I am going to be a first time user of roadbed and I see two different kinds.
Cork roadbed or Track-Bed Roadbed material by Woodland Scenics.
Do you have preferences.
I think that Woodland"s is maybe the better product. I have used the cork exclusively as the other was not available when I was laying track… Now I would go with WS
The WS material is more flexible, stops noise better and can be re-positioned if you use white glue and a little care in laying it down. Highly recommended.
I use cork as it is widely available and can be sanded easily, which makes leveling easy.
Go with the cork. I used WS foam crap on part of my layout and regret it. I recommend cork for everyone. It bends better, absorbs sound better, and lays better.
I use the ws stuff. You don’t have to put ballast on it. Though it would look better. I secure it to my layout with small nails that are black and have a large top, this is because i change my design alot.[:)]
I also use Bachmann ez-tack, this makes connection stay together well and you can put ballest on it(seen it on the back of 5 easy track plans and 5 compact track plans, they come with mr sometimes.) the disadvantages to using ez-track and similar products is that you are limited to the pieces of track, and when switching to non-ez-track the hieghts are not the same, which causes derailments on large locos[:(!]
Fred, if you are building a “serious” layout, not a toy set up, go for the cork.
Cork, it’s allowed me to change my mind about my track plan numerous times as I use small spikes to tack it down.
Gordon
Fred,
As you can see by the posts, everyone has their own option on what’s best. A friend of mine got me into MRR, he used cork roadbed. As a newbie, I figured if he used cork it must be the thing to use. So, my first layout I built, in the mid-80’s, had cork roadbed. When I got back into MRR last year and started my current layout I didn’t give it a second though, I used cork.
Have you compared prices? Can the WS stuff be worked, i.e. sanded to ensure you have a flat roadbed, after it is laid down?
I guess not having used the woodland scenics stuff, I should have kept my “Big Yapper Shut”. However, I would try both and make up my own mind.
If you really want the good stuff, go to:
Homabed is very stable (despite internet myths to the contrary that continue insisting that Homasote moves excessively with humidity), holds spikes well (which cork can’t really do) and is easily sandable to give a nearly perfect surface for smooth trackwork. If you don’t want to go for the Homabed, at least use something relatively stable like cork.
The WS foam crap is an awful product if you want to produce really good quality trackwork. Any downward pressure (too much force with a track eraser or pliers, etc.) can deform the track and pop the ballast loose. Tap it accidentally with a soldering iron and it disintegrates. Yes it’s easy to install, reasonable cheap and many beginners like it, but if long term durability is an issue I would strongly recomment against it.