Ever try this product for roadbed????

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

My wife finished the roadbed while I am working. Lunch break right now. It is the blue rolled insulation I got from work (Lowes). It was a huge roll and its thick as reg. roadbed and a huge roll is like $5.00. Its just a thick and cushion’s as well. Cut it as wide as you want. Good for the N Scalers. I have used this on several layouts and it does great. Might be a few gaps but thats why you have ballast. Anybody ever try something like this?

2

I never thought of that stuff for road bed. I tried the WS foam stuff and wasn’t very happy. It gets REAL LOUD after it’s ballasted. Acts like an amplifier. You can’t sand the rough spots off the shoulders very EZ and since it stays soft, the ballast tends to crack if you push on it. I just got some 1’x1’ cork squares from Wally World that where the same thickness as the Mid West cork. Cut and sanded great and took my cost down to about 60 cents per 3’ of track.

Hopefully your stuff won’t give you problems like WS gave me.

3

I am trying foam tape for truck caps . I find it to be a good size for HO but I have not blast yet. So far I like it . Joe

4

I also have the cork from Walmart as well. It did pretty good. Would I use it again, I would think about it. Heres a pic of the blue suff.

5

How do you cut the beveled angles on it or does it come this way?

Thanks!

Ed

6

I don’t think I’ve seen that foam before. What’s it used for? Is it sandable?

7

Is this the 1/8" stuff that comes in sheets folded up in a bundle like an accordion. I have been recommending this stuff as an economical way of putting in road bed for yards and other switching areas but no one seems to have taken me up on this. I’m glad to see that I am not the only one to see the value of this stuff. I still use Woodland Scenics road be for mainline primarily because it is easier to shape curves but the foam insulation is by far the most economical way of putting in roadbed for large areas. A bevel cut can be made with a utility knife held at a 45 degree angle as it is cut.

8

Its not sandable, and I found it on the insulation isle. Its in a big roll. I made the turns by nailing it down and then turning it. I think it turned out good. You can use scissiors to cut it. Very easy to cut. I am sure you can cut the sides to make it slope down as well.

9

I’ve seen that but it ain’t $5 where I live!!! More like $35…

10

The blue stuff is carpet underlay. It comes in several different densities and thicknesses. You can buy it at a carpet store or lumber yard. If you really want to save money, get a couple of guys together and split the cost of a 100’ X 6’ roll, which costs about $40.

Mike

11

Just My two cents:

it’s more plastic like than it is foam like. It is $5 at lowes. It reminded of bubble wrap more than foam.

12

The stuff I use is the same extruded foam as in 1" and 2" sheets that have been used by modelers for years. It is only 1/8" thick and comes in a bundle of sheets folded like an accordion. It is very economical. By far the cheapest material for wide areas of roadbed such as that in a yard. It can be bevel cut in strips for use as mainline roadbed as well.