Last weekend I glued the foam to the plywood benchwork and that did not seem to make a difference in the sound.
This week I was playing around with weathering my track (I have used Atlas code 100 flex) and haven’t worried about the sound issue. The track weathering turned out better than I hoped (first layout I am working on) and I started to ballast some of the track to have a section of track “finished” so I would better see how it will all eventually turn out.
Well, to my surprise that 4 foot section of track is noticably quieter than the unballasted track. I am using WS medium ballast and I used dilluted Elmers Craft Bond white glue to glue it down. The Craft Bond bottle stated it would “remain flexible” when dry. The ballast is slightly “springy”. I am not sure if that is the glue, the WS Foam road bed or a combination of the two.
I finished up ballasting the first section about midnight last night and I came out to my train room about 10 this morning with my son. That is when I noticed the ballast felt springy. I was worried that the Craft Bond wasn’t meant to be thinned or that it just dried that way. It definitely is holding the ballast in place and it is not coming loose.
One thing I have done that I saw in a magazine quite a while ago was to space the supporting grid in odd increments like 10.5", then 13.5", then 11" etc instead of making them all 12" spacing for example so the sound waves will not reinforce themselves. Hard to say how much that affected things vs having a plywood subroadbed but every bit helps.
I dunno, I was pretty accurate when measuring my benchwork and building the sections. Mine all had 2’ spacing between the cross braces, and I was pretty careful in measuring and marking the location before drilling pilot holes and screwing the braces in. On a test piece of foam I had, not attached to anything, just something I set across a pair of sawhorses, i noticed it got a LOT quieter once I added ballast.
Great info for those of us not using foam,but I live in the desert boonies of So-Cal.I am unable to locate a H.D. or a Lowes that has anything other than white foam ??Can anyone tell me where to buy in So-Cal? Also,if you are a real guru,howbout a source to pick up some Homosote,another victim of the big box era.
Here in the Virginia Beach area, the only place I know of to get homosote is at an actual lumber yard. Not to be confused with the big box stores. The lumber yards are where your local woodworker would get his raw materials. Basically, the sell wood only. No kitchen appliances, no tools etc… Big warehouses full of rough sawn lumber and many varieties of plywood. You will find that the plywood there might even be cheaper than the big box store, or at least comparable in price, but MUCH better in quality.
Charlie - I live in Long Beach and could not find Homosote but did get what I think is called 1/2" Building Board at Lowes and it seems fine as a base. About $10/4x8’ piece.
As to Foam, I was in Bishop a few months ago and found blue foam at a building supply store on Main St., about $44/4x8’ sheet. As opposed to the only place I know in So. Cal, in Burbank that I think charges ~$40/2x8’ sheet for 2" blue foam. Their number is 818-558-5717. That is what I know for our area, but I am heading for Seattle next week and intend to stock whatever I can get in my wife’s Camry. [sigh]