railandsail ATLANTIC CENTRAL Each piece is one "side" of a section just like cork roadbed. Look at the pictures on the Cascade web site. Sheldon Why would someone price there product by 'half of a side of a section'? So about $1 per foot. That's about the price ns flex track?
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Each piece is one "side" of a section just like cork roadbed. Look at the pictures on the Cascade web site. Sheldon
Each piece is one "side" of a section just like cork roadbed. Look at the pictures on the Cascade web site.
Sheldon
Respectfully, did you bother to take a look at his web site? He does not sell one 32" piece......
The product is sold in a bundle of six pieces for $7.26, prices vary with sizes and features. Those six pieces make 8' of roadbed.
It can be bought in a rigid straight version or a kerfed version for bending into curves.
He has verious thicknesses, turnout blocks, transition strips, different bevels, etc.
Like cork with a dozen options and better performance.
Yes about a $1 per foot. Atlas flex track is about $1.30 per foot from ModelTrainStuff if you buy a whole case of 100 pieces, that's how I buy it. So what?
Tell me, what it is that seems to bug you about this? If you don't think it is worth the money, don't buy it. But if you have never seen it, never used it, how you know if it is better than cork or not?
Some of the best modelers in the world were using homasote for roadbed 40 years ago. Many of those layouts, like the Severna Park Model Railroad Club, have stood the test of time and are still running.
Back then we had to buy 4x8 sheets and cut it out and mill it down ourselves. Today you can buy it ready to use, why reinvent the wheel?
Seems penny wise and dollar foolish to me?
Or do you just like being argumentative?
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
SeeYou190 Over several layouts, I can pretty much say roadbed does not matter once the scenery is in place. Ballast and glue hold the track more than spikes into whatever. . I guess if you plan to have a layout for decades with bare structural wood and no scenery, the roadbed might be more important of a choice and you would form strong oppinions. . I can honestly say on my layouts, I never need to see the roadbed for more than a few months or so. Once I am satisfied the trackwork is correctly installed, the ballast goes down, and the roadbed is never to be seen again, and certainly never thought of. . Cork is fine. Thicker is fine. If it looks to tall, drop down some more Woodland Scenics Green Blend to raise the adjacent scenery, all solved. . For mainlines I add adjacent scenery first, and ballast second. This makes the ballast look taller and neater. . For sidings and branches, ballast first and scenery second, then the roadbed looks lower and older. . The shoulder profile can be sculpted easily. . Trust me, this is not all that important. All that matters is the top 1/32". What anything underneath that looks like, gray, pink, polka dotted, etc... no one should really concern themselves with. . -Kevin .
Over several layouts, I can pretty much say roadbed does not matter once the scenery is in place. Ballast and glue hold the track more than spikes into whatever.
.
I guess if you plan to have a layout for decades with bare structural wood and no scenery, the roadbed might be more important of a choice and you would form strong oppinions.
I can honestly say on my layouts, I never need to see the roadbed for more than a few months or so. Once I am satisfied the trackwork is correctly installed, the ballast goes down, and the roadbed is never to be seen again, and certainly never thought of.
Cork is fine. Thicker is fine. If it looks to tall, drop down some more Woodland Scenics Green Blend to raise the adjacent scenery, all solved.
For mainlines I add adjacent scenery first, and ballast second. This makes the ballast look taller and neater.
For sidings and branches, ballast first and scenery second, then the roadbed looks lower and older.
The shoulder profile can be sculpted easily.
Trust me, this is not all that important. All that matters is the top 1/32". What anything underneath that looks like, gray, pink, polka dotted, etc... no one should really concern themselves with.
-Kevin
Kevin, the recent conversations about roadbed materials relates to operational stability of the track.
Yes, homabed or cork, the scenery effect is the same.
I will take the homabed every time for stability and working features during installation.
But, then again I am expecting my current efforts to last the rest of my life.......
Here are some neat roadbed diagrams for those interested, they may require NMRA membership to view.
https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/d9i.pdf
I have also found roadbed profiles in a civil engineering book at my local used bookstore.
Edit:
Cascade Rail Supply homepage has roadbed profiles with measurements as well.
https://cascaderailsupply.com/
Living the dream.
railandsail ATLANTIC CENTRAL The prices and specs are right on his web site I linked to, qa of 6, 32" pieces, $7.26 Makes eight feet of roadbed. Sheldon 6x 32" = 192" = 16 feet ?
ATLANTIC CENTRAL The prices and specs are right on his web site I linked to, qa of 6, 32" pieces, $7.26 Makes eight feet of roadbed. Sheldon
The prices and specs are right on his web site I linked to, qa of 6, 32" pieces, $7.26
Makes eight feet of roadbed.
railandsail So I guess it is 36" lengths for shipping purposes? What does it cost per 36" length?
So I guess it is 36" lengths for shipping purposes?
What does it cost per 36" length?
Nope, there are a whole lot of 36" long boxes in the shop.
Steve Cox
Cascade Rail Supply
ATLANTIC CENTRAL I would still use Homasote roadbed rather than cork...... https://cascaderailsupply.com/ It comes in two thicknesses, 5mm and 3.5 mm, ready to use for HO, as well as sheets for yards and such. Sheldon
I would still use Homasote roadbed rather than cork......
It comes in two thicknesses, 5mm and 3.5 mm, ready to use for HO, as well as sheets for yards and such.
Does it roll up for shipping?
Doughless Ditto Sheldon. I'll be starting a new layout soon and will be using the CascadeRail product. For my shortline, I'll use the 30 degree shoulder, 12 inches high (3.5mm) product, and a few transistion to subroadbed pieces.
Ditto Sheldon. I'll be starting a new layout soon and will be using the CascadeRail product. For my shortline, I'll use the 30 degree shoulder, 12 inches high (3.5mm) product, and a few transistion to subroadbed pieces.
Rich
Alton Junction
- Douglas
Thanks, Sheldon. Something more to consider.
richhotrain ATLANTIC CENTRAL I would still use Homasote roadbed rather than cork...... https://cascaderailsupply.com/ It comes in two thicknesses, 5mm and 3.5 mm, ready to use for HO, as well as sheets for yards and such. Sheldon Sheldon, remind me, why do you prefer Homasote over cork? Rich
Sheldon, remind me, why do you prefer Homasote over cork?
Rich, it is firm but still sound absorbing.
It is already grey.....the color of ballast.
If you nail down track it holds nails or spikes well.
If you glue down track it is glue/adheasive caulk friendly.
If you mix commerical track with hand laid special work it holds spikes well.
It does not crumble if you need to sand or shape it.
I install it with a pneumatic brad nailer.
It is simply better.
railandsail Rich posted..... Midwest makes a 3mm thick cork sheet that measures 3 1/4 inches wide, the exact width needed to lay a double mainline in HO scale 2 inches on center. How do you intend on bending that full width around turns?....or would you be sliting it,...maybe even several times?? How easy is it the slit it reality straight?,...rolls or sheets??
Rich posted..... Midwest makes a 3mm thick cork sheet that measures 3 1/4 inches wide, the exact width needed to lay a double mainline in HO scale 2 inches on center.
How do you intend on bending that full width around turns?....or would you be sliting it,...maybe even several times??
How easy is it the slit it reality straight?,...rolls or sheets??
Of course, I could do that for the straight runs as well, but the pre-cut 3 1/4 inch wide strips make the job easier and promotes razor straight track.
How easy is it the slit it really straight?,...rolls or sheets??
zstripe doctorwayne doctorwayne wrote the following post an hour ago: BigDaddy ....4 years after he started this thread, I'll bet Rich has fiugred out what to do I dunno...Rich has been mulling over that airbrush issue for several years, I think, bringing it up for discussion every once in a while. Wayne, Naw!.....Not Rich...He wouldn't do that....LOL... Take Care! Frank
doctorwayne doctorwayne wrote the following post an hour ago: BigDaddy ....4 years after he started this thread, I'll bet Rich has fiugred out what to do I dunno...Rich has been mulling over that airbrush issue for several years, I think, bringing it up for discussion every once in a while.
Wayne,
Naw!.....Not Rich...He wouldn't do that....LOL...
Take Care!
Frank
Procrastinating Rich reporting for duty!
Four years later, i had to smile when I saw this thread of mine revived. In fact, it is most timely because here I am still pondering what to do with those mainlines.
Four years later, I am about to start a new layout, and I have decided to use Midwest Products N scale cork sheet for my new HO scale layout. Turns out, Midwest makes a 3mm thick cork sheet that measures 3 1/4 inches wide, the exact width needed to lay a double mainline in HO scale 2 inches on center. With Atlas flex track laid 2 inches on center, the outside of the ties measure exactly 3 1/4 inches apart.
Thoughts?
doctorwaynedoctorwayne wrote the following post an hour ago: BigDaddy ....4 years after he started this thread, I'll bet Rich has fiugred out what to do I dunno...Rich has been mulling over that airbrush issue for several years, I think, bringing it up for discussion every once in a while.
BigDaddy....4 years after he started this thread, I'll bet Rich has fiugred out what to do
I dunno...Rich has been mulling over that airbrush issue for several years, I think, bringing it up for discussion every once in a while.
As for the roadbed issue, the height will vary, among other things, depending on the terrain over which it passes.In an industrial area, the height could be the same as the surrounding ground...
...while out in the countryside, there are often drainage ditches along the right-of-way...
If a track crosses areas of ground well below normal track level, the usual practice is to add fill upon which the roadbed and track can be layed...
...and as the ballast settles in the fill, more is added...
Wayne
I have seen rolls of cork of at least 2 thicknesses in the local Michaels store. If you sign up for their emails, they send 25-40% coupons weekly.
4 years after he started this thread, I'll bet Rich has fiugred out what to do.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
richhotrain My thinking would be to buy large sheets from an on line cork supplier to substantially reduce the cost. If you cut the double main line road bed from sheets, you kinda resolve the center fill issue. Just cut it wide enough to accomodate both tracks. I really like the idea of the 3 mm N scale height of the road bed because it takes a lot less ballast to cover the sides of the road bed even if the sides are not sloping.Cork sheet is typically sold in thicknesses of 1/4 inch (6 mm), 1/8 inch (3 mm), 1/16 inch (1.5 mm), and 1/32 inch (0.75 mm), making it ideal for transition purposes. Rich
My thinking would be to buy large sheets from an on line cork supplier to substantially reduce the cost.
If you cut the double main line road bed from sheets, you kinda resolve the center fill issue. Just cut it wide enough to accomodate both tracks.
I really like the idea of the 3 mm N scale height of the road bed because it takes a lot less ballast to cover the sides of the road bed even if the sides are not sloping.Cork sheet is typically sold in thicknesses of 1/4 inch (6 mm), 1/8 inch (3 mm), 1/16 inch (1.5 mm), and 1/32 inch (0.75 mm), making it ideal for transition purposes.
dehusman I don't bother worrying about width or gaps. After you ballast that doesn't matter.
I don't bother worrying about width or gaps. After you ballast that doesn't matter.
True, but at least part of the idea of road bed is to raise the track, as on the prototype.
Once you start raising the track, you need to fashion a certain width to extend the road bed beyond the track and to avoid gaps that might make the track unstable.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Hi,
My mains and sub-mains are on traditional cork roadbed - about 3/16 inch thick. The yards and loco terminal rest on this cork sheeting - about half of the the cork roadbed height.
In some places I've added N scale cut cork roadbed to facilitate height changes. However, I used 4 individual strips rather than the 2 that one would use with N scale track.
Obviously this is costly, but I only needed about 5 feet of it to do what I needed to do.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Just to clarify my intentions, if I were to use N scale cork as road bed on my HO scale layout, I would cut it from large cork sheets, and I would cut it to extend beyond the width of the track.
Some replies may have misunderstood and thought that I was contemplating the use of pre-cut N scale road bed which would present a problem since it would not be wide enough to span the width of HO scale track.
I'm not laying track anymore, nor did I use standard road bed when I did, but from what I'm reading here, if I understand correctly, using N scale for HO would leave a gap between each "side" of road bed? Several have made reference to "filling the gap" issue.
Wouldn't laying a bead of latex caulk in the gap and smoothing it out take care of the gap? Any high spots could be cut down with a razor blade. It would be cheap, and most likely one's track is getting latex caulked to the roadbed prior to ballasting anyway, right?
Just a thought...
Duane