Foam Roadbed is better than Cork Roadbed


J

Jabbajawz4life

Trains are my life!
Hey It's Jaba'ri and I wanted to just share my opinion on two different roadbeds that are using in model railroading today. I today decided to tell everybody how I really feel about roadbed. First off I want to say USE FOAM ROADBED because it doesn't dry out and its easy to remove and put back down. And the easy thing with foam roadbed is that it doesn't shed and it can be layed down without being split down the middle. Cork roadbed on the other hand can be dried out. So that is just my opinion on why you should use Foam roadbed. A lot of people think that cork will quiet down your engines......Well to be honest I don't know any roadbed that I can actually tell the difference that it works.
-Jabari
Http://www.youtube.com/user/jabbajawz4life
 
Do you have a video w/ sound but no music or other background noise so we can hear your trains running on just the foam?
 
removing is hardly a cause for comparing as few of us actually remove it ever. Once you cover it with track and ballast and glue, the point is largely moot.

The fact that cork dries out is totally immaterial, as being "not dry" is only a feature needed when placing it.

Yes, you might be able to remove and re-use foam, but once covered with ballast and the glue used to hold it down, the glued-together mass is really tough to work with. You'll likely scrap not only the roadbed but also the track as well. I have re-used a few switches/turnouts, but rarely track. And never wanted to re-use roadbed. Nor tried.

Use foam or cork for whatever reasons you like. But re-use-ability is not a valid reason for most of us. If you change your mind a lot or if pennies are that important and time isn't use foam.

I agree, the noise issue is more related to aspects other than roadbed, altho it can have some impact. Table-top/decking vs spline roadway is a bigger noise impacter.

But, if it floats your boat, cork is much more eco-friendly....;)
 
how does drying of cork affects anything? ease of removal is irrelevant, i've yet to remove my cork. split in the middle actually makes for precise placing of roadbed as you can track down the center line through the length of the curve. how would you achieve same precision with solid strip of roadbed is beyond me. obviously more marks required . difference between corked sections and one directly on foam as far as noise is quite apparent.

i see no cons
 
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tankist said:
how does drying of foam affects anything? ease of remval is irellevant, i've yet to remove my cork. split in the middle actualy makes for precise placing of raodbed as you can track down the center line through the lengh of the curve. how would you achieve same precision with solid strip of roadbed is beyond me. obviously more marks required . difference between corked sections and one directly on foam as far as noise is quite apparent.

i see no cons
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It's not the foam that drys, it's cork that has that problem.

Ripping up the cork and bending it takes far longer than marking a center-line on foam and bending it though. The foam is so much easier to use and can sit without needing to use it before it goes bad (mold, hardens, etc)

The whole point is trying using foam first, you might end up liking over using cork. I know I have and not going back to cork unless it was given to me.
 
tomustang said:
It's not the foam that drys, it's cork that has that problem.

Ripping up the cork and bending it takes far longer than marking a center-line on foam and bending it though. The foam is so much easier to use and can sit without needing to use it before it goes bad (mold, hardens, etc)

The whole point is trying using foam first, you might end up liking over using cork. I know I have and not going back to cork unless it was given to me.
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So you would recomend to a first timer foam roadbed over cork?
 
I went with foam, and haven't been as happy with it as I thought I would.

While foam has the edge in ease of installation, and doesn't dry out, I think that's where the good points of foam end.

I glued foam on foam (blue DOW Squareedge), and found that foam does not have lateral strength. When your flex track wants to revert to straight, the foam is so soft that the track will pull the foam with it, and sometimes end up out of gage. Foam, because it is soft, isn't good for gluing Caboose Industries ground throws to, as they will pull loose or the throwbar won't be in alignment. Finally, foam can't be sanded easily to create smooth transitions.
 
ICG/SOU said:
I went with foam, and haven't been as happy with it as I thought I would.

While foam has the edge in ease of installation, and doesn't dry out, I think that's where the good points of foam end.

I glued foam on foam (blue DOW Squareedge), and found that foam does not have lateral strength. When your flex track wants to revert to straight, the foam is so soft that the track will pull the foam with it, and sometimes end up out of gage. Foam, because it is soft, isn't good for gluing Caboose Industries ground throws to, as they will pull loose or the throwbar won't be in alignment. Finally, foam can't be sanded easily to create smooth transitions.
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O ok so hw hard is it to lay cork
 
Ive used both and I think foam is easier. Cork is fine, and nostalgic to me, but I think foam is easier to put down, durable, and I like that it will last longer than my layout or probably me. I found it to be economical, easy to lay down, and versatile.
 
bigB said:
Ive used both and I think foam is easier. Cork is fine, and nostalgic to me, but I think foam is easier to put down, durable, and I like that it will last longer than my layout or probably me. I found it to be economical, easy to lay down, and versatile.
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Thats pretty much where I am at..Nothing wrong overall with cork in my opinion..
 
BN8002 said:
Thats pretty much where I am at..Nothing wrong overall with cork in my opinion..
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Ditto again!
From experience, I simply prefer to work with the foam and you CAN (carefully) sand it. WS foam is made to be easily split down the middle if you want to do so, e.g. on curves. I adhere it with white glue and never had any slippage or other such problems...darn sure not going to move after ballasting. Ground throws shouldn't be just glued to any roadbed, but secured with track nails. I usually put a white glue cap on the foam after securing with nails, to firm it up.

KenW said it well: What ever floats your boat!
 
Thanks, Rex. What do you use to sand it down (grit size, etc.)? I tried with 220, and shred it apart.
 
RexHea said:
...Ground throws shouldn't be just glued to any roadbed, but secured with track nails. I usually put a white glue cap on the foam after securing with nails, to firm it up.
......
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actually I prefer to secure ground throws to the track itself, using extended ties (see post #6 for details).

Get rid of the middleman and connect them directly!
 
kenw said:
actually I prefer to secure ground throws to the track itself, using extended ties (see post #6 for details).

Get rid of the middleman and connect them directly!
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right about keeping throw aligment separate from track attachment. I'm directly attaching Caboose High throws to all my switches with a small piece of sheet metal under the ties, so that when I move them, the manual controls go right along with the switch. :)
 
Trey: I use 220 on a sanding block. Mind you, I'm not saying it is easy. You must take it slow and softly and only sand one-way until you get through the surface and then it goes fairly well. Even using a more course paper will work to rough it up before using 220. I have done this on several transition areas from foam roadbed to sub-roadbed.

KenW: I also mount on extended ties, but still secure through the nail holes. (stays in place with double-fisted operators:D) The added Foam underneath the ground throw is for the needed distance for mounting: 1/2 strip of roadbed usually is about right. I then cover the foam and outer bottom of throw with white or yellow glue, to firm up the foam...then paint Be careful not to get any glue in the mechanism, if any of you do this. Heck, where the track is mounted directly on the sub roadbed (industrial areas), I have even used CA by itself to secure it...works very well.;)
 
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I use cork, it's affordable and easy to use. I've never used foam roadbed so I'll not comment on it
When I built my layout I used a trammel and a straight edge (aluminum yard stick) to draw track centers on the plywood. I then put a layer of 50/50 water and glue along one side of the track center. I then put down 1/2 of the road bed strip and using push pins secured it in place to dry. I then did the same to the other side of the line. Now my cork roadbed is cut from cork sheets not commercial roadbed. Next day I pull the pins then lay the tracks. Ballasting is even simpler. I can't really see where using foam roadbed would be any less or more work installing
Now it came to pass I tore the whole thing down and plan to rebuild. Every thing was saved except small filler pieces and the cork is none the worse for having been used.
A good soaking with soft water and the track ballast roadbed and all can be salvaged for use again. I've not experienced the degrading of the cork I use. I have no idea of it's flexibility when encased in ballast so I doubt it's any less flexible than the foam roadbed in the same circumstances. Having said that remember my cork roadbed is homemade from cork I bought at a hardware store, and could be quite different composition than the stuff from the hobby shop.
Cheers
Willis
 
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