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Locally I have only been able to find 1" thick pink extruded foam. I have a piece that is 53" x 36" and it flexes under the weight of N Scale. How thick of plywood is recommended for the sub road bed under the foam. This is my first foam based layout and I am trying to save weight. TIA.
Depends. You can go with tempered hardboard if you're framing supports it. If all you have is the outside edge supported, I would recommend 1/2" plywood or thicker.
Lots of depends here?
How large is the planned layout?
How is the perimeter framed?
Even a 4x8x1/2 plywood would need a minimum of 3 cross braces, but they can be 1x3.
To save weight - make all the framing 1x3 and cookie cut the 1/2 ply subroadbed.
The layout is a simple folded oval with a passing siding. The final dimension will be 53" x 36".
I have plenty of 1x4 in the garage and was planning on using that for the frame. I also have some 1/2" plywood in the garage so will be on my way towards running trains hopefully by the end of the weekend.
The layout is a simple folded oval with a passing siding. The final dimension will be 53" x 36".
I have plenty of 1x4 in the garage and was planning on using that for the frame. I also have some 1/2" plywood in the garage so will be on my way towards running trains hopefully by the end of the weekend.
I might catch some flak for this but don't over do it. I've seen too many layouts that are built to withstand a 500lbs bomb. The more you add to the frame, the more weight the frame has to handle. Just my two cents.
