Does anybody not use [gasp] cork or rubber roadbed on their layout ? I have found that if you build up the ballast high enough you can get by without the cork roadbed and on those sections that I dont use cork they are much more stable after years of use. I think cork roadbed is oversized except on mainlines,any other views?
Yes, started building my 3rd layout old school style Jan 2014 using homasote and cork, homasote under the yard and cork under the mainline area’s. I’m not really sure how you can lay track on built up ballast.
The first photo shows track laid on homasote (under construction)
This is on cork (also under construction)
No,what Im saying is you first lay track down then you build up the ballast and taper it around the track. Nice looking layout you have. May God Bless.
I use 1/8" Homabed, it’s the right size.
In fact, by putting 1/8 " HO Homabed on top of 3/8" O scale Homabed, I get a contour that is within a couple of scale inches of the CNW ballast and subroadbed profile.
First things first - I don’t use cork for any purpose on my layout. It can’t handle being baked in a high temperature/low humidity environment (aka a Mojave Desert garage.)
The prototype uses roadbed and ballast to assure proper drainage. We, as modelers, need to model the shape as appropriate for each class of track. That shape can be achieved by carving foam insulation to an appropriate cross section (the method I use.) The same result can be achieved with everything from thin wood to slip-formed Portland cement.
Actually, very well ballasted track is a sign that the company is profitable enough to maintain their track to a high standard. A three men and a dog short line, operating on a shoestring, can be ‘ballasted’ with ground goop, well mixed with foliage-colored ground foam. (My main route is a national monopoly. My short line is well above the poverty level. Both feature deep, good quality ballast.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thanks for the Info. May God Bless.
A couple of pic’s from the industrial section of my layout, which is 15ft long. Track is spiked and ballasted directly on 1/2 inch Homasote. I did not want any elevation changes in yard or main, have some trackwork in brick streets, so I wanted it all level…found it to be best in trouble free trackwork. The whole layout, is spiked to 1/2 inch Homasote, cut on my table saw, with kerf’s cut for curves. I used cork in the past…but like the Homasote a lot better.
Take Care! [:D]
Frank
Very neat and well done. May God Bless.
Nothing wrong with old school. I use Midwest cork roadbed on my layout, also we used it on the Boothbay Railway Village layout. We have has no problems, even when the building is open in the summer when it is hot and humid. On my layout, I have used 1/8" cork sheet cut into strips for some sidings.
The profile of cork roadbed (or at least the kind that comes slightly pre-split in half) is wrong for mainline or any other use so you have to build up a profile with ballast in any event. (The profile on most prefab track is similarly wrong.)
On sidings sometimes I use cork roadbed kept as is, unsplit – that is, with straight sides and not beveled. On yards I might use larger sheets of cork. I like the slight elevation that cork roadbed brings even in those situations because it is easy to make the drainage ditches and other irregularities in the nearby landscape. You could do all of that with artfully placed ballast, but I find cutting into cork is easier to control.
Dave Nelson
[quote user=“dknelson”]
The profile of cork roadbed (or at least the kind that comes slightly pre-split in half) is wrong for mainline or any other use so you have to build up a profile with ballast in any event. (The profile on most prefab track is similarly wrong.)
On sidings sometimes I use cork roadbed kept as is – that is, with straight sides and not beveled. On yards I might use larger sheets of cork. I like the slight elevation that cork roadbed brings even in those situations because it is easy to make the drainage ditches and other irregularities in the nearby landscape. You could do all of that with artfully placed ballast, but I find cutting into cork is easier to control.
Dave Nelson
Some great help Dave, for a new model roailroader, thanx for you input, and believe me I need plenty of help. Duey42Engineer
Plus it only translates to, what, 18 inches above the local terrain? That’s not very “main line” to my eyes.
Although with enough observation, you’ll find evidence of literally every concept you can think of. I mean, I know of a place where the ROW is actually sunked down a few inches so that all the grade crossings could come at the track level rather than rise a bit. The top of the ties is at “ground level.”
Hello All,
The only disadvantage I can see to not using roadbed under your track; be it cork, foam, homasote, et al (cautiously worded to avoid the materials debate), is the amount of ballast needed replace the same volume of roadbed to achieve your desired outcome.
I agree that there are some areas that a raised roadbed is unnecessary and non-prototypical- -yards and certain industry sidings come to mind. I have also seen prototypical ballast that raises the trackage a few feet off of the ground.
The aesthetic of using only ballast would certainly be prototypical. However, I have read how some folks dread the tedium of ballasting while others find it very satisfying. If you are in the latter class then not using roadbed would seem to fit your style.
Hope this helps.
One advantage of roadbed, whether it is strips of wood lath, strips of cork, homasote, or foam rubber, is that it can be sanded to ensure your faster mains, those where a limited passenger train will hit a scale 79 mph or better, can be run on straight and level track with no pitching or rolling. Yes, I know real track has defects to some extent, but high speed tracks are very well laid, and so can your own scale tracks be well laid if they lie flat and even on properly prepared roadbed of some kind. Secondly, I agree that roadbed also saves on the volume of ballast needed under the rails.
Hand spiking track on wood ties glued to 1/2 in Homesote. Sand top of ties to assure level track after ties have been glued and glue is dry. Kerf curves every inch of curve and fill kerfs with joint compound. Very level road bed. Mill sloped profile with a router bit with a 45 degree angle. Glue down Homesote with Lockite adhesive for projects. No cork for me.
If you put the kerfs to the inside of the curve there is nothing to fill as they will close up as you bend the roadbed.
I made my own roadbed from white pine. Used my bandsaw to resaw 3/4 inch boards into 1/4 inch board. Cut fancier trackwork (turnouts mostly) first. Used my router in a home made router table to bevel the edges at 45 degrees. Major benefit, the pine takes and holds track nails well which cork does not.
For those of you who make your own roadbed, your bevels will be much more prototypical if you make them 30 degrees instead of 45. Router bits are available for that bevel. They can be more difficult to find but they are out there. Here is one source:
http://www.directtools.com/product/AMA49414.html?gclid=CKL3rqTi2sUCFYmVfgodASoAnQ
Steve Cox
Cascade Rail Supply