I’m going to build a 4x8 ho scale layout with pink foam on top. Will this caulk that I already have will work for gluing track to cork and also directly to the foam base? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ppg_-FChVNPYFy3Ly4RsF5E_z8wX9eLi
Or should I use something else?
I want to use cork roadbed on the mainline and no roadbed for the industrial spur because I want the spur to be ground level. I’m using atlas code 83 snap track.
That’s a construction adhesive, not caulk. It will work, but it will probably cure to be rock hard. I doubt you’ll be able to later remove the track without completely destroying it.
I used a foam-friendly version of that stuff to attach my foam base to my benchwork, and that stuff will not let go. If I ever try to remove the foam from the lumber, I’ll have to cut or tear it off.
I would suggest you use latex caulk that’s foam-friendly. It stays slightly pliable, and if you install the track on a thin layer of it, you can remove the track intact later if you need to, using some care and a putty knife. And it only costs a few bucks a tube at any hardware store.
I follow Mark in suggesting a latex caulk. I used Dap white acrylic latex.
Easy to find in any hardware store, usually a couple of bucks per tube.
Mike.
Alex Plus is a popular one. Get the clear…from the tube it’s white, dries clear. I liked it.
DAP Alex Plus 10.1 oz. Clear Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone-18072 - The Home Depot
Thanks for the advice! would plain white elmer’s glue also work for gluing track? I have a ton of it already
It would take a long time to set/dry, and not sure how good it will hold.
The latex caulk is cheap, 1 tube goes a long way.
Use the white glue for setting balast, scenery, etc.
Mike
ok. is it the same for laying track directly on foam? latex caulk?
Yes, just lay a bead of caulk down the center line of the track, you can spread it around alittle, than place the track on the caulk, when everything is lined up the way you want it, weight it down with something, many guys use full soda or beer cans, laying down, between the rails, and let it set.
I make sure the caulk is spread enough, so it doesn’t oozes up between the ties anywhere, to leave room for the ballast.
Even as the caulk sets, you can still make any adjustments to the track alignment.
Mike.
thanks so much
Hello All,
[#welcome] to the forums.
My preferred type of adhesive for foam to wood and roadbed to foam is General Electric (GE) Clear Silicone I or II Caulk.
The difference between these two products is Silicone II is “Rain Ready” in 30-minutes.
Both need at least 12-hours to fully cure. I allow 24-hours before moving to the next step.
An advantage of using silicone caulk is if you need to reposition the roadbed just peel it up and rub off the residue without damaging either material.
To attach the track to the roadbed I use #19 x 5/8-inch brads through the factory drilled holes.
After I am satisfied with my track work I ballast it in place and remove the brads.
Check out this thread on using a dry resin glue mixed with the ballast.
Instant Track-Tackit Ballast Adhesive Questions
If I need to reposition the track after ballasting, soaking it with warm water loosens the ballast enough to pull up the track.
Because the silicone caulk is water-resistant the water that has loosened the ballast does not affect the roadbed.
Hope this helps.
The best but when you spread it you want it thin but not too thin. For trunouts I only caulk the ends and stay a couple of ties away from moving parts.
Yes, I used plain white glue to lay the track on an N scale switching layout and it worked fine. You need to pin or tape the track in place until the white glue dries but it does work.
We’ve used white glue, yellow glue and the DAP latex caulk.
By far the easiest to use is the caulk. It sticks enough but remains easy to pull up to make changes.
Very little caulk is required. I spread a less than 1/4" bead down the centreline of the underlay and spread it thinly with a 2" putty knife. Stick down the track and weight it slightly to hold it in place. We’ve used a string of locomotives to weight down the track.
Putty knife works well to lift the track off the set caulk in order to realign it.
Often the caulk stays sticky enough for a few days you can lift the track and stick it back down with no fresh caulk required. Not much adhesion is required to keep track in place.
White or yellow glue can work similar to contact cement if you spread a thin layer on each face to be glued and allow the glue to set a little. Then when you stick the two surfaces together you probably won’t need weight or pins.
Glue is much harder to lift track off to re-align.
Should I use the same caulk to attach the foam base to the plywood?
Yea, that will work. I also used it to glue layers of foam together, for hills and/or mountains.
Mike.
I started using adhesive caulk to install track 25 years ago after reading my very first article on the subject.
That guy used PolySeamSeal adhesive caulk and I still use that today.
Why don’t I use inexpensive “painters caulk” like Alex Plus?
Because Alex Plus is not adhesive, it is not designed to hold things together. It is a gap filler.
Adhesive caulk like PolySeamSeal is thicker, easier spread thinly and consistently, takes a tack quicker requiring less extra steps to hold track in place, and yes it is more permanent.
I have never concerned myself with taking up and reusing track. All layouts are assumed to be permanent until conditions prove otherwise.
I’m getting ready to build the next layout, and it too will use PolySeamSeal to attach the track to wood or homasote roadbed, not to cork or foam…
Sheldon
I have to see if I still have any of what I used. The first time I used caulk for laying roadbed and track some 20 years ago, I also used Polyseamseal, partly because it was 5 cents a tube cheaper than the DAP brand - so I saved a whole 5 cents, since one tube did the roadbed AND track for my 8x12 donut layout. Last layout, when I went back to the same big box store, they no longer had Polyseamseal so I ended up with a different one, but it definitely mentions ‘adhesive’ on the label. There is no silicone in it, not needed for this purpose, it provides no benefit for the purpose of sticking track to roadbed. Different story if using caulk for the actual process of caulkign something like window frames or a tub surround.
–Randy
Caulk works fine to stick track down. You don’t need an adhesive.
Big benefit to using caulk is if you change your mind.
There a very odd distortion of reality evident particularly in traditional model railroaders.
Just because the prototype is big, heavy and powerful doesn’t mean your benchwork and track laying needs to be robust.
It just doesn’t.
Locomotives weigh maybe a pound (500g) and entire trains not much more. That’s in HO.
Ironically, the prototype doesn’t fix their track down with anything. It just sits there.
It’s been mentioned several times, but from personal experience, I’ll say it again:
I started my first layout not long ago, and just like nailing two boards together, I grew up with the idea that if two nails were good, then six nails were better, and 20 nails were best if you could fit them in.
I used too much caulk. Some came up between the ties. Then when I went to ballast, the caulk was sticking up and it looked terrible.
I tried trimming the caulk with an exacto, but there are still spots on the track where the caulk is visible.
Lesson learned for next layout: Don’t use much caulk, and spread it very thin.
I’ve always used caulk that dries clear. It comes out white so you can see where it’s going. For track, I spread it out so thin that it looks more like the roadbed is wet than it’s covered with caulk. And that has always held the track just fine, never popped off. That’s how little caulk it takes to actually hold track in place - and allows deliberate action to carefully remove it without damage.
–Randy