I have set up my HO layout that has been in storage for 5 years. I just tore up all my Atlas code 100 flex and have bought Micro Enginnering code 83,70, and 55 flex track. I always have worked right on the wood but i heard to use foam to make things easier to lay track and what not. Whats the best foam and where do I get it. Should I get the foam from Home Depot or Lowes or is there a better type sold in hobby shops and MR?
Thank you
BNSF,
I’m assuming you are referring to the pink or blue extruded foam insulation (EFI). Pink is Owens-Corning and blue is Dow. Either one is fine. You can pick them up at any home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes. Just make sure it the extruded foam insulation you get and not the Styrofoam. Look for the 1-1/2" or 2" thick foam. It will run you ~$15-25 for a 4 x 8 sheet.
Even though the foam is stiff, it works best when well supported. A 1/4", 3/8", or 1/2" plywood sheet underneath gives the foam a nice solid surface to lie on and a good foundation to glue to.
For adhering the foam to the plywood, make sure you use a latex caulk or a caulk used specifically for foam. (Other adhesives contain certain chemicals that can actually melt the foam.) White glue or yellow Carpenter’s glue works, as well. It just takes a while to cure.
Tom
i started using foam while constructing my new layout…what a godsend that stuff is…very easy to carve landforms using a serated knife or hotwire cutter…very easy to repair if you cut off too much…even though i still have a softspot for homasote…the foam also makes everything lighter if you have to travel or move anything
also if you check out the december model railroader issue…you will see an article about pele soeborgs layout where he uses the foam extensively for constructing scenery base…he had to go through about 20 sheets of the stuff…but the outcome is awesome!!!..tim
Permit me to correct what appears to be a common misunderstanding: Styrofoam IS an extruded foam made by Dow and IS blue. Perhaps what folks are warning others to avoid is the molded, cheap “beadboard” that is white, fragile and very difficult to cut with precision (think of the molded foam plastic used in packaging of model rr products and cheap coolers, for example).
Good advice. Its about all I use now that I have found it
It also comes in green and yellow. I would not buy that, but I have picked it up at construction site dumpsters and it makes good scenery. All four colors can be mixed when stacking for mountains and canyons.
BNSF_Conductor is in Arizona. From reading this forum, I’ve learned that our favorite foam is hard to come by out in the lower left corner of the continental US of A. You may be able to special-order it, but don’t be surprised if it’s not in stock.
If you are going to lay track on it- then you want the pink or blue stuff.
If your building up a form for making mountains, it doesn’t matter what kind you use. I just saw a mountain a guy made on another forum using the white stuff and it came out looking great!
Craig
Since I’m going to put plaster over the foam, I’ve used about 8 sheets of the white bead board. It stacks just as nice, although it IS a lot messier (that what shop vacs were invented for, right? I work at a grocery warehouse and some loads use it for insulation and we can take all we want, making it a mere fraction of the cost of the pink or blue foam. I’ve found that a bread knife works well to cut it and white glue holds it fine. I layer it, and set the boxes that kitty litter comes in on top for a couple of days. Even Liquid Nails tends to melt it a little. It even sands fairly flat with a common power sander.