I’m getting back into model railroading after a 40 year absence. I’ve collected stuff for the past five years and am now ready to get started. I’d like to use a styrofoam base over plywood for scenery but does it have to be the dense blueboard that I’ve been reading about or can it be the extruded stuff that comes as packing material for computers, tv’s etc.?
Wow. Welcome back Howard! You’ve certainly come into a rich lode (or load, depending[swg]) of info in this forum. On the foam issue, the folks who prefer it seem to prefer the dense stuff but don’t seem to be above using the other stuff for filler and non structural uses. They’ll have more to say on the subject, especially if you are specific. You can use the search funtion on the right column to find out more on foam and it’s uses.
Lou
Howard, a small but significant correction, if I may? The extruded foam is actually the denser taffy-like stuff that you can score cleanly and snap into sections. The other stuff is styrofoam of the type I call ‘beaded’, but I forget its real name…the computer packaging…you don’t really want to use it unless you are really stuck.
In my opinion…but I know others here wonder what all the fuss is about with the beaded white foam. The say they use it just fine, a little messier, but you can cover the beaded look with some spackle or hyrdrocal, plaster cloth, whatever.
-Crandell
Unless you have a separate place, a good vacuum cleaner or a very tolerate CFO, stay away from that white stuff. It is messy and sticky. Did I write messy? It is MESSY - those little bits get evenly distributed all over the place and cling on to anything. Better go for that blue or pink stuff. You can shape it a lot easier, using simple household tools, is sturdier, if you want to use it as sub-roadbed, and A LOT less messy.
[:-^]
Good morning Howard, and [#welcome]
For the actual surfaces of your layout you do not want beaded foam. However with the more smooth beaded foam pieces that come as packing for computers and appliances, these work well to hold up your plaster cloth or other landscaping materials to give your terrain some undulation.
Always give everything a second look before you chuck it. Even let it sit a day or two to give yourself some time to think about uses. It is a great way to save some cash and time for other things.
You’ll find that MRRs are great in figuring out how to recycle materials whether it is in benchwork, landscaping, car loads, paint, etc. I have about 1/2 open grid benchwork and about 1/2 hollow core door panels, that can be obtained when you or friends are renovating or from the restore store. They are great, available in many different widths and cheap. Some of mine are topped with ceiling tiles and then with cleaned sand ( you have to get the metal schraggs out of it ) (Cleaned & bagged play box sand works ) as ballast in my yards, others have extruded foam on them to create creeks, ditches and hills. It is a little more difficult to wire through, but I use drinking straws through them to guide the wires. And so it goes…
We are glad to have you aboard and hope you have a great time discovering the wide wide world of Model Railroading. As they say, “The Greatest Hobby on Earth”
Keep us posted on your progress.
Johnboy out for now…