hello all, i was wondering if anyone has ever used the 1/2" pink or blue foam board you can buy at home depot for roadbed. i wanted to use homasote but i’m having trouble locating it in my area?
Are you using it for “Roadbed” or for Sub-Roadbed.
Assuming that you are using it for your sub-roadbed or table top, you need to know that it does not hold nails very well at all. Of course nobody told me this, so I used nails to tack down my tracks anyway, and have had no problems. If you have problems with it, then you can tack the tracks down, and once you are happy with what you have made, you can spread a bead of glue down across the ties to lock them into place.
Homasote has more strength to span distances, but I have had no trouble with foam. I think I use 1" thick for for that table top. Homasote is affected by humidity, foam is not.
You might tink your big box store does not have Homasote, but Homasote is a brand name, they may have other similar products waiting on their shelves. Look for 'Under floor insulating material" and see what you can find. Perhaps there is something suitable.
The LION, being particularly cheap has tried anything and every thing that looked like a likely material. Look also for Fiberglass Roofing Insulation. It comes in 4x8 sheets, has tar paper on both sides is very light, easy to cut, and will hold nails perfectly. I got mine from a job site where workers were casting off pieces into a dumpster. You can also buy the stuff in a store. I have been using 2" thick, but I’ll bet there is 1" thick material around too.
Speaking of roofing material, I have about 100 sheets of 1.5" foam boards in the barn. They were removed from a roof (The library roof, would you believe–my train room is in the library building) It is not at all suitable for building trackways, but will make wonderful city streets and plazas. I will use this material for the ground level of my layout. (LION runs subway trains, my trains run under the table–go figure.) Indeed, as soon as the temperature gets above freezing and the wind below force 5, I’ll go down to the barn to collect a few sheets of it.
ROAR
Another product that you can use that has worked out quite well for many wanting “foam” roadbed, is the 3/8" “Fan-Fold” siding insulation. Any supplier that sells vinyl siding will stock it. It is very inexpessive and one folded panel will go a long way.
Some of it comes w/ foil wrapped and others are clear film covered. The clear film may need to be removed as it could delaminate after “caulked/ glued” in place. The foil seems to hold up well for some reason and won’t peel.
Yes, the LION bought some of that stuff. Him did not need a whole package of it, but I found a bundle that was damaged, and so I got a good price on it.
ROAR
Wow!! Him is very cheap [:D]
If you’re in Pennsylvania you should be able to find it at your local Home Depot. But don’t ask for Homasote because unless you get an associate that is familiar with its use for model railroads, he/she won’t know what you’re talking about. Ask for soundboard instead. My local store always has a pallet of it along the store’s back wall.
JHinPA:
I used 1/2" blue foam board throughout my layout. The yard and most sidings sit on one layer,with another layer elevating the main line. I cut ditches and ballast profiles with a hot wire cutter,and used woodland scenics foam glue to hold everything,including track,down.Other than making sure you’ve got great ventilation when cutting with a hot wire (I drew out my track outlines,then took the foam board out side to make my cuts),it’s easy to work with,and you don’t end up with dust or foam shavings everywhere. It’s worked out very well for me so far.
edit: I should add that there is 1/2" plywood beneath all of this…
Mike
I did my layout before I knew anything about using foam as a base to cut out ditches and such. However, for my roadbeds, I bought a cheap foam sleeping mat from the camping section at a local store, and used a razor to cut my ballast profiles. It was about 3/8" thick or so. I used it with 45* angles for ballast on my main line, and cut it straight, leveling the top of it with my scenery for my logging route to simulate track laid right on the ground.
Duane
I meant to also add, whether it pertains or not I don’t know, but I used cardboard for my sidings that had much less roadbed.
Duane