I’m currently building my new HO layout which is on two levels. The lower level is a staging yard and the top level is the working scenicked layout. To get between the two levels, trains will use a single climbing track around the outside of the layout. The climb is at a rate of 0.86% and will need to travel four and a half times around the perimeter to reach the top level.
I have always laid cork under tracks and nailed track. This time I shall not be using nails but will be glueing down Peco code 83 flexi track.
Here’s the question… Is it worth putting down cork under the climbing section of track?
You don’t have to, but if you’re concerned with the sound of the train climbing through the helix being a distraction, cork roadbed would be a good idea, even better would be the Woodland Scenics foam rubber trackbed, which deadens the sound even more effectively than cork.
Even if you do decide to use a roadbed on your helix, at least you won’t have to ballast it
Cork will work, but it dries out over time and therefore looses its effectiveness at sound deadening.
Metro suggests WS foam roadbed, and it works great and it doesn’t dry out, but it’s expensive.
I went to the home Depot looking for a cheaper solution and came home with more 1/4 inch foam insulation sheets then I’ll ever need for $20. I was looking for very thin materials for subroadbed, but it would work for you too. Heres a pic of a small section of the old layout leaning against the garage wall after we moved.
It’s got 1/4" luan with 1/4" foam over the top. Its supported on 12" centers and there is no sagging after years of being in place. Its all held together by latex caulk (subroadbed, foam, & track). The latex caulk also acts as a sound deadener. I model N scale, so my trains don’t weigh much, so this works well.
I used cork in my helix, and nailed the track down (Atlas code 100 in that area). I never even thought about NOT using cork - I might have saved myself hours of work, miles of cork and a gallon of yellow glue if I HAD thought about it first![B)]
Gluing the track down will increase the noise whether you use cork or not.
I fully concur with latex caulk. Not only is it that much quieter, but if you decide to alter your track plan locally, a thin metal spatula shoved carefully under the ties will free track and obviate having to buy new.
One thing in favour of the roadbed, though, is that it makes it easier to profile the ballast and make your model look realistic.
I know traditional cork does dry out from past experience but I notice that the Midwest Products brand cork roadbed is actually made up of cork flakes mixed with a rubber like material. I am curious to see if this lasts for a long time, not least because this is what I used.
Thereis some truth to that, I have small pieces of cork roadbed that are over 10 years old, and they aren’t as elastic or pliable as fresh new cork.
Also WS foam roadbed isn’t very expensive, in fact the price is pretty much equivalent. Cork roadbed costs about $1.20 per 3’ section while WS foam trackbed costs 80 cents per 2’ section - meaning both are about 40 cents per foot (Both prices reflect N scale roadbed, I don’t know how much HO costs nowadays).
I personally use both – I prefer the WS foam rubber trackbed for curves and cork for turnouts and straight sections.
The 1/4" foam sheets I bought at Home Depot (or Lowes, I can’t remember which) cost me $20. For that I got an accordian type folded block of 1/4" foam that was 20 2’x4’ pieces. I can cut any turnout shape I want and I figure I can probably do all of the roadbed for my whole 15’ x 10’ triple decked layout for that same $20.
I am intrigued by your “around the layout helix” (actually I believe it would be classified as a nolix). Anyway, I designed the very same type of layout, but I could not come up with a good method of getting behind the backdrops to access the hidden tracks in question. Therefore, I abandonded that plan and am now settling on a point-to-point shelf layout. What have you come up with?
I’m only half way thru building this so please be aware that it’s not all proven to work yet!
I wanted to have a two layer layout that would have a staging area on the lower level where I could break down and make up trains that would feed the upper level that is the scenicked area. (Only the upper level is the scenicked area.) There will be an engine turning facility on both levels and a yard at each level too. The space I have is 14’ x 9’ and each level is 16" apart. I have no space for a helix so I have to use the perimeter of the layout. The climb is 0.86% and takes just under 4 complete turns.
The climb is supported by 21 pairs of wood uprights at the back of the layout that are marked to cover the gradual rise. The climb bed is 3/4" plywood, two and three quarter inches wide. Each level is supported thru the risers with coach bolts that go thru the supports and thru the 3/4 bed. A coach bolt has has a a round end with a square key way that holds into the wood and a threaded other end on which you put a washer and a nut. This allows a good assembly in place instead of balancing it all and putting in screws.
Access should be OK as the lower area is not scenicked and so is intended to be left open. Access is only a 30" reach away. I shall clean the rail with metal polish but if track cleaning causes a problem I’ll just buy a track cleaning car. Even so, I can easily reach the track as it’s not hidden.
As I said, I’m still in the middle of building all of this! I’ll let you know when I’m done!!!
Cork has the advantage of creating a center line that can be useful for laying track.
My experience with using latex (for the water clean up) caulk to lay track (I use OSI’s All Purpose Adhesive Caulk that comes out white and dries clear) is that while you can use a spatula under the track to change your mind, this is best done within the first week or two of laying the track. It akes about that long to fully cure although it is dry to the touch after a few hours. Also it is easier to separate the track from cork roadbed. It tends to pick out chunks of WS foam roadbed.
