OK back in the old days (1960) there was GREY Homasote that we bought for subroadbed. Now I see 10 different types on there website. I have to drive 60 miles with my trailer to get this stuff anybody know the MODEL NUMBER for the OLD GREY STUFF? Yes I have pink foam BUT OLD DOG HAS NOT LEARNED NEW TRICK. Thank You!
I looked at the website and was surprised to see all of the different products too. I think the original is the 440. Did you use the product locator?
I never knew that it had been around since 1909. My guess is that most places, like home inprovement stores, only carry the basic stuff, which is what you want anyway. I thought it was cool that they mentioned model railroading specificly as one of the applications for their product.
Yes I see DUMMY shold have looked a little more> Yes that is nice they understand that we use it for roadbed. I think I am going with the 440 and either Cork or AMI or Woodland Scene for the roadbed. Still a little iffy on the foam thing. (OLD DOG, NEW TRICK) If it was a small layout then maybe, that way if I screwed it up it would not be as bad BUT 600+ ft of track, 6 levels in a 22z20 room.
Foam is pretty neat. I’m in 3 rail O, and have just started using it. It is easy to carve, and should have good sound qualities. I’ll also be using it for my scenery. I have some Homasote which has been cut into strips, kind of like cork roadbed. I’m going to do a couple of sections of the railroad with that, just to use it up.
One of the best features of Homasote is it’s ability to hold spikes, which makes it a great choice for hand laying. If you are just using ready made track, it isn’t as big of a deal.
Hey Claycts,
Do not fear the foam! I used it for the subroad, then used homabed for the roadbed. Very happy with both.
Claycts, if you try foam, you will never go back to Homasote…Homosote = cave man, Foam = space age.
OK, CAVE MAN had good idea, CLUB, HEAD, DRAG HOME. at my AGE I takae up more SPACE than I did the 60’s. Is that what you mean by SPACE AGE? I dated a SPACE CADET (blonde for you youngsters) in the 60’s.[:D]
THank you for the input. I am going the John Allen route and planning, build model, then build layout. Started puting in the wires for the lights today.
When Homasote was first recommended for train layouts one of its most attractive features was how it held spikes for handlaid track. Probably not much handlaid track going on these days but nonetheless, space age or stone age there is still a place for homasote as a sound deadener.
Dave Nelson
I only hear one major complaint about Homosote. It expands from moisture either from wet scenery or high humidity. However sealing it with paint or shellac before laying it works to prevent swelling.
I have read that Homosote is not recommended for SUB-roadbed. But then again I also read that some folks have use it for sub-roadbed without problems. Seems to me it would be limited in strength.
gsetter, I agree that Homosote should be used over plywood or solid wood strips as an underlayment. I had success with cork-over-Homosote-over-wood (deck or bench work). Track Nails (Atlas #2540, 1/2 inch) work well for quiet operations and easy installation [use a “spike driver”]. I have noticed in another “General Discussion Topic” that some folks are using adhesives to fasten ties to the roadbed. I didn’t know this method was so widely used. Somehow, it seems like an unnecessary step. Some adhesives ( eg., Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Glue) dries to a hard laminate and could amplify motor noise. If a Modeler wished to change his track plan at a letter date, the glueing method would entail extra clean-up and possibly the loss of material (cork, Homosote, etc.) in removing old track. As a Neanderthal, I haven’t looked into “Foam” as [sealed] Homosote is inexpensive, cuts and textures easily, holds spikes well and with a 1/4 inch veneer of cork applied over the Homosote; noise is supressed. Since my layout dates back to the Steam Era, I will leave the “Space Age” to the “Cadets.” Only kidding! “One man’s cake is another man’s poison.”
Ok gents here’s a more specific question for you regarding HOMOSOTE… if you’re wanting to use it as roadbed on top of plywood, what’s the best way to cut it to match the track plan and what’s the best way to tapor the sides?? Seems to me it would be very difficult to manuever a huge sheet of it and if you were to lay it flat on the plywood and trace it seems there would be a lot of waste when cutting curved sections etc. Thanks. Dave
Cutting homosote with any type of power saw makes a huge amount of dust, so if you have to, do it outdoors if possible.
I cut it with a utility knife wth a sharp blade. It takes longer, but there’s a lot less mess. If I had to do it for a basement sized layout, I might wait 'til the weather warms up and cut it outside with a jigsaw w/ a fine tooth blade.
You can taper the sides with a file/rasp.
John
Underhill, VT
Dave, I asked the Home Depot guy to cut the 4’ X 8’ panel in half (4’ X 4’) so I could fit the thing in my car. Before surgery, I donned a face mask, safety glases, an old G.I. fatigue cap and work gloves. [As John mentioned, a good “utility knife” or carpet knife will keep the “dust” to a minimum.] Throwing all caution to the winds I set the Homosote on the picnic table (outside), and used my power Jigsaw (dry wall blade) set at a 45 degree angle and “ripped-away.” On curved sections, I chalked a template on the material (black side up) and used the same cutting method. To save material on curves, it is a good idea to plan ahead. Grab your old “plane geometry” book out of the closet and scribe your curve sections out with chalk before cutting. You may have four [or more] “arcs” to a long curve. Be sure that the ends of each “arc” match each other for a tight joint. This is fine for a continuous radius that is constant. For variations in radii, I used newspaper [cut as per a pattern] over the plywood. Perfect? No, some filing was needed but I took the precaution of making my cuts “full” (1/4" both edges) over the pattern. If you are under the radius, its a “bad day at Dry Gulch!” I’m sure other Contributers may have a better (easier) method than this Neanderthal approach. The only engineering skills I have are at the throttle. Best of luck Dave and enjoy.
Dave,
The two common methods to cut out homasote are the cookie cutter method described by Ted or to cut long strips similar in width to cork or maybe wider depending on the number of tracks, and to put saw cuts across the length about 2/3 of the way through every inch or so. The piece may then be bent to any curvature you like. You can put an angle on the homasote by filling in the space between the subroadbed and the homasote with plaster, etc. to get the roadbed profile you like…
One suggestion: Homasote thickness is variable and it is not manufactured to strict tolerances. Look at each piece you are going to buy carefully. Reject any that have big dips and bumps outright. On the pieces you buy, Take a straight edge and lay it out along the length of your homasote pieces and look for dips and bumps. You will undoubterdly find them. If you can sand them out, do so, if not cut out that section…
I am doing this part of the layout right now myself. I have developed a dislike for the stuff, but I don’t like foam or the other alternatives (plus, I may handlay some switches). After the homasote is glued down, use the straight edge again and sand out any bumps or shim low spots.
The other alternative is homabed. Pre sanded, beveled homasote. Drawback: cost. Advantages: many. I have chosen to cut my own and kerf strips for curves. Made the neighbors real happy with all the dust. Fortunately the rain quickly washed away all the evidence.
Good luck,
Gents, Great tips and I thank you. Guy I really like the idea of placing cuts into the strips to allow you to bend the sections… smart indeed. Will print and save this for when I begin. Thanks again.
Dave
My present layout started with 3/4" plywood as a subroad bed with homasote as the roadbed. I do not handlay track, but do spike down the flex track. This was solid as a rock, stable as the Rock of Gibraltar. A friend (?) pointed and laughed at my roadbed. So I try foam. Not as strong as the plywood, but really ok. Cutting 2" foam with a table saw? Blue scuz sticking to everything in the garage where the saw is located. Tried a little cork, a little foam and went back to homasote on top of the foam to hold the track. Then I did what all good modellers do, I began re-building the layout. Track plan stayed the same, the old roadbed came out and was replaced with 3/4’ x 1/4" splines bent to shape and glued. This provided the equivalent of easements into each and every curve and made for better flowing track. The actual track mounting surface was constructed using, of all things, Upson board. Upson board is one of those “never use for trackwork” kind of products. I ripped 1/4" x 1/4" strips and glued them, sawn edge up, to the spined roadbed. Then I painted the Upson board with a mixture of 50% carpenters glue and 50% water and let it dry. Sanded the top suface, and laid the track. Talk about hold spikes, and as solid as a political party (well, I thought it was funny). I have also rebuilt my hidden double ended staging. I used 3" foam cut into 3/8" wide strips. I built a spline bed with these. I spiked the track directly to the foam, then put a drop of gap filling super glue under every second tie. All of these systems work quite well. I do handlay all my turnouts to fit each situation, so I have a preference for the wood spined roadbed with the glue treated Upson board as a base for track, but that is just my preference. I can honestly say I do not understand the emotions expressed when people talk about track roadbed. The old systems work very well, and the new systems seem to work every bit as well. Foam is the easiest to handle and work with, and provided the thickness is sufficient,
Ok I have decided to use the homosote on 1/2" OSB. The weapon of choice will be a ROTO ZIP for the cuts. I have a set of plastic templates for all the raduis and turnouts. Will draw thr track plan 1-1 on brown paper to save the material. I will tape the outline on the floor to make sure I have acces space. And lat but not least pray to John Allen for guidence!!!
Has anyone tried a foam cutter to shape their subroadbed or roadbed? Seems to me that this would eliminate the pink or grey fuzz all over everything, and get the job done quickly and efficiently. I also appreciate the suggestion of using the Roto Zip thing, I have one I’ve used for many projects over the years, such as Cub Scout Pinewood Derby cars, never thought of using it for layout work, good idea!
claycts, great tips from all concerned. I have learned more than I have contributed, and that is 100% profit. And, speaking of “prophet,” John Allen’s Gorre and Daphetid (sp.?) Empire is about as good as it gets (my opinion)! Dave, did you know that J. Allen was a professional photographer as well as a genius at modeling? There may be “short cuts,” better materials, improved hi-tech tools but the craft of John Allen “will live forever.” It is all the more to his credit that he was able to acheive what he did in the era of the 1940’s thru the 50’s. How do you like the way he mixed narrow gauge (On3) with standard (turn-outs and all)? Don’t know if you are “into” scratch building? A fellow by the name of Richard Wagner (same “era” as J. Allen) wrote the “Book” on passenger car building. Some articles may be found in archived M. R.'s circa the 1950’s. Best of luck with your Pike and if no other “words of wisdom” than “be patient” come from these forums, that alone should suffice. Meet you in the Club Car. T.D.K.
Not true! I believe their website says it expands a maximum of 1/8" over eight feet.
The wood used in the benchwork expanding, contracting, warping, etc. moves more than the Homasote and causes the Homasote to get the blame.
This is a perennial thread on many lists. Finally, the moderator of the Layout Design List on Yahoo created a file addressing the discussion, and directs any new mention of it to read that file. Here is a cut-n-paste of the file. Hope this helps.
…
Layout Design SIG E-Mail Discussion Group Frequent Topics
Subject: Homasote and Homabed
Date: September 3, 2003
Author: Mike Davison
Introduction
Discussions about Homasote and Homabed come up frequently in
the Layout Design SIG E-Mail Discussion Group and there is
some controversy surrounding these products. This memo attempts
to defuse the debate by listing the facts and loosely describing
the viewpoints.
Homasote is a sound-deadening board made from recycled newsprint.
The product has been manufactured for nearly 100 years and has
been used as a model railroad roadbed for roughly 30 years. [1]
Homabed is a model railroad roadbed created by milling Homasote
to the desired shape and thickness. This product has been avail-
able from several subsequent manufacturers for at 15+ years. [2]
Throughout the remainder of this memo the term ‘Homasote’ will be
used to refer to both Homasote sheets from the Homasote Company
and Homabed roadbed from California Roadbed Company.