I am finding that I much prefer cork (that I used in my first layout) to foam. I would like to replace the foam in some of the areas of my new layout with cork. Is this a no-no, or are they interchangeable?
Dave
As long as the roadbed material is the same thickness, or can be shimmed up/shaved down to the same thickness, what it’s made from is irrelevant. You could use soft foam, extruded foam, plywood or milled wood stock a la Tru-Scale.
You can even use cork. YOU can. I won’t. Here in the dessicated desert cork has a limited life span, and I want (and expect) this layout to last longer than I do.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
You can use anything you like. LION mixes all kinds of material, you just gotta make sure that your trains will run. If you do not have the skill, stay with the same product, if you want to try a new product on a siding or something, go for it. You will find out. Skill, shims and sanding blocks will fix anything.
ROAR
Brother Lion, nice to see you here! What did you use on your latest layout?
The LION did not use any roadbed. Him just put the tracks directly on the Celotex table top. The Celotex in question is a nice 1/2" thick material somewhat similar to Homasote, was sold in 4x8 sheets, but is stiffer, lighter, and easier to cut than Homasote, and it is more dimensionally stable. Well, the stuff is no longer made, it was intended to be used where sheet rock would now be used, but I guess the advent of fire codes is all to the better. Even after 60 years as a ceiling somewhere, the 10 sheets that I found in the barn were in perfect condition. I just nail my tracks down to them and it is done. Of course I also now use foam, plywood, OSB board and any other found sheet that looks like it will support a train. This is why I know that you can use different kinds of roadbed and get away with it.
The LION uses sifted cat litter for ballast (where ballast is used at all) and him glues it not down. Gravity works just as good in 1:87 as in 1:1. Thus when I want to move, adjust or replace a length of track it is a simple matter and does not require a wrecking crew.
Since I am building a subway layout, it would be prototypical to lay the ties directly on the concrete sub bed, older IRT construction dumped ballast on top of this, newer construction does not, but rather embeds the ties in the concrete. I used whatever method seems to work for a given application.
It is of course still a work in progress, and each station is built differently, but eventually it will be done to my liking, and I cannot ask for anything more than that.
ROAR
Lion,
Respectfully, I’m still trying to understand why you don’t want to use the foam roadbed?
Well, the LION tends to move his tracks around more than others, but I also find that the roadbed looks a little too tall for my liking. Since I am building a subway and tracks are typically laid directly on the concrete tunnel floor or on the elevated structure.
My prototype does not call for it:
And my interpretation of the same line:
Ok, I undersand.
You’re correct on the roadbed as I have many fond memories off looking out the front windows of the classic St. Louis Car Company R-22 thru R-36 cars.
Hey, is the photo the #5 Dyre Avenue route? Or is this a BMT line in Brooklyn.
I tried it only once, for a small stretch of track at the club. I found the foam too “mushy”. I would never use it again, nor would I recommend it.
I wouldn’t recommend it either. I’ve seen many a layout or module that used the foam roadbed, only to have ballast disintegrate and/or track get misaligned due to something or somebody pushing on the squishy roadbed. I like something that remains solid and stable.