I have read the previous posts about this, but I am still unconvinced about my direction.
I am planning a ‘toy train’ O-gauge ‘modular’ 4-foot x 8-foot layout (probably (2)4x4 modules) for Cristmas. O-gauge and ‘toy train’ because it fits in scale and feel of the Christmas in the City buildings. If you see my point. (Small house-no basement 1-1/2 YO-loves trains)
I am planning a 1x3 subframe…w/ 1/4-inch? 1/2-inch plywood? Homasote or WS roadbed? Both? Weight and sound is a big consideration. These things get really loud on the Kitchen table… (testing of course) and how can you resist a 1-1/2 YO yelling trains! trains!
I am planning to articulate the surfaces for hills and ponds (skaters), and plan to use foam, but how do you keep this stuff safe? Exposed foam is not fire retardant is paint enough? I have seen 1/4-inch luann tops, but I am concerned about weight.
If I go with the 4x4 system I plan to re-wire this stuff each year, at least along the separated section.
I know this is a lot of stuff…Am I expecting too much?..Is a book my best bet?
There are basically two types of foam commonly available: white beadboard and pink or blue extruded foam. The white bead foam is used a lot as molded packing inserts. The pink and blue foam is a building insulation material.
White beadboard foam will support combustion and the fumes from burning can be toxic. If it catches on fire, it will continue to burn until it is put out. The danger of burning can be lessened by painting, but still remains.
The pink and blue foam, on the other hand, will NOT support combustion. Heat from flames will cause it to deform and shrink, but the material itself will not continue burning once the flame source is removed. Since it is not truly burning, it doesn’t produce much in the way of fumes and the fumes are not known to be hazardous or toxic. Painting the surface further reduces the chance that the foam will be damaged by heat, although any damage can not be totally prevented. It IS a plastic material after all.
Using pink or blue foam (it may be available in other colors, too) is an excellent way to build a light-weight layout. If you laminate 2" think foam onto 1/4" or 3/8" plywood, you will have a very strong base for your trains that will still be light enough to move easily. Interestingly enough, if you laminate the foam to the wood, you actually INCREASE the risks from burning since the plywood itself may produce obnoxious or toxic fumes. Don’t be afraid to use the plywood, though, if you want the strength. The risk isn’t that great that your family would be endangered. It’s just something you want to be aware of.
Extruded foam is a great tool for building strong and light-weight layouts. A word of caution: foam and children sometimes can’t co-exist. My 4 YO grandson has just about destroyed the foam Thomas layout I built for him 2 years ago! Of course, his little brother helped!!
Hi Kurt,
You’ll be safe with either blue or pink extruded foam and you can paint it with “earth type” colors easily.
Both pink and blue foam are readily available at Menards, Lowes, or Home Depot, or some other lumberyards.
Price for a 2 inch thick 4 foot by 8 foot piece varies from 17 to 21 dollars.
You can get inexpensive earth tone latex paints to paint it with if you wish, or just get one of those “green grass mats” made for model railroads and glue to it.
I am using pink foam on my layout which is HO gauge.
Ahh, the Christmas layout. Love trains at Christmas. The advice already given is excellent as usual. My best advice is to keep it really simple. My layout is simply a piece of white fabric, called drapery interlining, directly on the floor. The track is Lionel tubular. I like the traditional look of the tubular track. Buildings are inexpensive ceramic. Check out last years layout.
If you have more questions about O gauge you might want to check out the Classic Toy Trains forum.
Hi Paul !
Your layout is the stuff dreams are made of!
Very nice!!!
Reminds me of many Christmases ago when my Grandpa took me to work with him at Sears and Roebuck, he ran the hadware and roofing dept.
After awhile, he took me over to see the trains in the display windows, and left me there until lunch time with the guy who ran the trains (6 of them at once) and that set my dreams for the layout I am planning now!
I still put a train around my Christmas tree every year, JUST BECAUSE!!!
I’m still a kid at heart!
In fact they were my dad’s from years ago, I have replaced the track with the plastic roadbed track, having a senior moment, can’t remember what it’s called, but the Lionel Trains are circa 1935.
And they still run great!
They have the metal old style couplers and all of them work fine 70 years later!
Lionel makes good stuff!
It looks like the foam has it… I think I’m getting the bug to build more than a flat layout… The foam will definately help with the weight. I’ll keep posting the images, as things progress.
Thank you for the advice.
Paul, I couldn’t get enough of your layout…I hope my girl(s) (one here, one on the way) rememmber this stuff when they get older…(It’s September…crazy old dad has to start the Christmas train layout…)
It saddens me to see collections on e-bay when the family as decided to sell off years of trains and memorabilia, because the owner physically can’t use them any longer, due to one circumstance or another. In a few cases I wanted to purchase the whole lot, just to keep them running for the guy that owned them…(no solicitations please)
Your kids will remember. I’ve got two boys, 7 and 11 yrs.old. Bought my first set of Lionels for the oldests first Christmas. We’ve had a layout under the tree every year since. They love it when I set them up. And now they help in getting all the details in the layout. One thing they cant get enough of are the Handcars. Mickey & Minnie, Pluto & Goofy, Porky & Petunia, Lionel has a bunch of them. We put them on the track and let 'um chase down the train. Lots of fun.
Ed, You have Pre-war lionels, very collectible! Heres one of our Christmas layouts with pre-war trains. This ones an American Flyer. Very nostalgic.
Also these old wind-up engines are alot of fun for kids. Made by Hafner you can pick up a set on e-bay for $30-40.
Kurt, did this thread ring a bell. I just got through this morning setting up “Halloween” 2 tables, afterwhich 4 more tables will be added for Dept.56 New England Christmas Village display complete with HO train and mountains, in 2 more months. This all started with one Christmas gift that had 7 buildings and was set up on top of the TV. It has taken on a life of it’s own since 1987. Here is what I finally had to do: 1. The table tops are made of 3/4" plywood, 4’ X 4’ , a total of 6. Four along the north wall and two along the east wall forming an “L” in our family room. Why 3/4"? Because I need to get ON these tables when setting up track etc. 2. I made connecting stands of 2x3’s where each section of tabletop joins. 3. The top and bottom joining rails are 1x4’s, and I have power strips mounted to them for all the power connections we need for the buildings, etc. 4. All these 1x4’s are connected to the 2x3’s using carriage bolts , washers, and Wing Nuts for easy assembly and disassembly. 5. I used the 2" foam to make the mountains by double and triple stacking the 2" foam and gluing together. I used a hot knife and saws to make the rock edges to the foam mountains. The mountains, 4 of them, are all removable from the table tops, nothing is glued down. 6. The plywood is painted on both sides and edges , to prevent any possibility of warpage due to variations of temperature and humidity during storage.
What I did - you can use some of the ideas or not - for my Christmas 3 rail O layout:
Design constraints: had to fit in a 46" x 60" space. Had to support weight of full-size tree in middle of layout when sitting on floor. Had to support small tree if mounted on legs.
My first experiment with extruded foam. Built a picture frame of 1x3 mounted vertically. One corner was cutoff slightly to a 45 degree short (3" or so) straight piece to avoid stubbing toes when on floor or catching stomach when on legs. Another corner was cut out to fit large round end of staircase handrail. Glued 1.5" extruded foam inside picture frame, flush with bottom of frame so foam would be supported by floor when heavy Chtistmas tree was on top.
Glued 1/4" luaun plywood on top of foam to protect foam under Christmas tree stand, and provided surface for track mounting and accessory screws to “bite” into. Plywood was 3/4" below top of frame to provide protection to track in vertical stored position and to keep trains from plummeting to floor under gravity guidance. Painted plywood and frame Christmas green.
Installed track and accessories. Left wiring on top of layout (time and laziness - could have cut slots in foam to run wires underneath). Plywood provided sufficient “bite” for screws.
Placed pillow batting with glitter added for snow, installed lighted Christmas village.
Had great fun, layout was extremely light and portable, easily handled by myself. Rigidity was a real surprise. Used as Christmas display on cubicle desk extension at work another year - engineers were fascinated by barrel loader and barrel car moving barrels “uphill”. Installed reversing trolley line - another hit. Never did construct any legs - just placed layout on any available table or counter; rigidity made overhang a non-issue (except for being tipped when lea