Has anyone ever used the pink roll up foam insulation they sell in Home Depot for track bed? I was going to try it in the yards but I was wondering how the ballast would stick to it. It seems like a foam/plastic type surface that is the same thickness as cork at a fraction of the price. It comes in 50’ rolls for around $8.
Not really familiar with the product. Do you know what it is used for? The only thing I have seen, close to your description is the large rolls of foam that are used between sub flooring and finish flooring. That is thinner than you describe. How wide are the rolls?
My suggestion would be to compare its density/strength to Woodland Scenics foam roadbed. If it is similar to that, give it a try. I would suggest using it in a small section and leave it unballasted for awhile while you see how it stands up to useage.
Let us know what you find. For those who like the WS roadbed it sounds like it could be a less expensive alternative.
Good luck,
I used something similar, mine is blue. I had problems with track pins, but if I clue the track down, it seems to work fine. Here are a couple of pics
That looks like the stuff, only different color. I am going to try it in the yard and see how it works. It has a kinda slippery surface but I am going to piant it with some type of plastice adhesave paint to help make everything else like the ballast adhere. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the info.
I think this is what you are talking about:
http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/specialty/wmsillseal.htm
Used in new home construction to seal the gap between concrete basement wall top and bottom sill stud.
.25 thick and 3.5 inches wide.
Might make a useful roadbed…certainly at $8 per 50 ft would be economical.
Chuck
[:-^]
I’m just in the stages of using it for my staging yards. Mine is a rust color, maybe on the red side of the spectrum, and it’s initial use is for an under-layment for laminate flooring. It is a rubberized like product but it doesn’t stretch much at all. Seems to be working fine and will have a little sound deadening effect as well, although I don’t expect too much as it is not very thick, maybe 1/8th of an inch if that. It is perfectly smooth and uniform in thickness.
Johnboy out…for now
The only potential trouble with using “Sill caulk/ or Sill seal” is that it varies by manufacturer. Some brands may be ribbed, the thickness and cross section may vary as well as the thickness and distortion of the product itself. I use this for it’s actual intended purpose in construction and do find the Dow product satisfactory for my needs. As to using for roadbed, that is up to you and since it is so cheap, you can select pieces from the roll for uniformity. There are many other options for roadbed, camper tape,3/8" fanfold insulation,sheet cork, the list goes on.Of coarse there’s those popular standards or the cork, homabed, and WS products.
The sill seal, to me, may be just a bit too spongy for track laying. As mentioned, the foam underlayment for laminate flooring, may be useful. Don’t confuse the thinner “cheap” stuff from home centers, I’m refering to the commercial high density product that you will find at a quality carpet/ flooring outfit.