Got my benchwork about finished and trying to make up my mind. Do I want to lay down 1" foam, 2" foam or just lay it all out on the plywwod ( I used sanded one side ). Not planning on any lakes or streams. Not sure I will have room for either after track and building. Not going to have any inclined track.
So I ask…Foam or bare wood, which do you prefer?
2" foam, no expantion and contraction issiues, if you want some drainage, no problem. If you change something and need a new hole, no problem (just try that with ply, been there, done that).
For a perfectly flat table supported directly on joists on 16 inch centers, 2 inch foam.
If the joist spacing is wider, or for better noise suppression, 1" foam on plywood.
Then, add roadbed under main and through tracks.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I like to have some amount of elevation for all my track (even sidings which as a rule are lower than the main line itself) because that allows me to have culverts and drainage ditches under all track, and allows for a realistic amount of variation in elevation of roads and buildings away from the track. For that reason on top of the plywood I have subroadbed (either more 5/8" or 1/2" plywood, cut to follow the track, or for the most part, 1/2" homasote, also cut to fit and follow the track) and then the track is laid on cork roadbed. For slightly lower track I can switch to the thinner N cork roadbed, or for even lower track I lay the track directly on the homasote or plwood that serves as the subroadbed.
Everywhere else is the basic plywood top of the bencwork but even there for isolated scenes or structures I might build up around it, with homasote, with sheets of cork or Woodland Scenics black foam sheets cut to shape, and any other materials that give me a little variation.
It is helpful to think of your layout in terms of a contour map and think about what would be absolute ground zero in elevation, and then what would be the next elevation and when what elevation above that. I assume the bottom of a pond or creek or culvert might well be ground zero for most layouts.
Dave Nelson
No foam under my track which basically means glue. For track, I strongly prefer to NOT use glue because of the necessity to often have to adjust it after it is down - which nails or spikes are WONDERFUL for that purpose. They can be pulled up - no messy glue to deal with and possibly ruin track = expensive. Yes, I bend a few nails when hamming into plywood but it’s still worth it for the flexibility in laying track. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pull up sections of track on my in-progres layout thus far! My guess is many of you do that too!
That out of the way, I put cork under my track or homasote (yards). Under the cork or homasote is half inch plywood or similar. Foam is fine for scenery - I may use foam there as well as traditional cardboard webbing with plaster impregnated guaze.
2" foam with white glue to hold track down. Its light weight, easy to cut, and with white glue any changes or fixes can be made pretty simply.
I think you’re going to find half who support one, half who support the other here…
I’m going with 2" foam over a thin sheet of ply, but mostly for scenic reasons. Even if you don’t have water features beneath track level, unless you’re in an industrial or yard setting I think dips in elevation are pretty common-- even just for drainage ditches along the track. I use latex caulk to hold everything together-- foam to wood, cork roadbed to foam, and next track to cork. I’ve found it easy to loosen with a wet putty knife if I need to adjust something.
P
I prefer to use whatever the situation calls for. My current layout employ’s several different methods along the way as dictated by the terrain that is to be found. With all the modern day tools available today at reasonable prices, custom building the benchwork in a speedy fashion is a luxury my dad didn’t have. There was an article in a magazine a few years back to this effect. The author mentioned that “L-Girder” construction could be had with basic tools back in the early days. With what we have today, it is time to think outside the box and get creative.
I have an aversion to all the little broken pieces of foam that require vacuuming up. I assume the stuff to be very messy to work with. I may be completely wrong about this; but, that doesn’t matter as I like using cardboard lattes and paper towels dipped in plaster; or, the plaster impregnated gauze. Been doing it for almost 50 years, so why go changing things?
So to answer your question I guess I like plywood sub road bed.
I like 2-inch foam on an open wood frame. No supporting plywood. It’s light and easy to construct, and easy to move because foam is much lighter than plywood. Note that adding track and scenery will make it much heavier.
Foam is not a mess, really. You can score-and-snap to cut it, with no residue, making it less messy than cutting plywood with a saw. To run a wire through it, just punch through with an awl (or even a pencil.)
When putting down temporary track, I take paper clips and open them up into a long U. Then I push them into the foam. Done, it will last for years like that, and you can change it with a pair of pliers.
Scraps of foam can be stacked and covered with plaster cloth, or shaped, to create hills and mountains. Foam can be cut to create ditches. “Water” materials like Envirotex will not attack foam. (Some track cleaning solvents, particularly lacquer thinner, will eat through it, though.)
What I don’t like is that you can’t screw stuff underneath, like Tortoise machines. Instead, I glue a 3-inch square of thin plywood where I need to do this, and then screw into that.
7/16 OSB sub-base and 1/2"Homasote on top
Only need it where the track is - I use some foam for the scenery base - as well as Plaster Cloth and regular plaster - depends on the mood I am in and how big of an area needs done!
I glue Cork on the Homasote and then nail the track down.
I host OPs Sessions on the layout and have done so for the past 14 years - so having to make changes is a lot easier than trying to rip out glued down track.
But for those that building scenery more fun than running the trains - I guess the track being glued down wouldn’t matter as one would never find out if it was ok or not!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
I live in the desert southwest so there is no 2" foam to be found. I use 1" foam on a thin plywood base. This give me the advantange of foam–easy to work with, easy to “plant” trees, etc.–but I still have a rigid base for attaching switch motors, wiring harnesses, etc.
Agree, foam is much easier to work with, it’s light and easily molded, getting wires through is easy. Push a kebab stick or skewer through, then railroad a drinking straw back and thread the wire through, no snagging
You don’t need to be planning lakes and streams to justify using foam. The earth ain’t flat. As pt714 mentioned, having drainage ditches and gullies will improve the look of you layout.
Steve S
Are you planning on track direct on foam or cork in between? Anyway it is easy to move track that has been calked down, just slide a drywall blade between the two, realighn and ACC back in place. Redid a branch that way that didn’t line up right and reajusted some curves without ever compleatly removing the track. That bond can be broken too if needed but will hold for who knows how long (I had mine over a year before ballasting which make the whole thing rock solid).
Neither! I have an aversion to foam for a base, and bare wood is not so good either due to uneveness, seams, sound conduction, etc.
On my last two layouts I laid down thin sheets of cork (3/32 or so). Then painted it sloppily in various earth tones, and then put down roadbed/trackage, etc.
I am not knocking the foam or raw wood, but they do have their inherent problems and I would check that out (as you are doing here) first.
For mine it depends on the location. Some places I have used plywood where I needed more support and other places I have 2" foam. It is a little easier to work with and it also can be messy when cut which can be solved with a good shop vac.
Hello All,
"Form follows function.”
That being said I have to use 1-inch foam over 3/4-inch medium density fiber board (high quality particle board).
My pike literally sits on the bed in the computer/spare bedroom/train room. The one condition I had to agree to with the wife was- -no bench work! (I’m currently in negotiations on this one.)
The foam allows me to plumb the electrical circuits with flex tube so I can senic over them, much like prototypical utility lines.
While planning the layout the foam layer is pretty resilient. You can lay down the roadbed; I prefer the foam-type over cork, with silicone adhesive then pin or nail your track in place. Any changes you need to make are easily done. You simply peel up the roadbed, clean the silicone residue, and re-do.
As has been said, cork is an option versus foam over the substructure.
The caveat with cork is it’s expansion/contraction property versus foam. In certain climates cork might react differently to changes is humidity over foam.
Anyone have any experience in humid climates with cork vs. foam?
Hope this helps.
So you have NO base to lay your cork???
Maybe you mis-understood me. I have a (sanded on one side) plywood bench top now. I will use cork roadbed. Just trying to figure out if i want to use foam or not. I am kind of leaning towards 1" foam.
Of course I have a base - which is 1/2 (or today’s equivalent) of plywood, supported by a plethora of 1x4s on edge, attached to 52 2x2 legs.
Glued to that base are sheets of thin cork. Like I said, I’m not knocking bare wood or foam, but they are - to ME - no contest when up against using thin cork.