Just a simple question about fascia's...

[mavrick0]

Well I hope it will be simple but I'm almost at the point of adding the fascia to my layout and after looking around home depot today couldn't really find anything that I thought was suitable specially for curved area's not to mention long enough to have as few joints as possible. So here's the question what does everyone else use for their fascia material?

[BN9900]

The Bellingham Railway Museum went to Jo Ann Fabrics or Micheal's and bought fabric off the roll. I do work at Hom Depot, and we don't have anything like that.

[Pete Nolan]

I use styrene. I buy 4 x 8 sheets for about $16 at a local plastics dealer. I use .060" thickness. It's easy to transport because my dealer simply rolls it up.

[Dee Das]

A lot of people use "Masonite". It is available at most home improvement stores and is sold in 4" X 8" sheets

[Hytec]

I cut 1/8" Masonite into 6" X 96" panels which I bent around the face of the layout flush with the top of the layout deck. I then hung cheap 48" wide muslin-like cloth from the inside of the Masonite panels to the floor. Covers nicely, but allows access to storage behind. The cloth was from ends of material bolts which a local store sold me for a song. Naturally I couldn't be too fussy about colors, though I did refuse to take pink or baby-barf yellow.

[CSXDixieLine]

I also will be using 1/8" Masonite (just purchased the first four 8x4 sheets this weekend). It is the same material I'll be using for the backdrop and for my spline roadbed. It is quite easy to curve and has a very smooth surface for painting. Jamie

[ntbn1]

I use masonite as well. I will add that I use plastic paneling molding between the masonite strips. It makes a finished transition between each panel and is easy to paint. You can find it in the paneling area of your home improvement store.

Dave G
Cache Valley & Northern RR

[CSXDixieLine]

Dave, Thanks for that tip! I was planning on filling and sanding the fascia with spackle just like the backdrop, but the paneling molding is a much better solution since the fascia doesn't have to be seamless. Probably also more durable with regards to operators bumping it and brushing by, where the spackled joint could just flex and crack. Jamie

[Wolfgang Dudler]

I've used plywood, at the curve thin - 4 mm - plywood.

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/552/P9113449.jpg

Wolfgang

[ppuinn]

Mavrick:
Masonite for the fascia and for the backdrop on my layout.
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/1069/East_Peoria_Yard_Benches.JPG
I bought the 4x8 sheets and had them cut into two 24x96 inch strips so I could transport them in my stationwagon. I've used the "T" shaped plastic seam joiners in some parts of the fascia but spackling in others. FWIW: Plastic seam joiners worked MUCH better in my fascia than spackling, but spackling worked very well in the backdrop...which doesn't get any of the bumping and pulling that the fascia constantly receives.)

The plastics companies in my area make Easter Eggs and parts for toys...and aren't "suppliers" of sheet plastic materials, per se. Home Depot offered to special order a 5-pack (five 4x8 sheets of .060" for $178 + tax). In stock, they had 6 foot long strips of much narrower (the guy estimated "a couple feet" wide and .095 thick).

Pete, or anyone with experience: Suppose someone used .060" styrene for a 4 or 6 inch wide fascia on a light-weight module. If they mounted Radio Shack mini-toggle switches through it, do you think it would be sturdy enough to not bend or tear with repeated use or would the Masonite be a better (stronger, although much heavier) option?

[mavrick0]

Guys, thank you very much for all the input and masonite is what I was thinking and trying to find but couldn't remember the name of the stuff. I'll be picking some up for this long weekend and probably getting some of it up. Any pics of the plastic strips so I know what I'm looking for.

[Pete Nolan]

. . .

Pete, or anyone with experience: Suppose someone used .060" styrene for a 4 or 6 inch wide fascia on a light-weight module. If they mounted Radio Shack mini-toggle switches through it, do you think it would be sturdy enough to not bend or tear with repeated use or would the Masonite be a better (stronger, although much heavier) option?

By itself, .060 styrene won't be strong enough. Toggles shouldn't tear out, but it is very flexible and will tear with abuse. I'm gluing it to a sub-base of matte board or foam core--remember that I have lots of both from previous jobs and a friend who is an art framer. If I had fascia mounted toggles, I'd reinforce the styrene with strips on either side, just for rigidity. One of the advantages of styrene is that glue sets instantly, so reinforcements are really easy and quick. I have run a 1-inch wide strip along an 8-foot length to reinforce the edge--again, very quick.

I'd personally use Masonite on modules or, better, 1/8" plywood, which would be lighter. I can get 1/16" plywood (door skins) here, but it is expensive and needs to be doubled. I haven't looked at sheet aluminum, because I presume it would be very expensive. If I were going all out, without the aluminum, I laminate two sheets of 1/16" plywood on either side of a 1/8" thick sheet of foam core, then lip the bottom edge with a 1/4" square strip of hardwood.

My last order for four 4 x 8 sheets of styrene (one .060. one .040, and two .020) was less than $50, 6% state tax included. They rolled up nicely into a cylinder 4 feet long by about a foot in diameter. Such cylinders easily fit into the miniscule trunk of my MR2 years ago. I think I got Grey One's backdrops, only 16" high, into a beer case. I'd look around before paying $175! That's robbery!

[Siskiyou]

Through the years, I've used 3/16-inch paneling (usually Boise Cascade), making vertical 3/32-inch cuts every 1/2 inch along the backside. The cuts allow me to bend the fascia VERY CAREFULLY around my extensive curves. I hold it in place with contact cement. Doing the vertical cuts is time-consuming, but I like the finished look. Since I have bookcases and open space under the layout, my fascia is never more than 12 inchs high, and that helps in bending it.

Scott

[IronGoat]

I used masonite to "wrap" both my walls and my facia.... I found it easy to work with, and it looks pretty good so far (I still need to fill, sand, and paint the facia however...)

Bob/Iron Goat

[CSXDixieLine]

Bob, The backdrop and fascia both look great--I am really looking forward to getting to that part of the layout. Quick questions--do you need any special screws to attach the Masonite to the benchwork or will plain old wood screws suffice? And do the holes need to be pre-drilled and countersunk? Your pics are very helpful in giving an idea of what this should look like. Thanks, Jamie

[IronGoat]

Thanks for the kind words, Jamie... I used dry wall screws all the way around on both the facia & the background panels. If you have sufficient thickness to drill into, the dry wall screws will seat themselves nicely.... then a little "fill & sanding" and you're there.

Have fun... Bob/IronGoat

[CSXDixieLine]

Bob that is music to my ears--I am using drywall screws entirely so far for my benchwork so I'll just keep going with them when I get to the Masonite. I figured the screws should seat ok without countersinking, I just could not tell from your pics if those were predrilled holes or if the screws had simply been removed. Thanks for the info and I'll let you know how it goes. Jamie

PS: apologies if I diverted the thread topic a bit; I hope this additional info will be helpful towards the original subject as well.