In the planning stage of redoing my layout, I'm not convinced I have enough room/need for topography on my small "U-shaped" layout (30.33 sq. ft.) after track, roads, structures, and scenery are put down, but I haven't ruled out the possibility of using foam board for topography just yet. Before I completely start over on my layout, I have a few questions about foam board. (BTW, I've never used foam board on a layout.) 1. Please share what you think about this technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTK8Y_6aLZE The uploader says it won't work on pink insulation but it looks great with white insulation and it seems easy enough to do... with adequate ventilation, of course. 2. What are the pros and cons of pink insulation? 3. What are the pros and cons of white insulation? It seems most MRRers use pink foam insulation rather than white. Is there a good reason?
Avoid white all together. It damages much easier and the mess you will encounter is not worth the effort it will take to clean it up.
I used the pink, I know the white, is easy to get and generally free, from packaging and soforth. Whatever the savings, the white, is far more problems than it is worth.
Brandon - Might I also propose a third way: ceiling tiles. Pros: Can be laminated for varying heights. Easy to shape with a knife, rasp/file and/or sanding. Reasonably lightweight. Reasonably affordable. Come in sizes that allow for easy transportation for those of us who don't have a pick-up! Cons: Produces a LOT of dust; keep a shop vacuum handy and wear a face mask as you shape/sand. Not the most efficient way to go about things if you're looking at covering a larger area. For what it's worth, I'm thoroughly enjoying watching the process you're going through of layout design and development. As you've already seen, I can't imagine a nicer, more helpful group of modelers than what you would find on this site. I'll echo the thoughts of Keith and others: the white styrofoam is a pain, vis-a-vis the bead flaking. I use a few blocks to hold tree armatures in progress, and even the few beads that flake off there seem to find their way to the most conspicuous spot of the layout. Best Regards,
