Speaking of foam (Chicago area)

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Does anybody around Chicago sell 2-inch foam in anything but 4X8 sheets? I ran across a Web site that said they were using 2X4 sheets straight from a store near Denver for “instant” modules.

My local HD, etc only carry 4X8 sheets, which is ok but I’d like to avoid carting them home on top of the car if I can. (Nobody I know drives a van or truck and I don’t have a roof rack.)

Thanks!

2

The pink stuff has cut points at 16", 24", 32" inches so they can be cut and parted in to sections. If your near the Hanover Park area, I could give you a hand getting the stuff home with my minivan.

3

Home Depot and Lowes here in the Seattle area sell 2"x2x8 sheets of foam. If it’s not available in your area, they will order it for you.

4

I used to work part time at HD in Niles. If you take a 4x8 sheet to the lumber dept. by the cutting saws, ask one of the employees to cut it in half with a razor knife. They can use the saw (the plywood saw) guide and give you a nice straight cut. When I worked there, we cut all kinds of stuff to all kinds of sizes. Shouldn’t be a big issue [:D]

5

Try Concrete supply houses…thats where it all started

6

So why do you have to bring them home in 4’ x 8" sheets? Take a serrated knife with you and cut them down before loading them into your vehicle.

7

Thanks for the advice and offer of help.

I bought a 4X8 sheet and cut it along the center cut line in the HD parking lot. I didn’t bring my big drywall t-square,l so it’s not perfectly straight, but that side will go against the wall and won’t matter.

Now I have to fini***est fitting the track - the plans never quite match reality exactly, do they?

8

One big question I have is, don’t most of these insulating foams burn like gas with a thick black smoke?

9

Plastics, paints and glass and maybe other materials have a plastic transition phase where they get soft. A hot wire cutter doesn’t get the foam hot enough to create carbon but it might make some gas and ventilation is warranted when cutting. If you are talking about a house fire that would cause that you have a much bigger problem than the railroad. Foam won’t support combustion so you really don’t have to worry about it causing a fire.

10

Nope, most all of the extruded foam contains a flame retardant, (hexabromocyclododecane if you want to know specifics) that keeps it from supporting combustion just like npbprr said.

HD

11

“hexabromocyclododecane” now theres a scrabble word ! 47 points and thats not including double or triple letter/word score.