well i finally got moved to texas and have went thru my dads trains he has several frisco steamers and 4 diesels that looks like he might have made 3 of them nice ones but my question is,is there a alternative to the cork and black foam for the road bed? can the thin pink home foam work? i have set up the table and its 4' by 16' and will have a large yard so im looking for something on a budget im trying to do this for/with my dad as quickly as i can because im not sure how much longer we have with him any sugestions would be great and i will post some photos as soon as i can get some taken this is a ho layout
Some folks have tried topper tape, the foam tape you get for sealing a topper to your pickup truck. When AMI instant roadbed was popular, I recognized it as "cork tape," a rubber-infused sticky tape we used on AC installs, plumbing, etc. I haven't tried either as roadbed, so I have no idea how well they work or even how to use them, but they're cheaper than what you find at the hobby shop.
I never considered using foam insulation tape for roadbed. I'll have to check it out. It's a standard stock item in my service trucks. It definetely would be a lower profile than your typical cork roadbed.
What I see alot of these days is folks using caulk to hold track directly to the foam board. No roadbed at all
how do they use the caulk? do they just spread it out and set the track on it and let it dry? that might be a interesting and inexpensive way to go thanks
Here is a link to an article Chuck Hitchcock wrote. The brand of adhesive he used is no longer available but you can just by any brand of Latex adhesive. Just be sure to get clear. I gotmine at Ace Hardware. I also use Homosote for roadbed on my layout. http://www.chattanoogadepot.com/flextrack.pdf Bob Wintle
when I start my new layout I'm going to use the caulk method. It looks much faster and lot less of a hassle. I'm sure there will be some trial and error..like holding curved flex track in place while the caulk sets up
It is much faster and is not at all complicated. Yoou can flow the curved track flawlessly. The most surprising thing is how well the adhesive hold the track down while it is drying. I have had to place wieght on the track in a furve curve locations to hold it down while drying but other than that it has worked very well. I have been laying track using track nails for over 30 years but no more. Bob Wintle
Lowe's sells heavy steel bars in various sizes and several months ago I purchased one for something else but then realized that it would be perfect for laying on top of flex track while it is drying. The one that I purchased is probably 2' long 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" wide and very heavy. They have many different sizes, but no curved ones. While there, one might go out to the garden center and look at the ornamental paving bricks and edging. They aren't expensive and might work also. They hav some curved edging. Bob Hoover FriscoFriend
When laying track using caulk it is permanently attached to the road bed. If you are like me and like to build, tear up, and rebuild, reusing track saves time and money. I have track that has been on 4 different layouts. However, on the last layout I used caulk and it is impossible to remove a piece of track with out destroying it. With today prices it might be something to think about. Jerome
good call..didn't think about that. I'm on the verge of dismantling my present layout and plan on reusing what track I can
The caulk method does permit one to reuse track, including switches, without destroying track. The key is to use the correct caulk type and just enough to make the bond. Only a thin spread is needed, typically more narrow that the width of the cross ties. If the caulk comes up between the ties, there is too much caulk. A broad putty knife blade is useful to help break the bond if one does need to remove track. See the article above by Chuck Hitchcock. Also, if you are bonding directly to plywood subroadbed recommend you first "prime" the wood with a coat of your ground cover laytex paint. This helps seal the wood, reduces the fine sawdust that can impede the bond and gives a quick look of color before final scenery ground cover is applied. When laying track on curves it does not take much weight at all to hold in alignment, and you should be all set after about 15 minutes. An alternative is to use a nail tacked at each end of a curve just outside the outside rail for temporary alignment. However, for me, a small weight is the way to go becasue it is less effort and faster. This is a quick and easy to use method. The track work can be lined by sighting down the rail and is comes out very straight. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
my layout is 4 by 16 and im using the pink foam board on top of my plywood top,im going to use caulk to hold the track down, my qustion is can the foam hold waterbased paint? im wanting to weather my track so it looks more realistic also i will need to cover up the foam with some ground cover will this work or should i not use the foam?
Yes you can use water based paint over the foam. How thick is the foam that you are talking about using? Are you planning on covering the entire sheet of plywood with the foam? If not you can angle the cut on your foam to simulate the roadbed shoulders. Bob Wintle MMR Parsons, Ks.
its the 1/2 thick foam and i was planing on covering the whole piece of plywood, then use the caulking to glue the track down, i should use a earth tone for the paint to cover the pink right? sorry for all the questions im new to this thanks craig
Yes, pick a color that looks like earth or dirt to you and paint the entire sheet of styrofoam. You may want to even give it two coats. I look forward to seeing pictures of your layout. Bob Wintle MMR Parsons, Ks.
thanks for your help, im having my dad over sat. so we can get started on it, i will post lots of photos as we go again thanks craig
well heres a couple of photos of the start of the layout just painted the base coat of brown and sealed the cracks with foam (future rocks) and a first try at making rocks the curved ones havent airbrushed them yet more photos are to come as it progresses will lay down the track design tommorrow well its only letting me post one photo at a time so i will do it that way
well the caulking is working great on the layout, i have the outside loop done its 4' x 16' it will have a second loop to the inside of it with lots of branches coming off of it, one for a stock yard (i know they stoped using stock cars in th 50's but i think they still look good behind modern engines) there will be one for they passenger terminal, one for the freight terminal and one going through town. still have all the landscape to do and a big mountain but i thought i would let everyone know the caulking works great oh and by the way i used the $1.00 white tube from wal-mart and the ballast covered it just fine
