I'm attempting to put together my first layout and I need a suggestion for the board. So far I have 3/8" plywood on my 4' x 8' layout and I find it too heavy for me to conveniently handle. Anyone
have a suggestion as to what I can use in place of the plywood.
2" thick blue foam insulation board. Lighweight and much better surface than some of todays plywood. Very sturdy and scultable.
Dave
The Dow foamboard I use also comes in 2'X 8' sheets,so two sheets would replace the 4'X 8' sheet of plywood for less than $20.I have a shelf layout so I prefer 2'X 4' or 6' lengths,but with latex
Liquid Nails,I can widen or lengthen the sheets,as my end tables are 6'X 3'for the turnaround loops on them.
Arrakis
It depends on the layout. If you are building a flat layout I would suggest you try building a grid out of 1x4s (or 1x3s - whatever you feel is strong enough) to support a sheet of rigid
insulation (2" thick, pink or blue).
If your track plan has grade changes I would build a similar grid and have it support just the roadbed of the track plan cut out of the 3/8" plywood sheet. You would then fill the voids with
lightweight scenery material such as rigid insulation or plaster hardshell.
In either case you are eliminating weight AND eliminating strength. In other words, if you build it light don't try standing on it. That may sound dumb, but to reach the middle of a 4x8 many people
tend to lean or climb on the edges which is fine with a strong piece of plywood. It may prove damaging it you reduce the material.
Another tradeoff with weight is noise. You could replace your 3/8" plywood with 1/4" veneer plywood, but the thinner the plywood, the more it will resonate and the louder the trains will sound.
I would go with the rigid insulation since it is very light, rigid. and can be carved to make whatever landforms you want. To lay track I would use either cork roadbed or Homabed and glue everything
down (including track) with contact cement.
Also consider what type of switch machines you intend to use. Under-table mounted ones will require something sturdy to mount to.
Paul Tackowiak
Today it is popular to use foam as a substrate for a model railroad layout. Foam has many clear advantages such as light weight, ease of carving, etc. Seldom mentioned however are the
following:
1. Track laid on a 1 or 2 inch thick sheet of foam is EXTREMELY noisy when trains are run.
2. You cannot directly attach switchstands, under table switch machines, or any other device that is stressed, DIRECTLY to foam.
3. Useable adhesives are limited with polystyrene foam.
4. Foam is not easily "cookie cuttered".
5. The thickness of the foam makes through table linkages more difficult.
I neither recommend nor advise against the use of foam - it has its place. However, articles published in the model press sometime fail to point out all the issues involved. Since a model railroad
can be an extremely time consuming investment, it pays to check out all the issues involved with any recommendations supplied by articles in the model press, books, or posters to forums. Many of the
readers of these media are newcomers to the hobby. Eventually they will learn the pros and cons of various methods but I think it only does justice to them to present all known issues up front.
Ross Allen
I've noted with humor over the past 30 years or so how quick some advocates of various techniques have jumped on this or that bandwagon. Subjects have ranged from various grades of plywood, glues
and other bonding agents, chemicals used as thinners or paint removers; to what is a safe home made spray booth, and the advantages of Homosote(screw the brand names; it's just carpet underlayment)
over sound board and other items.
Foam is a neat building product to use for scenery and light weight construction techniques and may have its advantages in given situations; as do many construction materials. I have a fair amount on
hand and use it; just like the various grades of plywoods, lumber, sound board, dry wall compound, laminates, glues and other bonding agents, thinners, paints, etc.
They all offer potential advantages and may be of use at some point in layout construction. Just like my tools.
However....(grin)... I know what I'm working with and what I can get away with.
And I get paid $35 an hour by realtors and homeowners to remove foam (blue or pink, or whatever) from crawl spaces and other designated areas when homes are inspected, sold, or bought. When it burns
it's toxic. Not just a little.
Will I use it for the hobby? Sure. If anything happens I'll have no one to blame but myself. Will the insurance cover all damages? Maybe. Maybe not. My wiring is above code, anyway.
Dave in AK
No offense...but as the original poster appears to design layouts based on "cookie-cutter" type benchwork his comments would appear to be reasonable from his point of view...after all...using foam
eliminates the need for all this fancy Cad stuff!!!
The simple fact is that using a combination of 1/2", 1" and 2" foam, and lightweight steel studs, one can have a large layout basically laid out and erected in a weekend using nothing more than
adhesive caulk, a pair of tinsnips, a power drill, tape measure and a marker.
Use Woodland Scenics Incline Starters and you can quickly and easily change track elevations.
Use an old serrated carving knife and you can instantly create tunnels, valleys, ditches, mountains etc. Don't like what youve done or changed your mind...carve another piece and plunk it down.
Want to be *really* protypical??? Rough out your scenery elevations with blocks of foam...then look for ways to creatively lay track to surmount the terrain and get from point A to point B!!!
Noise??? Go to your local building supply and ask for a roll of "Sill Sealer". Made by Owens Corning, comes in 50Ft rolls, 51/2" wide and 1/4" thick...about $4.50 a roll! (Home Depot Sku 409989) Use
that as your road bed...then carve drainage ditches in the underlying foam base....quick, easy.......and cheap!!!
Adhesives??? Plenty of em around...I use hot glue and adhesive caulk.
Mike Simpson
If you're using it to bridge gaps, you can make it a lot stiffer and stronger by glueing a 1/8" plywood (paneling) skin to the top and bottom of it. Most of the stress will flow to the
stiffer/stronger skin.
Bill F.