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Model railroad bench tops made easy with foam
Very informative!
I use carpenter’s glue (yellow) as this will not soften with water.
To cut with a Saber saw try grinding off the teeth of a dull blade to make a knife.
Better yet dig out that old electric knife gathering dust in the draw (or yard sale ).
The only problem I have had - it cuts too fast so pay attention.
Someone I talked to complained it made too smooth a cut for some scenery work.
Well worth reading! I’ve recently used foam with great success over a 1’ x 4’ box frame shelf style layout following the techniques described above. It was extremely useful for a below track river scene. Foam makes for a very lightweight layout. The one I am still working on weighs light enough to easily move anywhere in my house. That way I can work on the layout in the kitchen while being close to other family members. Depending on your needs, you may find squares of foam rather than an entire sheet at your local hardware store. If you want portable layouts or easy to shape scenery then use foam. Thanks Lance for another great article!
One concern that I have seen expressed about this application in online forums is the flammability issue.
This foam is used throughout the country in home construction, so it obviously has a track record of safety when used properly, but that means it is completely enclosed by studs, drywall, home siding, etc.
Using it for
very comprehensive article. Answers all questions. Currently have 2" foam on plywood and plan on sculpting a pond and a stream out of the foam. A perfect sub structure for a great layout.
Good article, very helpful in building a new layout.
Thanks.
Nice article; I am considering using foam for my layout expansion. However, by far the easiest way to cut the foam (in straight lines, that is) is with a table or radial arm saw. It cuts through the foam like it isn’t even there, and a leaves a beautifully smooth edge.
I have 5 card table sized N gauge layouts using this technique. Only 1/2 inch insulation board is available in Statesboro, GA. Two laminated pieces of board are adequate. I use back-band molding to make a frame around the layout. It not only looks nice, but reinforces the insulation board.
I have used the pink Owens Corning product on my current HO and On30 shelf layouts - I wanted something that would be portable since we plan on relocating soon. It worked GREAT! Used two layers on the HO so I could carve out a harbor area and one layer on the On30 - on that one I did use the Woodland Scenics riser set for a up-grade track location. I did discover the hard way that the board out-gases so you need to cover any water areas with spackling compound or something similar as a base before pouring any water. I didn’t do that in my one water area and bubbles keep forming over about a year so far - I just use an awl to punch them out but the bubble texture doesn’t look to bad at a distance. I may some day fix these water areas.
GREAT INFO IF YOU ARE A NEW PERSON TO LAYOUT BUILDING
My first visit. Really informative. I’ll be back. Thanks
Great article, Lance. I gave a pretty extensive clinic on building several types of modules with extruded foam at the PSX 2004 NMRA Convention in Seattle, Washington. If you have a copy of that clinic book, my written article is in there. One of the modules I showed how to build was/is a box module built entirely out of extruded foam. On my personal layout, I used these to hide the 2% grade that I used to ascend/descend to/from the upper level of my two levels. It is actually relatively easy to create grades in foam, but Lance’s article is correct if you want to create a helix or any other rapid increase in grade. Incidentally, I am now between layouts, but my new on will be built with foam modules.
there are “knife blades” without teeth available for jig saws that I find work well, and leave a minimum of debris floating around the room for days and days
For years, I’ve used “blueboard” foam panels for scenery, and find that the best method of shaping is
with a serrated bread knife, before “finishing up” with a Surform file. Great stuff, that foamboard!
I love using foam board, it makes changing terrain height so easy. Couple notes that I haven’t noticed if you get the board with the thin skin on it make sure you peel it off first and also I use the Locktite brand multi purpose caulk adhesive instead of the PL300 foam adhesive as it sets much faster and I think it is a better hold and it doesn’t eat into the foam.
A thoroughly interesting and informative article. Thanks Lance. Here in E. Texas the only foam board available is the 2" thick white foam board that is granular when you look at it closely. I pealed the reflective foil off one side and the clear covering off the other side. I have used Tacky Glue (available in craft stores to bond it together). On the surface I have simply used white glue which seems to work fine. It cuts easily with a very sharp fish-filleting knife. I have it on 16" centers on my 5’X6.5’ O scale layout and it has held up very well. I’m looking forward to building a much larger O scale layout using foam board, when I have the space.
I want to second Brian Backner’s comments about the flammability issue with foam board. When isolated behind sheetrock the stuff is pretty safe or I doubt it would be allowed by the national building code. However on our layouts only the top side is covered with plaster, Sculptamold, and other materials. However most of our wiring is below the foam and that is where a fire is most likely to occur so safe wiring practices are important, especially with large DCC boosters. Also don’t forget things like taillight bulbs used as circuit breakers. I recently set up a RRampmeter on an unsceniced section of track, with a 12 volt bulb attached as a load. After taking the photograph for my DCC Corner column I removed the taillight bulb and noticed it had gotten so hot it melted a hole in the foam board it was laying on. Flammable products require special attention when not being used in the specific application they were designed for.
Our Railroad Museum here in Sioux City has a 15’ x 80’ layout that was built in 1990. The entire thing is built with pink or blue foam. The only thing is if you have to get on top. Make sure you have a piece of plywood to kneel on otherwise it will dent.
Dick