Putting together the bench work for my new layout. My benchwork is comprised of various 2’ X 8’ modules. The structure is comprised of 3/4" inch plywood open frame with 16" centers.
I’m considering putting 2" foam directly on top of the framing or 1/4 to 1/2 inch plywood with a 1" to 3/4" layer of foam on top of that. My layout is going to be a flat industrial switching layout with manual thrown switches so I don’t need to worry about terrain or switch machines underneath.
I use 2" foam on open grid 1"x 4"s put together with lap joints. I climb up on it when needed by laying a small piece of plywood down first to kneel on. Working through foam is easy, however working through foam over plywood I find a real pain. We are not building to hold up fridges, stoves and waterbeds, only a few pounds of MRR equipment. 2" foam alone, is more than adequate for this.
You could just use plywood by itself without foam, both are good. By using foam alone, you have one less thing that could be affected by contraction/expansion issues.
This bench is 18’ x 6’ and two of us carried it around the house from the garage to the trainroom easily.
2’ x 8’ modules with just foam will be easy to handle by yourself.
I built mine with 2-inch foam and no plywood. It’s worked very well for me. I am in HO scale, which is a factor, because O-scale equipment demands more support.
I used 1x4 lumber for the outside of the frame and 1x3 lumber for the inside cross-members. I lined up the cross-members with the bottom of the frame, so the 2-inch foam sits halfway down.
At the edges, I rounded off the foam and added turf and ground foam. I like the way the edges came out, and I didn’t need to add additional fascia to cover the edges of the foam.
You did not mention whether this is to be an HO scale or N scale layout. For N scale a 2 ft Wide layout is adequate, but is much too small for HO. Or, is this to be a point to point layout, with no way of reversing the locos? Or do you plan on a round housed at each end? Why not use 2" foam on top of 1/2" plywood? Do you plan on any hills or ravines? A perfectly flat layout is rather uninteresting. Do you know how to Post a diagram of your intended track and bench work ? Bob Hahn
I’m not sure if you are saying the benchwork is topped with 3/4 inch ply or not. If so, for the size of your modules, thats a bit of overkill - a trait I can relate to…
I’m “old school”, and just can’t deal with a foam base for a layout. Track and components are unable to be tacked down, and nothing is “solid”. Now foam for scenery is a different matter.
My preference is good 1/2 or 5/8 ply over the framework, with cork roadbed. For flat areas like yards and terminals, I like sheet cork.
Just my opinion, I’m sure there will be many more!
I’m even more old school than that. Unless it’s a module, I’d rather use 1/2 plywood, plus 1/2 homasote, with cork on top of that for the mainline. Yards can be directly on the homasote. I just make too many changes to track configurations that don’t seem to fit exactly as planned and don’t care for the idea of scraping caulk off of trackwork to move something.
My bench work is a little different in that it has 50mm X 50mm X 3mm aluminum support rails with 2 x 1 cross beams at 12 inch spacings with a 12mm particle board top that is in turn overlay-ed with a soft board of some sort.
Sorry but I just don’t trust anything that uses foam for anything other than scenery.
I also have the opinion that if you cannot stand on and walk on top of your bench work (before the railroad is built), then you have not built it properly.
Bench work is really a do it once do it right and if its a bit over engineered thats fine. If it starts to bow and twist it is very difficult to fix after the event
The whole success of the railroad almost totally comes back to how good the base its built on is. just about everything else can be tweaked as you move along but not the bench work.
I agree with Maxman except that I used Homabed over the Homasote. The Walthers/Shinohara flex and turnouts are spiked (not nailed). The Homabed and Homasote take spikes very, very well. Making changes is very easy.
A switching layout with manual turnout controls implies low speed operation and no need for elevation changes in the track. I’d go with plywood only - 5/8" or 3/4". It’s solid enough to stand upon, takes track nails well, and at that thickness, shouldn’t present much of a noise issue. It also offers a stable base to which structures can be affixed.
I agree with the advice of Brent and others to not layer plywood and foam together. Use one or the other or both separately.
I use 3/4" plywood for my subroadbed, but that’s overkill if your max span is only 2’. 1/2 or 5/8 would also work just as well for you.
If you want to use foam for the subroadbed, experiment with placing your switch machines before committing. It can be done, but is a bit fussier than wood until you get the hang of whichever of the several techniques that can be used.
I do use foam for scenery base on my layout and find that combining it with the plywood works well for me. But I have done a little module work with foam and feel it’s just as practical so long as you use good work practices.
I use 1/2" plywood on 2x4 framing with Woodland Scenics foam as the roadbed. I use cross members every 24 inches. That is plenty solid not only for the layout but to get up onto if you need to for any reason.
I nail down my track, and I prefer that so I can get it up easily if I need to reset the track for some reason. You can always remove your track after you ballast.
Since your layout is going to be a flat industrial switching layout with manual thrown switches, I don’ see any reason for the foam, and even the 3/4" plywood is overkill.
When you say “module,” I think about portability. Are these designed to be moved frequently? Or is it just that you are building “dominoes” and will assemble them into a permanent layout?
Plywood is a whole lot heavier than foam, so if weight is an issue, that’s something to consider. On the other hand, plywood is a lot stronger. A simple box-frame benchwork with a plywood top will be pretty rigid, but the same frame with foam would probably need some additional re-enforcement in the form of diagonal cross-bracing or gussets to maintain its shape during transportation.
If I understand correctly the frame is already built?
I also built a 5’ X 8’ extension using only 3/4" ripped plywood, but I wanted elevation changes so my track is laid on 1/2" cookie cutter plywood. The foam is supported much the same way. In one case I warped a piece of 1/8" Masonite to make an elevation change and glued a piece of 1/2" foam to it with other foam bits on top. I saved a lot of foam by not using massive foam build up. I don’t have any need to walk on it but I can lay my hand on the track to support my weight when working a long reach.
There are a lot of ways to tackle the hobby. Have fun.
I have 2" beaded foam over a 1x4 frame, no problems. I then add plaster cloth between the cork that I use for the roadbed, will support a 300lb person leaning on it (my buddy), no damage!!!
Rich, I have track on cork, track on wooden roadbed, and track directly on plywood, and all are equally quiet, with no noise at all regardless of whether the track is ballasted or not.
Although I don’t find it excessive, there is some noise when the trains are running. [swg][(-D]
