I'm using homosote for my HO layout roadbed base (cookie-cutter style). Do I need cork roadbed too? Seems the homosote would damper the sound and vibration just fine.
No you can use just the homasote. question you have to look at is the ballast section, that is the pile of ballast that real track sits on that raises it above the rest of the ground. You can model
that by putting homasote just under your track and cutting the edges of the homasote at a slope. Or you can put cork roadbed under the track on top of the homasote to lift the track up off the
surface of the homasote. You could use HO cork under the main tracks, N cork under the sidings and put the industrial spurs and yard tracks flat on the homasote the different levels of track help
differentiate the different classes of track. the higher, better maintained main line has good drainage with clean rock ballast, with the siding slightly below it and the same size or a little
smaller ballast. The yard and industrial tracks are down in the mud on cinder or fine ballast (better walking surface).
Dave H.
I'm planning to use cork roadbed on top of 1/2" Homsote for my HO layout. Is the cork glued or nailed? If glued any suggestions what kind?
I nailed my cork and when I laid the track, I nailed it down too. I have never had a problem and if you need to make changes, the nails can be pulled out with pliers and a flat head screw driver. I
use a very small ball hammer and punch. The punch is used to nail the switches.
Greg S.
I did both when I used homsote. I used the cheapest white glue I could find and it worked extremely well. Lay in a good bead on both sides of the track center line, put down cork, and hammer in the
nails to keep it in place. You can also use a staple gun as Dave Frary does, then yank the staples after the glue dries. This would be faster than nails. I gave up on the homosote, as it found it
warped in my 80 year old basement due to the changing humidity levels.
The new layout is on plywood, and I just used white glue to attach the cork roadbed. Works well also. Nails are nice in homosote, as you can drive them all the way down. I only used nails with the
plywood to tack the cork down, then took them out when the glue dried, as it is much harder to drive nails into wood.
Bruce Wells
I glued my cork down. I painted a 'path' with latex house paint where I wanted the roadbed to go. I then drew a center line for the cork on it. Finally I 'painted' the 'path' with white glue and laid
down the cork. I then wiped up any excess glue and weighted the cork until it set firm (it was plenty solid in five mintes, but I let it go overnight.
As a side note I tried to paint the cork with glue instead of the 'path' but it didn't hold as well and tended to make more of a mess.
Todd
I use a staple gun (long staples) to hold the cord own until I'm ready for it to be permanent. The staples are easily removable, but hold the cork well when you want it to. As I lay track on top, I
find I am always having to make adjustments, and having the cork glued down (not adjustable) would frustrate me. I never remove the staples (unless I'm repositioning the roadbed). When I add the
ballast, they cover up any evidence of staples, and the glue from the ballast application contributes to holding down the cork.
Mark
I've simply used small nails on my cork - never had a problem, and once ballasted no one even knows the cork exists, much less the nails. The nails are faster, simpler, less mess, and far more
adjustable than glue.
Steven
You can use Elmers type glue if you like or you can use contact cement (water soluable is fine). Either way you should also have some big push-pins around to hold the cork down while the glue sets.
You might also consider HomaBed which is now available with a 60' bevel. For my money that would be the best material to use (the bevel looks much nicer), but beware - HomaBed is much stiffer than
cork and I've had to use a staple gun to tack it down on curves while the glue dries.
When it comes to laying track you can also use contact cement. The advantage is that by putting a coat of contact cement on the roadbed you effectively seal it so that the ballast cement doesn't
deform anything (not realy a problem with cork). If you use spikes you may opt for drilling your own holes in the tie plates. It will take more time (even using a Dremel), but the spikes will be
barely noticeable.
Paul Tackowiak
Dick Ganderton wrote:
But surely, if you use a contact adhesive you don't have to hold down the cork while the adhesive sets! That's the whole point of a contact adhesive. You let it "dry" on both surfaces before you put
them together. The act of "contacting" the two surfaces causes them to bond together.
To ensure that there are no bubbles in the cork, I roll mine out with a "rolling pin".
---------------
Yes, but if you let the cement dry on both pieces before assembly you will get 1 and only 1 shot at placing the roadbed. Used as intended, contact cement can almost instantly put a death grip on
whatever you wish to laminate. If you assemble while the contact cement is still wet you will have some chance to adjust what you're gluing before it's too late. The final hold may not arguably be as
strong, but it's still plenty strong for this application. A white glue or a wood glue will of course give you much more time to make adjustments so perhaps the deciding factor needs to be the level
of expertise and speed of the person laying the roadbed. I would recommend that a newbie take the slowest approach.
Paul Tackowiak
I would reccommend using cunstruction adhesive. Others may suggest white glue but IMHO it's not the best choice because you must pin the cork down while it dries. Also, forget homasote - just lay the
cork on your plywood subroadbed.
The adhesive I use is called "F-26" and is available at Ace hardware. "Liquid Nails" would work good, too. Just make sure you don't use too much glue - I use a putty knife with some home made 1/32
notches (N scale). With this stuff you don't have to pin down the track yet unlike contact cement you do get a few seconds to sight down your track and straighten it up.
I also use this glue for holding my track down. If I have to remove the track I just carefully run a razor between the track and cork.
Ken
I have found using hotglue works for me under cork. I layout the intended path, then carefully glue 1/2 of the cork down, then the second half. I found the glue pressed out well with a bit of
pressure and set very quickly. I've not had any problem with any of the cork. I also use a putty knife to cut the cork free of the plywood if I need it moved.
Hugh Tebault
How do you glue cork roadbed to styro-foam board? How do you fasten track to cork roadbed on styro-foam?
try Liquid Nails (latex brand adhesive) it comes in a caulking tube and should be found in the paint department with the other caulkings. Run a bead along where you want to place the cork or track
them spread to a thin film with a putty knife lay the cork or track and hold in place with pins ot wire nails until the adhesive dries, (but do not put the adhesive under the moving parts of your
turnouts). wildd dry in 10 to 20 minutes
Unknown
I just use white glue to glue the cork down to the styrofoam. Then I lay the track using pins to make sure the radii are correct. Once I am sure that they are, I replace the pins with track nails. I
don't like to glue the track down, because once its down, the track cannot be moved. Plus, I like to run my trains across the track before it is permanent. I can do this with track nails, but not
pins. If there is anything is wrong, I can fix it without destroying track.
Tim M.
I was looking for road bed for my layout and didnt like the price of the hobby stuff here in Canada so I thought I'd take a walk around Revy, the same type of hardware store as Home Depot. And I found it the perfect substitute for the foam type of roadbed. Its called "Sill Gasket" and comes on a role 75 feet long and 5 1/2 inches wide. This stuff is perfect and only cost 8 bucks. If you're looking for a less expensive alternative check it out.
Bigbuck
I have found a 8'x24" roll of 3/32" cork for less than $9.00 at Menards (I live in the city where the "coporate office" for Menards is located so we don't have any Home Depots around here) that I am using for my roadbed. I have setup a "jig" to help me cut the cork into the size I need for my layout and so far it is working out pretty good. I do get some gaps (less than a 1\16") around the turns but I figure that the ballast will cover that up pretty well.
Brian