Hello everyone, i need some advice. i am currently building the Salt Lake Route shown in the new MR. i am useing the Kato Unitrack and have a question…Dick shows useing cork under the Kato Unitrack to dampen the sound from the 3/8" plywood… my question is… instead of useing cork, would it be ok to just add a 4’ x 8’ sheet of 1" extruded pink foam to the top of my plywood? will this dampen the sound? will it mess up the layout? im just not sure, so i need some opinions please! thanks!
steve
It will probably do a lot better than just plunking the plastic ballast on the plywood directly, but I don’t know much about the sound properties of your track. I found EZ-Track to be quiet on extruded foam, but I used a layer of acrylic latex caulk to fix the plastic ballast in place…and I think that may have done as much, or more, to quieten things down.
Essentially, there is nothing wrong with what you want to do. But please consider using latex caulking to help keep your track elements in one place and level. It will help with sound attenuation as well.
-Crandell
In my experience, the extruded foam transmits sound pretty well, so it may not serve your purposes. The caulk, as recommended by Selector, will help a lot.
“Noise” made by a model railroad is a very subjective thing, however. Some modellers don’t want to hear even the whir of an electric motor. Personally, I’ve never been bothered by things that others can’t tolerate. The best solution – as with so much else in this hobby – is to try it for yourself and see if you like it. Hook up a short section of track like one of the end turns and run a loco with just the plywood, then with the foam, then attach the track to the foam (caulk is relatively easy to remove). If you can’t live with it, use some commercial roadbed.