Cork vs. Foam vs. Homosote - Which is your preferred roadbed and why?


KB02

KB02

Well-Known Member
Okay, I probably could have found this by searching, but which do you like? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
 
My Choice is Homasote. Years back when I started my layout (20+ years ago) I used Homabed. I started the layout hand laying code 70 rail and turnouts and really like the way that the homasote holds the spikes. I ended up completing the layout using Shinohara flex track and turnouts as my spike gun died, and again, I really liked how easy it was to spike the track and turnuts down.

It is extremey easy to ballast and holds the ballast extremely well. I had helped people use cork road bed and my personal choice is the homasote.

homabed%201%20001[1].jpg
 
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I have 1/2 inch homasote for the surface of my layout . I ran across several sheets 3' X 7' years ago and so that's why I used it . I really do like the way it works. You can spike it anywhere and it holds the spikes securely. I would guess that using it as road bed would work the same .
 
I notice you didn't mention plywood but that is what I used for all my roadbed. It is readily available and holds the track well as I used brads to attach the flex track on curves to avoid kinks. Also, all my railroad is rural and the mainline type roadbed is not featured.

I have lots of ups and downs and it was easy to transition to the plywood and anchored the plywood inclines at 1' intervals where the grade rose several inches.

Some don't like the noise of plywood but I think it sounds more like a real train when the wheels go over it, especially at a join where there is a slight gap and you get the clikety clack.

Turn on the volume with this 30 second run by and get an idea of what it sounds like:

[video=youtube;cUoa_nG3L24]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUoa_nG3L24[/video]

We live near a very busy rail line and I can hear the wheels run over the rails well in advance of the locomotive, I find it soothing.
 
Lasm , not to hijack this thread , but did you paint that backdrop or buy it? The clouds look really real.
 
KB02 said:
Okay, I probably could have found this by searching, but which do you like? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Click to expand...
I prefer Homasote but have not been able to find it for years, so I end up using cork. I used the Woodland Scenics foam once and it worked OK, but I would like to have the option to spike or nail if I need to. I think it would be very difficult to hand lay track on the foam since there is not enough firmness to put in the spikes and, once again, the spikes would only have the tiny HO tie to seat themselves in. The foam is certainly not going to hold them.
 
logandsawman said:
I notice you didn't mention plywood but that is what I used for all my roadbed. It is readily available and holds the track well as I used brads to attach the flex track on curves to avoid kinks.
Click to expand...
Can you explain in a little more detail


Some don't like the noise of plywood but I think it sounds more like a real train when the wheels go over it, especially at a join where there is a slight gap and you get the clikety clack.

Turn on the volume with this 30 second run by and get an idea of what it sounds like:
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with you on the clikety-clack, particularly for older steam engine layouts



How about laying track in a non-temp/humidity controlled environment?? I've recently moved to northern Florida and I am considering building a train layout in a new shed that would be located under an existing carport (so out of direct sunlight). This might be similar to building in a non-insulated garage. I was hoping not to 'climate control' it, but rather just add insulation-board to the walls and ceiling. Outdoor temps can range from 33F in the winter mornings to 95F in the summer days. Is it possible to gap the track enough to compensate for this sort of temp difference with out kinking the track in the hottest months?
 
I have this same issue to contend with . From all the reading on the subject that I have done here and anywhere else I can find I have decided to not solder my joints except for in the curves and I will run a feeder to each individual piece of track. I plan to gap each rail at .022 for expansion . I have read where some people will wait until the heat of summer sets in then lay the track up tight figuring that as the temps cool the track will only contract but I don't want to wait that long !! I am using the Atlas code 100 flex with a combo of Atlas and Peco turnouts . I am using a space that is in an attic above my garage . It is insulated well by my temps can be -30 in the winter to 100 in the summer but I don't have the humidity issues to deal with that you have .
 
I don't think the humidity has a lot to do with expansion and contraction of metal rail,...it more of the temperature difference.? I'll stand corrected if wrong??

Certainly the humidity levels will have an effect of the materials and methods utilized in the construction of the scenery.

That's quite a temp difference you have to contend with !!
 
Humidity doesn't affect the rail, but it does affect the plywood and wood that makes up the benchwork. Homasote gets a bad rap for shrinkage, but a lot of that is actually the material its glued to, the wood or plywood. I know several people who build their roadbed from Homasote splines and they have handlaid track in place for years without issues.

Personally I use Homasote on 1/2" plywood, with 1/8" homasote (Homabed) under the main tracks for my handlaid track. Nothing holds spikes like Homasote. For my son's layout with flex track its cork road bed glued to plywood with latex adhesive caulk and the track glued down with latex caulk and then nailed where required.
 
I have used cork glued to plywood for four different layouts in the last 35 years without any problems. When my trainroom was in a non-climate controlled building (previous 3 layouts), here in Texas, (temperature range between 10 and 115) I didn't have any real problems. If I am laying track in hot conditions, I butt it together as a previous poster recommended. During colder periods, I use a business card as a spacer. I don't solder rail, however I attach feeders to every piece of track. I think that Homasote would work just as well but wear a dust mask if you use power tools to cut or shape it.
Willie
 
logandsawman said:
I notice you didn't mention plywood but that is what I used for all my roadbed. It is readily available and holds the track well as I used brads to attach the flex track on curves to avoid kinks. Also, all my railroad is rural and the mainline type roadbed is not featured.
Click to expand...

My entire layout is currently run without any roadbed at all. All the tracks are glued/spiked right to the plywood. The powers that be have approved the "Railroad Construction Bond" so I am beginning the planning and acquisition stage of the new expansion. The more I am getting to know as I truly get into this hobby, I figure I would set my new area up a little better than the older area and would go with something for roadbed. I'm not bothered by the sound so much on my current layout, but with the new area being where it is, it would be nice to dampen it a little bit.

I was just going t pick up some cork roadbed off of e-bay, but that's where I found the Homasote roadbed and it got me to thinking. Why can't I just pick up a 4x8 sheet of Homasote at Home Depot or Lowes and cut sections myself? Looking at the pictures and some DIY sites on line it certainly doesn't look terribly hard to do.

http://www.housatonicrr.com/DIY_Roadbed.htm
 
My layout is 3/8" plywood, 2" of pink extruded foam, and 1/2" Homasote sheets covering the entire layout. Mind you, this is an around the walls style shelf layout, so Homasote sheet wouldn't work out real well for a railroad made from L-girder construction. I plan to use Woodland Scenics foam roadbed and put nails through the foam into the Homasote. As previous posters have noted, nothing grips the track nails like Homasote!
Homasote can be cut with a very sharp razor knife but it dulls the blade very quickly. A jig saw is much, much faster but it makes a tremendous amount of dust which you do not want to get into your lungs. Wear, at minimum, a good dust mask. A dual cartridge respirator is even better, and they really aren't that expensive, $20-25. With careful planning, you can get a lot of roadbed out a 4x8 sheet of Homasote.
 
santafewillie said:
I have used cork glued to plywood for four different layouts in the last 35 years without any problems. When my trainroom was in a non-climate controlled building (previous 3 layouts), here in Texas, (temperature range between 10 and 115) I didn't have any real problems. If I am laying track in hot conditions, I butt it together as a previous poster recommended. During colder periods, I use a business card as a spacer. I don't solder rail, however I attach feeders to every piece of track. I think that Homasote would work just as well but wear a dust mask if you use power tools to cut or shape it.
Willie
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You certainly have enough temperature variation to match my requirements. So that is good to know. In other words laying it tight in hot weather, it will be fine in colder times.

I assume you still need the rail joiners just to keep rail ends aligned,...just don't solder them.
 
beiland said:
Can you explain in a little more detail



I tend to agree with you on the clikety-clack, particularly for older steam engine layouts





How about laying track in a non-temp/humidity controlled environment???
Click to expand...

As far as attaching track to plywood, I use an electric drill and small brads with a finishing head. Special attention is necessary where two pieces of flex attach on the curved areas. Drilling a hole slightly smaller than the brad through a tie and into the plywood holds the rails firmly. There is a tendancy for them to want to kink (go straight) on their own.

The ballast and glue will also help hold things. In fact, I often pull out the brads after the ballast is done.

In rural areas, with older grades, you will often find not much of a bed around tracks. Rural road crossings are much easier without the cork roadbed. In my layout where there is a lot of elevation change, several areas appear roadbedded because I cut the plywood for the incline to follow the track. That would be at the beginning and 4:07 of this video:

[video=youtube;8Ed695Y75JQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ed695Y75JQ&list=PLmDLuMmpivK4qL5eq3iyErQUVP25Dv2hK&index=6[/video]

Humidity will be a problem with wood shrinking and swelling, might also mess with some wood structures. We have a dehumidifier in our basement running most of the summer.

If you are building a modern layout with typical mainlines, a roadbed type base would be the most prototypical.
 
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You certainly have enough temperature variation to match my requirements. So that is good to know. In other words laying it tight in hot weather, it will be fine in colder times.

I assume you still need the rail joiners just to keep rail ends aligned,...just don't solder them.
Click to expand...

That is correct. As others have said it is humidity and wood that is a bigger problem than rails and heat.
Willie
 
I use a foam board on top of plywood. It is not the normal pink or white foam board you generally find at Home Depot. It is about an inch thick with paper backing on each side. One side has a metallic surface on it. Either way the foam is easy to cut and shape and I was able to glue my track right to it and haven't had a problem. I had a couple areas where I needed to lower the grade of the rail to get high cube boxcars to clear roof lines and a Stanley suroform was the perfect tool. It is also nice because I have pretty decent temperature swings in my layout room and with that foam board being an insulation material I don't have any trouble with it moving around.
 
Insulation Board as Roadbed?

BN8002 said:
I use a foam board on top of plywood. It is not the normal pink or white foam board you generally find at Home Depot. It is about an inch thick with paper backing on each side. One side has a metallic surface on it. Either way the foam is easy to cut and shape and I was able to glue my track right to it and haven't had a problem. I had a couple areas where I needed to lower the grade of the rail to get high cube boxcars to clear roof lines and a Stanley suroform was the perfect tool. It is also nice because I have pretty decent temperature swings in my layout room and with that foam board being an insulation material I don't have any trouble with it moving around.
Click to expand...
That 'foam board' is an interesting idea.

I was planning on using some of that in the construction of the walls and roof of the 'shed' to house the multi-deck, around-the-wall layout,...just in case the shed had to be acclimatized at some point down the road. One distributor of these 'Handi-house sheds has indicated that this 'insulation board will also provide for a good solid backup for the really thin metal siding normally used in these sheds.

I looked at Home Depot recently and I believe I saw 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch insulation board, but don't recall 1 inch material.

What side of the insulation board did you place against the plywood?....metal-foil side or other? ...or did you remove reflective foil as not needed in this
instance?

And your claim is that this insulation board does not change shape/dimension appreciably with humidy/temp ??
 
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