i like to handlay track but i see that most of my layout ideas use foam insulation bord to suport the track. so im left with a real problem how do hand lay on foam scenery with out having it riped up when anyone touches it?
im really hoping that some one can help me with this problem so i can buld some layouts!
The answer, believe it or not, is card stock! My hand-laid specialwork is right on top of a 1/2" layer of foam - wood ties caulked to card stock (that also serves as a template) caulked to the foam. The card stock provides lateral stability, while the latex caulk grabs onto the spikes and doesn’t want to let go (even after it has had a week or more to cure before spiking.)
So far, my first foam and cardstock yard throat (operational since January) hasn’t developed any issues, in spite of high heat, extremely low humidity and flying dust. Another, larger, yard throat is next on the agenda as the hidden staging portion of the railroad continues to expand.
(The track has not been, and will not be, ballasted. At present it’s remarkably quiet.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Foam won’t hold nails, so unless you’re planning on gluing handlaid track together, you’ll ned some sort of hard layer between the foam and the track. Homabed will work, as will a homemade base of 1/4" Lauan veneer plywood. Alternatively, you could build the track base out of spline or plywood and mount the scenery’s foam base around it.
thank you both for your sugestions. i cant wait to get to work on my layout.
after i posted this i thought about piko tie strips they have holes drilled for nails to hold it to the track base, if i could find nails with burrs to prevent them from pulling out i could do that.