Hi all, I’m a newbie back in the hobby after 35 years as a kid. I’d like to create a cool HO layout for my boys to run under the tree. I have it all planned out and just need to decide how to secure the layout down. I’m using code 100 Atlas rail (both sectionals and flex track) on top of cork roadbed. And I’ll use some sort of plywood, probably 3/4" particle board as the base. We’re talking about 60’ of track in total (its going around the sofa) so I dont mind taking my time and doing it right.
I’ve done a good amount of reading and seems like alot of people use glue. I’m hesitant b/c I know we’ll want to make changes each year. I also hearing nailing down can be a PIA.
Thoughts on securing a medium sized, season layout like this that will be changed every so often?
For my Christmas layouts, I use roadbed track which I glue down, but can easily take up to change for the following year. It may be a better option for temporary layouts. However, you can use small nails to hold the flex and sectional track down. Just dont push in too far to dimple the ties. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to take up. White glue can work as well to hold the track in place for the holidays.
To go under the tree and also be 60’. You think big, I like that.
Since it’s going around the sofa, I am assuming it’s sitting on the floor?
Homasote would fit the bill. You could staple the cork to the homosote and nail the track down and everything could be removed and reused.
I know you have planned it all out, but what about a modular design, where the yard could be plugged in behind the sofa one year and in front the next, without tearing up any track?
Thanks! So it will be on the floor but on some sturdy plywood. Im thinking 3/4" OSB plywood. I heard homasote is a bear to cut. And as you’ll see I need a few pieces.
Here’s what I’m thinking for the layout. Goes behind sofa in back and “under” sofa in front, like a tunnel. I will have to put my sofa on 1/2" to 1" risers. Wifes gonna love that. But so will the boys!
Through the cork into the plywood. Sorry I dont know the nail size, if I find one I’ll try to post it later. Love your plan (and size). Been considering upgrading my Christmas layout this year as well.
Consider how you will wire this. Are you going to elevate the layout so wires can run underneath?
Particle board is very heavy, so keep the sections small. It can absorb water and warp, and may also sag in the middle even if kept dry. Have you considered construction insulating foam instead?
Home Depot wouldn’t cut it so I ended up using foam, and not sorry it worked out that way. 2" foam is also a possibility if you live in a section of the US where it is common in the big box stores. “Foam nails” are nothing more than T-pins. The head is ugly, but I will be using them in my module that has the turntable, because I want to remove the turntable for my move.
Homasote is not hard to cut; it is a pressed paper or wood product, but it’s messy and dusty if you use a saw blade. On my previous layout I used a jigsaw blade that was more like a knife. That wasn’t particularly dusty.
I’ve also used track nails directly from the track to foam. They fall out if you look at them sideways, but for a temporary Christmas layout, they were good enough. I don’t think I could have used them in the same position for more than a couple of years.
Someone mentioned wiring. DCC needs more feeders than DC. Even DC can benefit from more than a single pair of feeders. Ken Patterson is a youtube guy and professional MR photographer. He tunnels his wiring to the front of multiple layers of foam.
I’d use real plywood, probably 1/2". It will be a lot lighter.
You can nail the track down, but you will be happier if you pre-drill a smaller hole first. You can also use teeny screws. Pre-drill them, too.
I wouldn’t use any roadbed unless you use something like Kato Unitrack. I’d just paint underneath the track dark grey. And the rest of the plywood appropriate colors. It’s a Christmas layout, after all; not a “real” layout.
You’ll have the wiring under the plywood, of course. 'Cause above looks really bad. You can create a bit of space for it by using foam weatherstripping tape.
The above summarizes what I did to make a rather fancy under-the-tree Lionel layout. Coal loaders that spilled coal all over, and that sort of thing. It lives in the garage, now. No little kids, and it takes a full day or two to get it back up and working.
I did make a control panel in one corner. I put the various toggle switches on the flat roof of a building. Looked pretty good.
First, thanks everyone for the feedback. This is really helping me plan.
Thanks Billwiz. Ok will do nails through to the plywood. I dont mind since its not a huge layout.
Also I shouldve mentioned I will be doing it in pieces, modules so to speak. So I can carry it to/from the basement. Will be 4 pieces. Two rectangles on either end. One is roughly 54" x 70". The other will be a little smaller. Then two long skinny pieces that could be broken even smaller.
So yep I was thinking of just running the wires underneath and pinning or stapling them to the bottom of the layout. All done before hand.
Also this is what I meant by OSB plywood:
My plan was to cover either with a thin piece of smooth plywood and/or green felt material that we usually use on our layout under the tree. You know, traditional old style christmas tree layout style
I didnt consider insulating foam – not sure what that is?
Foam and kids crawling on it isn’t going to work. I withdraw the suggestion.
It can’t be found in southern California, Florida or other sunbelt states, but is sold in Home Depot and Lowes in 4x8 sheets from 3/4 to 2" thicknesses. It is sturdier than styrefoam, but kids can dent it or knock a chunk out of it.
Yes, foam is for adults, or at least teens who can understand that they can’t walk or climb on it.
DC will expose wiring faults just as much as DCC. Using only a few feeders and depending on rail joiners for power continuity will get you in trouble with either DC or DCC. This will become more evident as you take apart and reassemble the tracks year after year. Consider proper wiring with a bus and multiple feeders from the start. It’s much easier when you can work easily beneath the layout.
Ok I can do that. Looking at my layout, how many feeders would you say I’d need to ensure continuous operation? It will all be prewired in the basement. Then disassembled into modules and reassumbled upstairs.
Nails = slightly less tedious, very hard to remove for track relocation without damaging track
Tedium = restfully meditative, Grasshopper
Sound on plywood? Don’t recall from when I did it. But if it’s resting on the foam I mentioned, and the void underneath is small, I’d go with it. You might give it a test-try with a loop of track.
I recommend the foam because, if you don’t use it, the wires underneath the layout will get squished (on a wood floor). And the wood floor might get damaged from the staples. Now, if it’s carpet, you can leave the foam off. And the noise should be lessened.
Weight:
plywood and OSB weigh the same. A 54 x 70 sheet of 3/4 ply/OSB weighs 65 pounds. At 1/2 inch, its 41 pounds. And then there’s the “stuff” stuck on it.
Hope you’re a sturdy lad! Or, better yet, know two of them.
For what it’s worth, my first layouts were all built on 1/2" OSB using Atlas track nails. I didn’t find that combination difficult to work with at all. I used a simple pair of pliers to push the nails in, but in two steps (half at a time to ensure I didn’t bend them). With a little care, it is very easy to prevent overdriving the nails so no damage to the track, and no trouble being able to remove later. OSB isn’t that hard.
LOL thanks Ed. Yes the floor underneath will be carpet. And I’m quite sturdy no problem taking 4x8 sheets of plywood up and down stairs. Largest size will be a little more than half.
Hmm so I’ve read that elsewhere - people pushing nails into the subsurface with pliers. Can you really do that with OSB plywood?
Ok I think its a good idea to run a test. My new track comes in the mail tomorrow. I’ll throw down the main oval on top of OSB and the thin green felt cover and see what it sounds like. If it sounds ok I may forgo the cork.
I went with OSB for my helix and it was difficult to push the track nails in without damaging ties. The simple fix was to pre-drill the hole with a #65 drill bit in a pin vice. A pair of stubby needle nose pliers or a pair of Xuron Spike Insertion Pliers will make it easier to push in the track nails.
The gold standard is a wire or a solder connection to every piece of track. As this is a Christmas layout and subject to track plan rearrangement, every 6 feet ought to work.
I believe the track weathering and ballasting we do to our permanent layouts degrades the electrical function of the rail joiners. If you are looking to change track plans, you probably should skip the ballasting.
Avoiding voltage drop is critical in DCC, it is much less so in DC layouts.
I went with OSB for my helix and it was difficult to push the track nails in without damaging ties. The simple fix was to pre-drill the hole with a #65 drill bit in a pin vice. A pair of stubby needle nose pliers or a pair of Xuron Spike Insertion Pliers will make it easier to push in the track nails.
