I’m modeling a particular area of an engine terminal facility circa the 1940’s. The area consisted of a water tank, a couple of crew shanties converted from old wood sheathed boxcars, a brick boiler house with attached coal bin. The prototype had all those elements within a 50 ft by 110 ft. rectangle.
Since its more or less a diorama of the prototype facility, the relationship of those elements need to be fixed: i.e. I’m not going to be moving them around with respect to one another.
Ergo, I’d like to mount all as a group on a base that can then be set onto the foamboard layout base. At first, I thought I’d mount them all on styrene but the commercial styrene sheets aren’t large enough (6.9 in x 15 in in HO scale)
What material/thickness mounting board would be best?
If you live in a large town with a plastic supply house, you can find 4x8’ 0.060 sheets for around $30. You can use the rest for scratch building.
In Gerry Leone’s recent series Spaces to Places, he was doing what you proposed. He stated he didn’t want to use cement or pliobond to glue the sidewalk to the styrene because of fears of warpage so he used transfer tape. In the next episode, the base was badly warped. He solved that by mounting it to the plywood with track spikes, but did not comment on why it warped.
I mounted my RH/TT on Kerdi board and moved it back and forth to my desk when working on it. I would think 1/4" plywood would work well or just see what is kickin around the house.
At the closest Hobbytown USA (120 miles away in Tampa), they sell 3/16" birch plywood made by Midwest. It is available in pieces up to 12" by 12" or 6" by 24" (both 1 square foot).
This stuff has proven to be great for interchangeable building scenece I used on my most recent HO layout. I could remove a building and replace it with another on the same sized plywood base.
I also use this material for movement trays for my wargaming armies. It does not warp, it lightweight, and should meet your needs.
It sounds to me like an extra, and unnecessary, step, but if it’s more convenient on which to work, why not cut the needed size from the layout’s foamboard, add the structures, then plop it back into place. This eliminates messing around with dissimilar materials, and allows you to use material that you already have on-hand.
I use “For Sale” signs from Walmart. They’re easily cut and liquid cement works great for attaching styrene kits, otherwise, I use Walther’s Goo. For buildings that need interior access, I either leave the roofs unglued, or a small cube of foam glued to the base inside the walls of the building. If you cut it very carefully, it creates a friction fit that allows you to lift the building from the layout.
I had used styrene “For Sale” signs I got at Home Depot, for various things on the layout. After about ten years they went brittle and fell to pieces. Fortunately it was nothing important that I could not replace. I even had two that were on the shelf under some other things not exposed to the light and the same thing happened.
Foam poster board from a craft store or office supply store might work. It is cheap and easy to cut. Since it’s about the same thickness as HO scale roadbed, it can be used to bring the base level of trackside structures up to track level.
Just be careful getting it wet. That can warp it or damage the paper coating.
Do you know how thick are the Wal Mart signs? .060", .080", thicker?
Thanks,
Ed
I’ll measure them.
Update:
Ed, I measured one yesterday, and it was .018" thick. I use a number of methods to stiffen them if needed. After the sheet is cut to the desired shape and size, I’ve attached it to basswood using contact cement. I’ve also used 1/4" square rod from Plastruct, liquid cemented into place.
