I’m glad to hear that Randy, since I’m just investing in a whole lot more of them…
I meant more in terms of adjustment to get the throw right during initial installation, not something going kaflooey. I’ve found that some fiddling is necessary at times - though once in place I’ve also found the few I’ve previously used pretty bulletproof.
Well, here’s my trick. I set the turnout in place, and the take the Tortoise that’s goign to that position (although that’s not quite as critical, all the circuit board pieces are close to the same size anyway) and use that to make where I need to carve out the foam with the Dremel. So ther’s really no guesswork, the whole thing fits where it is suppose to be. There’s plenty of wiggle room, if it ends up not being quite right. Once in final position, a little squirt of caulk around the edges keeps it there.
I don’t know if you intend on making your layout transportable or if this is going to be a permanent installation but in my opinion I think a combination of both Plywood and foam features will offer the most advantages. I am still not certain on the long-term durability of the all foam layout surface, as this has only become commonly used over the past few years. However, if your layout is designed to be transportable or modular say in the event of a move you may want something light then maybe the foam is your best bet, although I would rather sacrifice light weight for something sturdier like plywood to prevent possible damage. However, this also holds true for permanent layouts where you may want the weight and strength. Personally, I like being able to sit on my layout to work on those sometimes hard to reach places for scenery or touch ups and therefore the foam may limit a layout design to only manageable dimensions easily accessible from the ground. I do really like the foam for scenery applications such as for mountains, scenic elevations and valleys. I have a foam surface over open grid benchwork in one section but it’s merely as a riverbed and does not support any track except for 2 arched bridges but as for the rest, my roadbed and track is firmly secured to the plywood sub-roadbed as are my switch machines. The balance of the foam will be laminated to the plywood surface as needed to create scenic contours. Again this is just my opinion based on past experiences, as stated they both offer their own advantages and disadvantages, it’s just a matter of which is best suited for your needs. Good luck on your new project.[:)]
It’s my sincere hope that the layout (and me) stay in the same house from here on out…
But, having had to tear apart prior layouts, and with life full of the unexpected, I’m trying to build it in such a way that it could be reasonably taken into pieces for transport if needed. Not something I’d do often (if at all), and not something I need to worry about making “convenient”… just more a worst-case-scenario shouldn’t be “rip it apart” but rather “take it apart”…
I don’t think plywood/foam is incompatible with that, and it’s how I plan to go based on the near-unanimous indications here.
I don’t PLAN on moving my layout, but it’s actually built as a series of boxes that are bolted together, and I plan to continue the same type of construction all the way around. If it HAD to be moved, I could cut through the track at the seams (no scenery yet) and unbolt the sections into easily handled pieces that will fit through the doors.
I personally like foam for the light weight and ease of spiking. A word of wisdom gained from experience, tho: don’t try to mount it flat and cut your grades into it. Make your grades with it by installing riser cleats/shims to elevate the foam from below. Trying to cut a smooth grade into a flat piece of foam is a very frustrating and nearly impossible task.
I have used Plywood only and foam only. I will never use plywood again. I use two inch foam board as a base. And add to it for height. You can see pictures of our first layout using plywood and foam on our second layout on my website. It is so fast, to put up. We see no seanse is using the plywood, we look at it as a waste of money.
Do you use under-table switch machines (or other under-table devices) and if so, how do you attach them? That’s my biggest concern with going foam-only…
His pictures show a piece of hardboard or 1/8 plywood attached to the switch to form a lip. Cut the foam out and drop in the switch machine letting the lip hold it in place. Once set, put a dap of caulk on it and it lasts until you want to change the layout.
Actually it’s a piece of Radio Shack perfboard. I use the biggest one - 6"x8" and snap it apart into 6 equal size squares, plus a little leftover I sometimes use as terminal mounts behind the control panels. I started out using a self-tapping 2-56 screw to start the screw holes for the tortoise, but it gets tiring really fast - now I drill the hole out with a small bit on the Dremel. The big hole for the operating wire I drill with a regular drill - SLOWLY, since the perfboard has a tendency to crack or worse, catch the bit. If you have a drill press, stack a bunch and do them all at once.
The original NorCal FREEMO site showed them using plain copper-clad board. Which also will work just fine. Plywood or styrene could work as well. I tried the perfboard because I thought MAYBE I could just drive the screws in to mount the Tortoise, but not quite. Since they have to be drilled anyway…
That’s what I’m gonna do. I have a lot of 1/4 inch luan left over from a project at my old house and wasn’t about to leave it behind. Just need to buy the 1" foam board.
I’d also suggest using pywood and foam. You need sound material to fasten the point motors, legs etc.
We have made our present moduler layout using foam and steel, but I’ve never done so much mistakes than I’ve done with this. You need solid stuff to fix flextrack to make sure rail joints keep aligned – cork on foam wasn’t the solution. Turnout motor fixing is another point. Our system is modular, so the edges shouldbe solidly protected, so we need to wrap the edges with some kind of board…
One thing might be that Homosote or Homasote ™ (http://www.homasote.com) is not universally available. In Finland we used material called Halltex or Haltex (http://www.haltex.fi/) for same purpose, as it was thought of being similar to Homasote, but it wasn’t so solid as Homasote.
I don’t know what happens to Homasote when it is wetted by ballast cement, Halltex lost it’s solidity and became softer and less smooth.
Homasote is generally used as a roadbed material. It has a good grip for spikes for those that like to hand lay track. It is commonly used in a plywood homasote combo. I’m using 3/4" ply with 1/2" homasote glued on top. I can’t see a lot of advantages to homasote if you aren’t going to handlay track…Don’t ask why I’m using it (I hand laid a crossing and have used a few BK turnouts)…