Working on my first layout since I was a kid and after reading and seeing various pictures, I have some questions regarding roadbed. I am doing an N Gauge layout and currently using the cork roadbed that comes in the 3 foot sections. I am putting this on plywood. I noticed that some layouts appear to not be using any type of roadbed at all, or at least raised cork. My question would be, should I just lay the track on the surface and then ballast around it? Maybe use something other than plywood. I am open to any and all suggestions. As far as track, I am using a combination of flex and small sections of track.
Feel free to respond here or email.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
One purpose for roadbed is sound deadening (maybe not as big a deal with N as with HO or O). Track directly on plywood might cause some noise, particularly if you nail in it. It can certainly be done, however. And roadbed also provides the realistic slight elevation of track for drainage purposes.
One aspect of all this is that if you have a flat table top, laying the mainline on roadbed and then sidings or spurs at a lower level such as directly on the plywood can simulate the fact that mainlines are higher than sidings – it gives you some vertical choices without cutting into the wood itself.
In addition to cork there is the Woodland Scenics foam roadbed which comes in two thicknesses, and also in plain sheets so you can cut your own. I am using cork for the mainline and the thinner foam for sidings, saving the plywood for the very lowest level track.
There is also the sticky rubber Instant Roadbed.
Dave Nelson
Some people lay their track directly onto their foam. This of course only works if you are using foam. My dad and I thought about that and decided it would be better to raise the rail up on cork to keep it out of the way of ballast and other scenic stuff. We are modeling in N as well, and i have used a lot of those three foot sections, and i like they work fine. I think one would have to be very careful in laying n scale track directly to plywood, because it does not get it out of the scenery. And as my dad loves to point out one speck of ballast or woodland scenics grass is actually a twenty ton rock (or similar obstacle)
Good Luck!!!
Hope this helps!!
I model in N scale and use cork roadbed. It serves 3 purposes, as pointed out by previous posters: it deadens the sound of the trains on the rails, it raises the track above the surrounding landscape and it provides the form or shape for the ballast. These last two points make the track look more prototypical. Laying track directly on plywood in any scale will be very noisy. I don’t know for sure how noisy track laid directly on extruded styrofoam is, but I’ve heard that it is noisy. I plan to use styrofoam when I expand my layout and I’m not going to take any chances–the track will be on cork roadbed. One thing to keep in mind is that if the pins or nails that you use to secure your track go right through the cork into the plywood, they will transmit the vibrations to the wood causing some noise. You can glue the cork and the track with latex caulk to avoid using nails. I haven’t tried this but there have been a number of threads in this forum dealing with that subject. I use HO track spikes to hold down my rail. They aren’t long enough to go into the plywood and hold quite well in the cork. I depend on the bonded ballast to hold the track in place anyway.