I’m wondering what would be better on my n-scale railroad. N-scale cork roadbed or z-scale cork roadbed. I’m using code 83 track. N-scale seems to bulky to my eyes. I’m curious if down the road, when I start my scenery,and I do use z-scale roadbed, if it will hurt me in the long run with resect to proportion and sound buffering etc. If you have tried this please impart some wisdom upon me.
Thanks
First, your track s/b code 80 not 83. I doubt if Nscale has as exact tolerances as HO
I’d have to measure your cork to see the difference. It may both be 1/4in thick, with different width. HO tends to be thicker, and can be used for double mains in N or in yards with large areas to cover. Z may give your track the branchline look with a narrow ROW.
You can tone down the bulky look of Nscale track by painting the rail web.
A rusty color tones down the shiny look. Weathering and other effects take the shine out of the plastic ties.
To better represent the typical cross section of prototype roadbed, I use a 1/2 width of HO cork roadbed under the mainlines and most sidings to rise the track above the immediately surrounding ground level. N cork or no cork on secondary lines and spurs.
Painting the rail web and ballasting the track makes the rail appear smaller. There are variations in the width of the rail head between brands of track. When track is painted and ballasted the width of the rail head is more noticeable than the height of the rail. Thhinner is better.