We had a wood platform that we made when I was young to run our trains on. I recently worked for a Train Company, (accounts receivable, so didn’t learn much about the hobby), and the lady in research showed me that the layouts they did were in foam. My problem with this is that I don’t have my layout up year round. When we had the wood platform we had it in sections and could store it. The foam Imagine as an alternative would have to stay in one piece. Any suggestions. I am doing a whole new layout in my new house this fall, and would love some feedback. LF
Either build it into modules - section’s that can be connected uniformly - or a solid piece that can be stored. module’s are 4’ stand alone section’s (on legs) that can be leveled and electrically ‘jumpered’. There are 'Module Club’s for people with your problem.
I suugest you look into an ‘N’ guage Module Club in your area…
FOAM is a recent newcomer. It’s main benefit is weight
many layouts are built with a wood frame , typically 1x3 's with 2x2 's for legs , then the foam is added as a tabletop
So, no, the foam need not be in one slab or sheet, and left ‘up’ all year round if you would rather not have it out all year.
It would depend on your layout size and construction, as suggested above, but another consideration would be your track plan and topography. If you had a complex, spaghetti-like track plan, module alignment might be a bit of a challenge to ensure that your tracks are also aligned. If you had high, large mountains, and fixed more or less permanently to the surface, putting that chunk away could be a chore. However, a foam mountain, even a big one, could be removable, even hollow. Just slip back the necessary rail joiners and lift up the entire mountain.
Foam, if of the extruded type, is easily carved and rasped/wire brushed into shapes, and can be stacked in layers quickly to get height OR depth. It takes latex paint and glue well. It is relatively light, especially compared to layers of plaster. However, even plaster cloth and cardboard strip topography can be light if done skillfully.
Maybe I’m just dense, but I’m not sure I understand your question. You are going to build a new layout in your new house. Will you still have the limitation of not having it up all year around? If not, then your chief problem will be deciding on whether you want another ‘plywood central’ layout on flat plywood or if you want to use more modern methods of layout construction, including foam. In any event, you can still design a layout that can be dis-assembled and stored if that’s what you need to do. The engineering is more complex, but it is still very doable.
Foam can be used for sectional or modular layouts and is ideal for the purpose because of weight. You will need good support under the foam for overall strength and to provide a method of securely fastening the sections together.
It will end up being a personal choice for you. Perhaps with more information of what type of layout you want and what limitations you will have, the members of this forum will be better able to give you excellent and more detailed suggestions.
Darrell, quiet…for now
Mr. Wampler solved his layout/room problem by suspending it from the ceiling of his garage on a pully system. Any time they needed to pull the car in, he’d crank his layout up and out of the way. You might try this if you’ve got a place to hang it from rather than have to set it up and take it down like you’re suggesting.
As for the foam question. My layout has a wood base with foam and plaster over it.
Good luck…
Tracklayer
A big consideration here is that you have to move the layout sections in order to store them. Foam construction would make this a lot easier. Keep in mind that a heavy structure, unless it is heavily braced, is going to flex or bend under its’ own weight , especially if it is relatively large and moved by only one person. A foam layout would be easier to store and limit damage to attached structures and track due to the reduced flexure.