Hello all, I finished the framing of my new N Scale layout and am getting to the point where I need to make a decision. What is the best material to use for roadbed: Cork or Foam (woodland scenics)? I have heard arguments for both in my local hobby store, but it came from one person, and am looking for peoples opinions that have actually used both. Also, if I go with foam (and inclines) I would just need a flat bench top to "glue" the pieces in place. If I go with cork, I would have to make a splined roadbed or a cookie cutter type board to place the cork on. Are these true statements? I would appreciate any help you can give. Thank-you in advance, [ 24 August 2001: Message edited by: PF2488 ]</p>
The cork roadbed will work just fine on a tabletop type layout or or the foam inclines.My experience with the foam roadbed is that it is best if left in the hobbyshop.
As for me I am in the modern world and will NEVER use cork again. I had a good start on an ho layout in a 16x20 room I framed up in the hayloft of a barn it has no heat or ac. I used ws trackbed on it I glued both the foam and the track down with liquid nails for foam board. I had absolutely no probelms with track infact it was some of the best running I ever had.With this method you can remove and reuse both track and trackbed if you are very careful and have a good flat butter knife to work under it.
Garth it really boils down to what you are most confident and comfortable working with. We each learn some skills as we go along in life, and if we try new things, we sometimes find different procedures work better or worse than others. To ask what is better, is relative to what? Better to provide silent running? Better to put down than another? Better to stay put? Better for me to work with? I started with Tru-Scale soft white pattern pine milled wood roadbed. It was beautiful to work with, back then, because we had nothing else like it. We could have glued down individual ties, that some thought looked better, but we had to actually spike each rail with real miniature off-set head rail spikes on both sides of the rails about every one and a half to two inches, including turnouts! It was loud because we also had good metal wheels with short flanges. Then I graduated to various prepared road beds until now, I also use flex-track, and glue it down to a thin foam under layment for sound. I have the best luck if I still use a solid roadbed support. But that is what works for me, I have the patience and time to do it. I also stay with nickle-silver, and if I do any ballasting at all, it is because I have run out of something else to do. I'm an outlaw I guess, but I would rather run than please someone else. Do your own thing, and if someone wants to criticize, then take them up on their offer to do a better job for you. They will vanish into the dark of night!
I used the Woodland Scenics foam on my n-scale layout. It was very easy to work with, and looks great. After seeing Great Model Railroads #10 (the Reid brothers layout) I am going to try the AMI instant roadbed. It looks so easy to use, and 100 times less messy than gluing the ballast. Why don't you purchase 3 ft. of each one (Cork, WS foam, AMI) and try them out! [ 24 August 2001: Message edited by: Pete ]</p>
I have not seen the AIM instant roadbed for sale in my hobby shops. Is there a web supplier of this stuff or a website? Thanks for the help. Russ The Hoffman Valley RR
I fixed my earlier post. It's AMI instant roadbed, (not AIM). Duh. I smart. Here is their website: www.ami-roadbed.com You can order some at Rio Grande Hobbies: www.4nscale.com They have the HO size too. [ 24 August 2001: Message edited by: Pete ] [ 24 August 2001: Message edited by: Pete ]</p>
The Woodland Scenics stuff came out right after I had the majority of my track laid on my layout. I tried a few pieces and found that cork is easier to get off the mounting surface should you change your mind about where your track will go. Having said that. If I had to do it over again I would use the foam. It is definitely quieter and easier to lay out. I was kind of burnt that the foam stuff came out to late for my layout as my goal was (and is), to make the layout light and portable. The foam inclines would have been great instead of wood risers. The AMI stuff is butal rubber. I tried that stuff back in the 80's. It is nothing more than a dust magnet under your track until you lay your balast.
When I started laying track for my new layout, I looked at cork, WS' foam bed, and AMI's Instant Roadbed. To me, the AMI product is far less forgiving- you'd better be darn sure that where you put the stuff down is where you want it! Since I'm building on a blue foam base overlaying a hollow-core door, I bought the foam bed. I'm gluing it down with Elmer's glue, and using track nails to tack it down until it dries. It's a little bit harder to smooth out when you bend it for curves, but after working with the stuff, I've come to like it. I won't ignore the AMI product- in fact, that stuff may come in handy for road material when the time comes
Thanks for the links Pete. I think I will try some. If I don't like the stuff for track, it will help with my roads. Russ The Hoffman Valley RR
I would like to thank everyone for the responses. I just got back from my local hobby shop and bought a couple of pieces of cork and foam. I will set up my own tests and see what happens. I will post the results when I can. I am not to worried about which is harder to work with, but more concerned about which will be more quiet and in the long run, better. I heard that cork would get brittle and buckle with moisture over time. I heard the earlier tries with foam yielded a material that would breakdown over time. I am not considering the AMI roadbed, as I get nervous about things that are "really permanent". I look forward to conversing more with everyone in the future. This forum is very helpful.
Currently, I am experimenting with sill plate insulation material for roadbed on my home layout. This material is a 3mm thick foam material sold in 3 1/2 wide and 82 feet long rolls used for placing under the bottom plate in home construction. An 82 foot roll of this cost me about $6 (Canadian). I made a roller device to cut it into 3 widths of 1 and 1/6 inch each yielding me over 240 feet of roadbed at a cost of about $0.025 per foot. So far it seems to be working quite well and is about the same consistency as Woodland Scenics foam roadbed.
That sounds very interesting. I guess I will have to stop by the local lumber yard and see what they have. Thanks for the information.
Well, I tried the woodland scenics foam, cork, some foam type packing material (roll) and some self adhesive rubber tape. I am going to go with the rubber tape, as it is very similar to the W.S. foam, and it is also self adhesive on one side. It comes two inches wide and 30 feet long for under $8(US). I will have to cut it into thinner strips to make curves, but other than that it looks very promising.
