anyone used luan plywood for roadbed am concerned if it will take the water and
glue and not have the laminations seperate. it is perfect thickness if it will hold
up under ballasting process. anyone have any experience or advise on using
luan?
thanks for the help,
Tom C.
3/4" luan would work great for subroadbed or yards/ industries. If you are thinking of using the thinner luan ply for roadbed itself, you may have the problems you mention of delamination. There are many other products better suited for roadbed.
Bob K.
I have used the 1/4 inch luan, but I sealed it in paint to prevent the problem you mentioned. I also supported it on 12 inch centers to prevent any sagging of such a thin sub-roadbed. I then used 1/4 inch foam insulation sheets for the roadbed. It’s all held up very well.
By the way, my layout is in N scale, so the weight is not much of an issue. This might not work so well for larger scales.
I use Luan paneling in place of cork. To me it is a much better height. I rip it into 1" strips for HO. That makes the edges right at the rails and allows a nice slope with the ends of the ties showing when I ballast. I get 47 pieces x 8’ from one piece of paneling. That is 376’ for under $10.00. Damaged paneling sells for even less. For curves stack them on end and cut slots in them so they can be bent. N gaugers should get double that amount. I’ve never had a moisture problem without sealing it and use white glue and water mixed. I use nails to tack down the paneling about one per foot.