Cork Roadbed


I used the woodland scenics roll foam. Very pleased with the results but one caveat. After you ballast, if there is an area you might put your hand on when leaning over the table, you can easily compress the foam and break the ballast loose in that area. Other than that, I think the foam is more workable than cork.
Back in the 60’s, my Dad and I cut strips of cork from a bulletin board roll, but after a couple years the cork began to shrink and form large gaps under the track. A real mess.
 
Thanks again everybody for the help. We are working on bench work now, but I am trying to get all the supplies lined up because it seems like things go dry for a while in getting some things.

I think that I want to try the Woodland Scenics foam because it seems like there are no issues getting that and I don't want to get part way through and not be able to get more.

MikeGTW, we have a approximately 20' x 23' room. I have not bought track or switches yet. I am trying to decide if I want code 100 or code 83. We are doing ON30 dead rail. Thinking code 100 because of the durability, we are using standard HO track, not ON30 track, because of availability and cost. I am not fussy at all about prototypical or accurate scale, the road bed likely will never see ballast. I am very appreciative of the beautiful work and authentic railroads that others have built, but I mostly just want to run trains and I like being around them. I want to get something running in this lifetime! LOL! We are both getting old and we love model trains.

Thank you everybody for the advice, its helped me make up my mind on the foam road bed! My husband says don't even bother with road bed, just put it on wood, that was how all his layouts were in the past and he said he is going to miss the sound of what his trains would make rolling along. We aren't interested in onboard sound either. Can anybody comment on how a layout would be with NO road bed? I hope I don't get off this forum for asking such a thing!

Paula
 
Paula Interesting ON30 dead rail I would think the code 100 will work But get whatever is available And yes use some kind of roadbed be it cork or the foam I myself never liked the sound of no roadbed on wood
And both getting old you are 64 right ? I'm 76 and am all most finished taking down my layout for the last time I've built 5 or 6 of my own and help build a club one we used spline and homasote for the roadbed
anyway good luck with your's and ask as many questions you want someone will answer
One pict of mine before it got demode
Mike
 

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MikeGTW said:
Paula Interesting ON30 dead rail I would think the code 100 will work But get whatever is available And yes use some kind of roadbed be it cork or the foam I myself never liked the sound of no roadbed on wood
And both getting old you are 64 right ? I'm 76 and am all most finished taking down my layout for the last time I've built 5 or 6 of my own and help build a club one we used spline and homasote for the roadbed
anyway good luck with your's and ask as many questions you want someone will answer
One pict of mine before it got demode
Mike
Click to expand...
So sad to see such a beautiful layout get dismantled.
 
Paula938 said:
Hi Folks, first post! I just joined tonight. Does anybody know why I can't find Midwest HO cork roadbed or any cork roadbed for that matter in stock anywhere? I see where you can pre-order it but I already tried that earlier this year and it was on order for over 3 months with the seller saying it was supposed to show up in July but it never did so I just cancelled the order to get my money back. I am building my first model railroad.

I am looking at the Woodland Scenics Foam roadbed, what do you folks think about that instead of cork?

Thank you in advance,
Paula
Click to expand...
It just came back in stock. I got some ordered and it's on the way.
 
I would think laying rail on strictly wood would be more work than with cork or foam road bed unless every inch of wood you were laying track on was pristine condition. Even though you have decided on foam for roadbed have you thought of simply going to a lumbe/hardware store and buying cork and cutting into strips? I’ve never done it for mainlines but have done it for a large staging yard.
 
Lynnb said:
I would think laying rail on strictly wood would be more work than with cork or foam road bed unless every inch of wood you were laying track on was pristine condition. Even though you have decided on foam for roadbed have you thought of simply going to a lumbe/hardware store and buying cork and cutting into strips? I’ve never done it for mainlines but have done it for a large staging yard.
Click to expand...
I've used 1mm cork on top of timber, but it only deadens the sound a little, but I like to hear the train running in the background while I work on other projects.
 
MikeGTW said:
Paula Interesting ON30 dead rail I would think the code 100 will work But get whatever is available And yes use some kind of roadbed be it cork or the foam I myself never liked the sound of no roadbed on wood
And both getting old you are 64 right ? I'm 76 and am all most finished taking down my layout for the last time I've built 5 or 6 of my own and help build a club one we used spline and homasote for the roadbed
anyway good luck with your's and ask as many questions you want someone will answer
One pict of mine before it got demode
Mike
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,

Nice railroad! Sorry to hear you are taking it apart.

Yes I am 64, I will be 65 in February. My husband is going to be 69 so we aren't spring chickens, but we also think we have something left in us! We have got a lot of big projects done over the years. We have built a couple of Hot Rods (a 1948 Anglia and a 1934 Ford coupe), my husband has built a Glasair Home built Airplane, a 3" 2-4-0 scale Live Steamer and he also built me a 3-3/4 scale electric trolley, we run them both at Train Mountain up in Chiloquin Oregon, we keep them up there in a container. We try to spend a couple of months each summer up there and we still enjoy running trains & trolleys there a lot. We also built a 10,500 square foot machine shop and now, thanks to Covid and the general lousy economy, its now a really big, hard to heat, personal hobby shop. My husband was in the middle of building a 3-3/4 scale Sandy River #24 Live steamer, but he put that aside to help me build the model railroad that I want so bad. He says he is probably getting too old to put that big engine back on the track anyway, it will weigh upwards of 2500#.

Yes we are planning on using the foam roadbed for now. We sure appreciate all the help all you folks are giving us, there is so much to learn about in this hobby.

Paula
 
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