Several of my previous layouts have featured plywood base, cork road bed and Gargraves track. After seeing new construction in CTT and other sites, how would you fasten Gargraves to 2" foam? Would I still use the cork roadbed or fasten(?) the Gargraves directly to the foam? How would you suggest fastening it? Glue, screw, or ? Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. The new train room is 26’ X 28’ and will have Std, O, S, & HO at different heights.
Many thanks in advance for your help! Happy New Year!
Wes
P.S.: STILL fighting over a suitable trackplan! Level track, no grades or switches. Already have 8 X 14 in another room with all the switches and accessories!
You can glue or use caulk to hold the track and roadbed in place. I’d recommend using cork roadbed over the foam. Use pins to shape the roadbed until it is adhered. My FasTrack is held in place with screws screwed directly into the foam. The screws are very secure. If you are using flex track, you can glue and screw the track down. You don’t want the screws to go down into the plywood where it will amplify sound. Glued ballast will further bond the track in place.
If you want to use cork under the track, it can be secured with ordinary white glue. You can temporarily fasten GarGraves track to the foam with coarse thread sheetrock screws. I simply insert a screw between two ties that I squeeze together so the head of the screw makes contact. Placing N-scale cork alongside the ties, reduces the profile and will also keep the track in position. After ballasting you can remove the screws. The glue that holds the ballast together will also secure the track.
I used Vinylbed and glued it directly to the foam with Liquid Nails. I like the Vinylbed because it will not dry out and does a better job of deadening the sound.
My one regret in building our layout was not using some sort of sound deadening over the foam. Using FasTrack (loud), I really couldn’t use cork or vinyl roadbed, but could have used cork sheets or Homasote sheets. Looking back, I think it would have made a noticable difference. Next time for sure!