HO track roadbed

I am still deciding on what to use for roadbed. the layout i did for my son uses the cork roadbed, but I am interested in that roadbed that is made of another material, its black, sticky, i just cant remember the manufacture’s name, its only 3 letters long though.

anyone know what i am talking about? and has anyone used it? how good is it? will it glue down to foam board?(the white bead foam board)

Thanks

KO

AMI instant roadbed. There are a few threads in this forum with recommendations for alternate roadbeds (that are also cheaper!). Truck cap “topper tape” plus adhesive caulking is one. Another is (the name escapes me right now) that really stick foam tape used to mend pipes and so on.

Try a search - you’ll probably come up with more info than you care to read…!

Andrew

AMI, Thats it.

Thanks, and i will do a search

Kevin

I’ve heard mixed reports about these “sitcky tape” types of roadbed. The problem is they do not age very well, so I would be leery about using them on a layout you expect to keep for more than a couple of years.

Sometimes the old standbys work the best. The Siskiyou Line is going on 14 years old and the places I used cork (ballasted over it) have not been a problem.

–Joe Fugate
http://siskiyou.railfan.net

I do want to keep this for quite a few years. infact i am hoping its the one and only i build. anyhow…

Well, what atracted me to the AMI roadbed was the fact that the balast is suposed to stick to the roadbed without extra glue, and the track can stick to it as well. just seemed like it would be a simpler method. aging could be a problem though you are right.

kevin

I have not yet started building my first layout, and this thread is pretty interesting to me. One of the reasons I’m leaning toward the classic cork would also be because I would be affraid that once you lay the track on the sticky roadbed, it stays stuck and you can’t move it even a millemeter - I could be mistaken as I never even touched the stuff-. With cork at least, you can put down your track, adjust as needed, then fix in place.

The AMI is very easy to work with, and holds the track in place until you are sure it’s
right. Once satisfied, simply press the track into the roadbed. If the track needs to be adjusted, a blow dryer will soften the roadbed and the track can be moved. Dave

Not to steal anyones thread but i have woodland sceneics foam road bed and was wondering to to make that work in a curve? Will it just bend to shape or am i going to have to cut it to make it work? Thanks for the help!