It suddenly hit me… as a Brit who has never crossed the pond to see a layout using homasote I have no idea what sort of board it is.
What is it please? A fibre board? A particle board? ???
Is it still a favourite for new build layouts? Has it been replaced by something new?
Does anyone on this side know if it is the same as or similar to Sundeala board?
The reason for this is that I don’t like MDF which (in my experience) has strange abilities to delaminate.
Thanks for your help.
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homasote is a cardboard product similar to a cereal box or shirt cardboard only its 1/2" or so thick, and can be found in plywood specialty shops in 4x8 sheets and in home improvement stores in 3" x8’ strips. Its regular use in the strip form is for expansion joints in concrete. There is a company in the states that makes precut roadbed,and turnout pads with the stuff. Its a little spendy but its great to work with if one is handlaying track.
It is gray, because it is made from recycled newspaper. It has good sound deadening qualities. It is very dense, and is one of the best substraights for handlaying track (individual ties and ralis) because it holds the spikes very well.
MDF is a terrible material for model railroads.
Had to look up your reference to Sundeala board, yes basically the same product. It’s not used as much anymore in building in the US, like it used to be. It was commonly used for sound deadening years ago. It does absorb moisture during humid periods more than wood, it swells and contracts alot.
It does absorb moisture during humid periods more than wood, it swells and contracts alot.
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I can attest to that, Sealing it with latex paint after you nail it down will reduce a lot of that and also help ypu with ballasting later
I like the idea that it holds nails (better than extruded foam). I live in a very dry climate, so I don’t think the humidity problem would be as much of a factor… so I’m thinking about trying it. How do you cut it? Can you do contours and shapes with it like extruded foam?
It is very messy to cut, and way too expensive to do coutours with. If you’re just going to do a flat 4 x 8, then get a sheet and do it. If you have something larger and more complex in mind, just cut pieces for roadbed and scenic using another method.
I spoke with an architect who is also a model railroader and asked him if I used plaster wallboard (sheetrock as some call it) instead of homasote on top of plywood to surface flat areas if he thought that would work okay.
He thought plasterboard would have superior stability over homasote since plaster wallboard is more stable in the presence of moisture and is a heck of a lot cheaper.
So most of the flat areas on my Siskiyou Line are a plywood - plaster wallboard sandwich. The layout’s now 15 years old and the plaster wallboard has not given me any trouble and I’d use it in a heartbeat on top of plywood instead of homasote on a layout.
I basically have no use for homasote in model layout construction. IMO, the stuff is overpriced and can be replaced with better and cheaper materials in every case I’ve found. My HO Siskiyou Line has no homasote on it anywhere and I haven’t missed it.
I cut it with a bandsaw outside on a breezy day. Its really dusty stuff to cut. I don’t think it’d be very good for contours and shapes because its so tough. Its best use by far is roadbed. It also will split out easily if you try to fasten it on its edges or even bend it much on its flat sides. A sbre saw would be your next best bet to cut it. I’d also experiment with different blades.
PLW the MRR Myth Busters – #9 - The Myth is:
Homasote expands during the summer and shrinks in the winter
This one is a Bust as it is not the Homasote that is swelling it is the wood underneath.
I have problems with the layout changing in Western PA in the summer and my swinging bridge at the room entrance swells up so much that it is a real tight fit in summer and a loose fit in winter.
Now if the Homasote was the cause of this problem then the bridge (which is made entirely of wood) would work smooth all year around and the Homasote would be rubbing the Homasote on the solid part of the layout.
I had a problem when I first began building my layout and did not have the dehumidifier set up yet and the wood and Homasote sheared the glue off. In other works the wood expanded so much that the glue left loose from the Homasote. Needless to say I got the dehumidifier running.
All of these techniques have been proven on a HO scale home layout with over 15 scale miles of mainline track and has over 2800 feet of track (42 scale miles) total in place, so far. The layout hosts bi-weekly Operations and yearly OPTUD’s (OP Till U Drop) 12 hour sessions and has had up to 40 operators at some of these sessions. The layout runs Digitrax DCC Radio. All of these so called MRR Myths have been Busted as this layout has been in operation for over 5 years and we have proven these over and over again.<<<
BOB H – Clarion, PA
Green board, a water resistant drywall used in bathroom, would be extra insurance against too much water/glue used in applying ballast.
Joe, nearly everybody is concerned with sound transmission through the rails. Is there a noticeable difference in loudness between different materials? What is the other material you use for roadbed?
Thanks.
Try http://www.homabed.com/ for homasote roadbed.
Homasote - only if you hand lay track. It’s not worth the mess or the price if you use flex track. It does hold spikes well for hand laying track. I can’t comment on its sound deadening qualities verses other materials.
PLW the MRR Myth Busters – #11 - The Myth is:
Homasote is too costly and makes a mess when cut!
Well the Myth of a cutting mess has been solved as I don’t have any when I cut Homasote.
I use a utility knife and usually only have to make maybe 4 or 5 cuts and the piece will drop right off. This way I can cut just what I need right next to my layout as I need it.
Now I do not use Homasote for spline roadbed. I use 7/16 OSB for subroadbed and then make the Homasote sections 3 or 4 inches wide as necessary and glue it onto the OSB.
And as for price the Blue/Pink board cost, it is getting higher all of the time due to the fact that it is a oil based product and we all know that gasoline is only a dollar a gallon!!!
So that Myth is blown out of the water too!
All of these techniques have been proven on a HO scale home layout with over 15 scale miles of mainline track and has over 2800 feet of track (42 scale miles) total in place, so far. The layout hosts bi-weekly Operations and yearly OPTUD’s (OP Till U Drop) 12 hour sessions and has had up to 40 operators at some of these sessions. The layout runs Digitrax DCC Radio. All of these so called MRR Myths have been Busted as this layout has been in operation for over 5 years and we have proven these over and over again.<<<
BOB H – Clarion, PA
I have used homosote on my layouts for 46 years. If you are encountering a moisture problem then you need to rectify that. A dehumidifyer in the summer months will help a lot. Heat in the winter insures a dry basement. I have lived around the great lakes all my life. I live in western Pa. near the Ohio state line. I have lived in Ohio and near Milwaukee, Wi.
Eliminate the moisture and you won’t have a musty basement, your wood buildings won’t warp. Moisture is not good for the electric motors in your engines.
I bought homosote at a regular lumber yard for $20.00 for a 4ft by 8ft sheet.
Homasote is the best base I have used for holding spikes when hand laying track. I am not sure how I would do it without using homasote.
Peter Smith, Memphis
I use solid hardboard spline for my roadbed and glue flex track directly to it with grey latex caulk. The dense hardboard absorbs the sound and the rubber layer under the flex track helps create a poor sound transmission joint between the track and the hardboard.
To find out more about my spline roadbed, click here.
The plasterboard is also more dense than homasote, so it more readily absorbs the sound, again making for a relatively quiet roadbed material on large flat areas like yards.
Here’s a picture of Homasote. I used it as a base over plywood. I holds nails well. Cut it with a knife. If you want you could use it as roadbed, but that’s a lot of cutting and it’s usually 1/2" thick. Sure dampens noise though…
Roxytronix/Homasote.jpg[/IMG]
