerates thermal fluctuations (I currently occupy a relatively uninsulated third floor, where temperature swings can be the same as in an uninsulated garage), plus a scenic base that readily accepts tree planting. I also use a cellulose-based papier mache mixture for scenic sculpting, because it is also lightweight and flexible. The first layout I built this way is still operational, even after being stored in an outdoors metal shed for several years, and moving several times.
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